ABS sensor on 2001 Montana

I am having yet another problem with my van. A month ago I had to have the manifold intake gasket fixed. It cost us $1400 only to hear about how we had been overcharged. Since then I have had my van in the shop every week for 4 weeks. So the latest is the ABS sensor in my left rear tire is bad. I got a quote from the dealer of $620 and from just a regular shop of $470. My husband is wondering if this is something that he could do at home, since that part at Auto Zone is only $130. They said that the rear hub and harness needed to be replaced. If any of you have replaced this, could you tell us how to do this, or just give some advice about the whole situation. We have only had the van for barely 7 months and so of course I am at my whits end!!! Thanks in advance for your help!!

First step would be to go out and purchase a $15 Haynes manual. It will have most general repair procedures you might need to do in it and really is a good investment. They are available at most auto part stores.

The rear hub bearing assembly (the sensor is apart of it) appears to be fairly simple to remove. You'll need to remove the wheel as well as the break drum. Once you get that off, you'll see a plate with the studs that hold the wheel on. There are several holes in this plate that will allow you to remove 4 bolts holding the hub/bearing assembly on the vehicle. Remove these bolts. Be sure to support the break assembly with some wire or something as these 4 bolts also hold the assembly on. Gently pull the hub/bearing assembly away and disconnect the wire.

Installation is the reverse of the procedure. The bolts get torqued to 45 lb-ft.

Note, the 4 bolts may be torx head, or they may be hex head. You won't know until you get the drum off.

This is an easy DIY fix. I've done the EXACT same repair on my own Montana...same wheel even.

You will need the entire hub...which is the bad news. I was able to find a Pontiac dealer who would sell it to me for a little over $200. Call around. There is a good bit of flexibility in the parts pricing. If you have a good relationship with, say, a used car dealer or someone, see if they will buy the part at their cost.

The part literally unplugs and unbolts. It seems to me that the most involved thing was reassembling the rear brakes, but that was pretty intuitive. Just pay a lot of attention to what things look like before you tear it apart. Take pictures, if that will help. Then, put everything back together the way you found it. Take your time. Maybe if the two of you work together, you will have a better memory of what the brakes looked like before you removed them.

Good luck! This is definitely a money-saving repair!

... You will need the entire hub...
One other note: My factory manual says to REPLACE the (4) bolts that hold the hub/bearing assembly on.

This means to DISCARD (throw away) the OLD bolts. Do NOT reuse them.

My manual also says "Tighten the NEW wheel bearing/hub bolts to 80 N·m (59 lb ft)."

You might want to get these parts from a GM dealer, and don't be afraid to haggle with the parts guy. Or become "his friend" - it could save you some money in the future :wink: .

Good Luck & Take Care,

...It seems to me that the most involved thing was reassembling the rear brakes, but that was pretty intuitive. Just pay a lot of attention to what things look like before you tear it apart...

Was in my local 'stealer'ship on Thursday to have the interior door handles replaced on the sliding doors (a delayed recall here in Canada!).

While I was there a woman had her van in for the same problem. The cost estimate was about $470 for the hub and about $170 (door rate of $79/hr) labor.

As a guide when taking the brakes apart, (assuming that this is necessary) you can always use the other side of the vehicle as a reference. Pull the wheel and the drum from the side NOT being worked on and simply 'mirror' what it looks like, taking into consideration the front to rear positioning of brake components (springs, adjusters and such). I think the shoes are symmetrical meaning that there is no leading / trailing shoe * as in conventional rear drum brakes.

* Typically the leading shoe is smaller than the trailng shoe and energizes first causing the assembly to 'wrap' in the direction of rotation when the brakes are applied. GM chose to use a different design where both shoes apply simultaneously without any 'wrap' during application.

.

This is from my Factory Service Manual for my 2002 Silhouette. Wheel Bearing/Hub Replacement - Rear (Front Wheel Drive/Drum).

Removal Procedure

1. Raise and support the vehicle.
2. Remove the tire and wheel.
3. Remove the brake drum.
4. Remove and DISCARD the wheel bearing/hub bolts.
5. Remove the wheel bearing/hub.
6. Disconnect the wheel speed sensor electrical connector.

Install in the reverse.

Tighten the NEW wheel bearing/hub bolts to 63 lb ft.

The manual doesn't mention that you have to remove the brake shoes, but it wouldn't be the first time that the manual has been wrong.

Use the above at your own risk. Good Luck.

Thanks so much for all the info. We should be repairing this soon. I will let you know how it goes!