I just replaced the right side ball joints and will do the left next week. After a terrible ordeal getting the lower joint out, I discovered that the ABS sensor would not come out of the steering knuckle. I tapped it a few times with no luck, but it deformed. It apparently is aluminum, not steel. So I cut the wire and after putting it all together, soldered the wires (2) back together. Now I get a ABS light (probably because the pickup coil was damaged). My question is would cutting the wires and soldering them back be an issue. I really do not understand how the system works, but the wires looked pretty straight forward. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

Welcome to FTE.

I think your right, you likely damaged the wheel ABS sensor trying to tap it out.

As the wheel turns, it's "tone ring" passing close to the sensor has it generate an electrical signal that the computer interprets as a certain amount of wheel rotation. When that signal suddenly stops, & the other wheels are still turning, the computer interprets that as that wheel being locked up, so it takes over applying hdraulic brake pressure to that wheel cylnder, through electrical manipulation of the ABS motor control assy & begin to apply a rapid on/off application of hydraulic presure to that wheel cyl. The duty cycle of the on/off pulses it applys, will depend on the signal it recieves from that sensors circuit compaired to what it's sensing from the other ABS sensors.

SO, seeing as how a lot of heat is generated in that area, a soldered connection, not carefully & correctly made & protected, can over time, corrupt the signal the computer recieves from that sensor & confuse it about what it needs to be doing to properly control braking on that wheel.

If that happend at the wrong time in a panic stop, it could cause your pucker facter to go Way beyond 100%!!!! lol

All that said, I'd opt to replace the sensor & wiring harness, if you've cut the wires beyond the sensors harness electrical connector.