Chasing a problem with my brakes on a 1996 Ford Explorer, Automatic Transmission, V6 & Factory Air, and decided to replace the ABS Speed Sensor since it was cheap & easy to do.

Notice right away when I pulled the old one out that it STINKS. Burned - Yes. Also smelled like oranges, like burnt orange peels. Don't know what fluid is in there. I assume there's some kind of lubrication in there. Maybe it's burnt? Bad? Causing problems?

Or is this normal?

I would have probably ignored the burnt smell, but there are small flecks of soft black dots stuck on the surface of the old ABS sensor. They might be hardened chunks of oil (if this happens over 16 years). Might be pieces of rubber (gasket or seal?). Might be normal also.

Is this something to worry about?

Any help appreciated, and thanks in advance.

 

I assume you talking about the pickup in the rear axle pumpkin ? Old gear lube does have that kind of smell. Over time, you get some gear wear, steel powder due to gear mesh, and sand / carbon coming off the insdie of the housing wall. It is a good idea to change the gear lube every 60,000 miles or so. Taking out the crud will help the bearings last longer. There is 2-3 quarts of 80-90 gear lube inside, no pump, splash lube. You take the 10-12 small bolts off the rear cover, and pull the sheetmetal pan off. Wipe out the inside and clean the pan. Glue it back on with RTV and tighten the bolts. Look at the front side of the housing and see a 1/2 inch pipe plug with a square drive hole. Use a 3/8 inch ratchet to remove the plug and refill the housing with the gear lube up to the plug hole.

 

Thanks steve, for a minute there I thought you were calling me "pumpkin" and I was going to call you "snuggums" but then I realized you meant that big metal thing on the axle.

That sounds pretty idiot-proof. I assume Haynes will have more detailed instructions such as exact capacity for lubrication and exactly what is supposed to be used. I have to do the brake pads pretty soon, so I guess I can include this in on the Saturday's activities.

There's not much room above the "pumpkin", so I'm wondering if I might need to squeeze the oil in via a rubber hose? I'll have to look for the 1/2" square plug to know for certain. The vehicle has over 300K miles, and I'm certain the lubrication oil has never been changed. Thanks for you help.

 

I'd suggest you make sure you can get the fill plug out BEFORE you remove the cover and drain the old fluid. And, yes, a transfer pump or hose on the bottle will make filling from the bottles easier. The parts stores sell a valve and tube that threads on to the bottle and lets you start or stop the flow of oil easily. These are not very expensive and do make jobs like this a bit cleaner.

-Rod