ABS failure after tire change

ABS failure after front tire change

I recently removed the front wheel in order to change the tire. The brakes were not touched at all (edit: the calipers were removed in order to remove the wheel). After reinstalling the wheel, my ABS quit working. I pulled the code and got the front sensor fault. I ordered a different sensor (used sensor from eBay) and installed it. ABS is still failed.
I did measure the gap between the sensor and the ring and it meets the maintenance manual specs.

Here is what it does.

- ignition key ON, ABS system test, light on solid.
- once moving, ABS light goes off - like it should
- a small "tick" "tick" "tick" sound is heard from the front (possibly right side)
- applying the brakes causes the bike to stop in a jerky fashion, like the ABS is sensing a skid and it is releasing the brakes
- after driving for a few more seconds, ABS light begins to blink and turns the system off, brakes revert to non-ABS.


Any suggestions?

Are you sure you have the front spacers on the correct side?

If you are sitting on the bike, the thinner collar goes on the left side, where the SMC is :

Yes the spacers are correct, thinner one on the SMC side.

Re: ABS failure after front tire change

It sounds like something happened in the process of removing and installing the wheel. My guess is like yours, something is wrong with the front sensor and it sounds like it is verified by the code.
I have found myself putting excessive tension on the front ABS wire when doing this. Luckily, I have had no problems.
How did you remove the front wheel without touching the brakes?
I do not have the manual with me, but the first thing I would do at this point is disconnect the battery at the negative terminal, then turn the ignition switch on and off. Kinda like resetting the remote on your TV. Re-connect the battery and see what happens.

Re: ABS failure after front tire change

Thanks, I will take a look at rebooting the bike as you have suggested. I am away from the bike for a couple of days but will try that when I get home. I did do the code reset as described in the SM, but maybe the battery disconnect will "spark" it back to life.

With regards to not touching the brakes, my mistake, I removed the calipers but didn't change pads or anything. I had to make sure the pads were opened up enough to slip the rotor back in, which didn't take much.

Re: ABS failure after front tire change

4walls said:

Here is what it does.

- ignition key ON, ABS system test, light on solid.
- once moving, ABS light goes off - like it should
- a small "tick" "tick" "tick" sound is heard from the front (possibly right side)
- applying the brakes causes the bike to stop in a jerky fashion, like the ABS is sensing a skid and it is releasing the brakes
- after driving for a few more seconds, ABS light begins to blink and turns the system off, brakes revert to non-ABS.


Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

The "tick, tick, tick" noise only happens when the ABS is trying to function. Once the ABS senses the failure of the system and disables it (indicated by the flashing ABS light) the ticking noise ceases.

Jerky braking is less dramatic when I brake with the rear brake. I suppose because the linked brakes only give partial front braking with only the rear brake applied.

Once the system has failed/disabled itself, braking is good for front and rear brakes. No fading of the brakes. I can easily skid the front wheel (I tried it at low speed) and rear braking is also very good.

You replaced the sensor, but did you closely examine the tone ring on the wheel? A small crack or bend will render it useless.

I did not check the ring. I will remove the wheel again and take a closer look at the ring.

I tried the suggestion to disconnect the battery but that didn't do the trick. The fuses have been checked but I'll double check those as well.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm away from home again for the rest of the week so it will be a while before i can trouble shoot it again.

Re: ABS failure after front tire change

I think I was fooled in the first post when you measured the gap between the sensor and the ABS ring and it was OK. If you didn't rotate the wheel and check for a bent ring I think the tick tick sound is the bent ring hitting the sensor.

LOL, I'm still trying to figure out how you got the wheel out without removing the calipers! As I recall, the front tire and rim are both too wide to fit between the calipers (hence why they're removed and suspended per the normal tire change procedure. :stumped:

But as you mentioned you pushed the pads in a ways, you've displaced quite a bit of fluid back up into the system...makes me wonder about what that does.

The Tick-tick-tick is likely the ABS unit cycling, initializing (does that automatically on every restart). I believe (but could be wrong) that it does that regardless of whether the front ABS sensor is properly gapped to the tone ring.

Did you look at the wiring to/from the ABS sensor? Perhaps it has been damaged and is shorted/opened.

BakerBoy said:

LOL, I'm still trying to figure out how you got the wheel out without removing the calipers! As I recall, the front tire and rim are both too wide to fit between the calipers (hence why they're removed and suspended per the normal tire change procedure. :stumped:

But as you mentioned you pushed the pads in a ways, you've displaced quite a bit of fluid back up into the system...makes me wonder about what that does.

The Tick-tick-tick is likely the ABS unit cycling, initializing (does that automatically on every restart). I believe (but could be wrong) that it does that regardless of whether the front ABS sensor is properly gapped to the tone ring.

Did you look at the wiring to/from the ABS sensor? Perhaps it has been damaged and is shorted/opened.

Click to expand...

You are right, I did remove the calipers to get the wheel off but hardly had to touch the pads to slip them back over the rotors when reinstalling.

I suspect you are right about the tick tick noises, the tone ring does not appear bent, and its not touching the sensor at all. I haven't had an opportunity to remove it for close inspection yet. A visual inspection on the bike with the front wheel raised looks like the gap between the tone ring and sensor is consistent. I will remove it for closer inspection and I have a line on a used tone ring off an 07 for a good price.

I will also recheck the wiring in that vicinity, but I didn't think that I had really touched any wiring.

I don't know how many times I looked at it but today I noticed the tone ring is cracked. I'll get a new one and hopefully be back to normal.

4walls said:

I don't know how many times I looked at it but today I noticed the tone ring is cracked. I'll get a new one and hopefully be back to normal.

Click to expand...

Yup, figured that was the problem.

Put the new RING, FR. PULSER on the bike today and took it for a ride. ABS is working again. Thanks for all the suggestions. I know now that I need to be more careful when removing and reinstalling the front wheel on the bike.

Maybe that's why they went to a different tone ring on the front for 2008 and after!

SupraSabre said:

Maybe that's why they went to a different tone ring on the front for 2008 and after!

Click to expand...

Anyone tried the 08 ring and sensor on an 07 or earlier?

CruSTy said:

Anyone tried the 08 ring and sensor on an 07 or earlier?

Click to expand...

They changed the sensor for the front and changed the computer. So I don't think it would work.