Friday, April 4, 2014
How to Test the Wheel Sensor on a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado
2001 Chevrolet Silverados use a hub-mounted wheel sensor system that consists of an electro-magnetic sensor and a notched reluctor wheel on each front wheel. The reluctor wheel spins at the same RPM as the wheel and the electro-magnetic sensor records this information in pulses. The PCM and ABS computers decode this information and use it determine wheel speed. By determining the wheel speed, both computers can tell if a wheel is locked up or spinning faster than the other. In order to diagnose a faulty wheel sensor, you must monitor the data stream with a scan tool and also confirm that each sensor is receiving voltage.
Instructions
- 1
Lift the front portion of vehicle with a jack and support it with jack stands; both front tires must be at least 6-inches off of the ground. Place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels and apply the parking brake.
2Switch the ignition to the ON position and connect a scan tool to the trucks data port under the dashboard below the steering wheel. Navigate to the live data menu and monitor the wheel speed sensors; they should both read zero.
3Turn on the engine and lightly depress the throttle while monitoring the scan tool. The wheel speed sensor output readings should match the speedometer output. If one sensor does not then it is most likely faulty.
4Turn off the engine but leave the ignition on and lie down on a mechanics creeper. Roll underneath the car and examine the wheel speed sensor wires for fraying or cuts.
5Unplug the connector from the wheel speed sensor. Probe the light blue wire for the left-front wheel sensor and the tan wire for the right-front wheel sensor with a digital multimeter. The specified voltage value is 1.8 to 12 volts. If the multimeter reads less than 1.8 volts then find and repair the short in the wire and retest the sensor. If the voltage reading is within specification then replace the wheel speed sensor.
