I hope some one can help me know what is wrong with my sensor. I just bought a 100k mile '05 997S and started going thru it altering things and fixing things. The front right wheel bearing was worn so I took off the housing and took it to a shop to have the new bearing pressed into place. I had already had the front suspension off once to put on lowering springs so I know I hadn't damaged the sensors. After I lowered the car I took it to get it realigned and that's when we found the loose bearing. Anyway after puting the housing back on and going for a spin my psm/abs failure light came on. I went back home and took out the drivers side and inspected it, and then I took the passenger side out. The passenger side was coated with grease whereas the drivers side was dry.. I then remember watching the guy press the new bearing into place and when he did he put a small dab of grease on, I assumed to assist sliding it into place. I didn't think that was necessary but I didn't question him at the time. So I got some cotton swabs and stuck down into the hole and rotated the hub and cleaned out all the grease I could I also wiped off the sensor and put it all back together. went for a drive and the alarm was still there. So I downloaded Durametric and my laptop confirmed it was the passenger side sensor. I reset the alarm and went for a drive. Alarm came back before I got out of my driveway. So I jacked it back up again and sprayed down the sensor with some brake cleaner and a tiny bit down in the hole and more cotton swabs. I reset the alarm and same result before I drove a few yards.. I'm sorry for the lengthy prelude to my question but I want a full understanding of what took place. Anyway I'm just wondering if I have to replace that sensor,, did the grease perhaps ruin it,, and how do I ensure any bits of greases down in there doesn't ruin another sensor? I'm afraid of squirting very much brake cleaner down into the hole because I don't want to 'rinse' the grease out of my new bearing... So any input on this matter will be greatly appreciated. I also had a slow start problem with my car. I found that the stud which the largest cable going to the starter mounts to was loose going into the starter. The nut holding the cable onto the stud was tight but the stud going into the starter was loose. Also everything was black and the rubber boot was melted. I polished everything with a dremel and tightened it all. Is there any likelyhood that any permanent damage has occured to my starter even though it now starts up with vigor? And will that stud loosen itself again over time?

 

100k miles??

 

102,000 miles to be exact. Did the 'k' confuse you?

 

Confused? Not at all. Dont Be so sensitive enjoy it in good health buddy

 

Lol just wondering. Yes it has a ****-ton of miles, but a good price.

 

Oh, interesting, the system automatically bleeps out certain words. I didn't put ****-ton down.

 

Haha the few years i been on here never knew they bleep stuff out anyway good luck on your issue.

 

So I finally gave up trying to find my problem and I called the dealership in Indy to find out how much it was going to cost me to have them diagnose it... I told the guy in the service department what has happened and he knew immediately what was wrong. He said the wheel bearing was pressed in BACKWARDS. That made absolutlely no sense to me at first and then he explained that there is a magnetic strip built into one side of the bearing and that is what the sensor is reading. Luckily when I had to replace the one bearing on the passenger front side I went ahead and purchased two but I ended up only doing the side that needed it. I took the hub back to the guy that pressed it in and had him put the new one in. The new bearings are black on one side and red on the other. Make sure the RED side is facing to the outside of the vehicle.

 

So anyway , Jeremy, in the service department at the Porsche dealer in Indy was 100% right.. I put my car back together, reset the alarm again, and this time I made it out of my driveway without the alarm coming back. Then a few miles and still no problem. It feels great having abs/psm back again. I'm really quite shocked however that nobody on this forum was able to point this solution out to me, but anyway I hope my struggle with this will help someone else out someday.

 

Does the tension bolt that your hub bolts to have a toothed or smooth wheel on the backside for the sensor? I hear that on cars with the toothed wheel it doesn't matter which side the bearing is mounted.

 

By tension bolt do you mean the spindle with the big axle nut on it? If so that is about 4" in diameter and is smooth and round with a hex style hole in the middle to hold it while tightening the axle nut.

 

Yes that's the one. So yours was not toothed like below? If yours is smooth then I think the ABS sensor uses the magnetic side of the bearing for the reading. But if yours is toothed, then I think it would be an inductive sensor reading the pulses off the teeth.

 

The stater cable going is a common problem on 05/06 911's. There are numerous posts about replacing the cable on the forum if you search. I believe there is also a DIY that does not involve dropping the engine, as recommended by Porsche.

You can order a new cable from Suncoast, it's about 90, labor is 4 hours but from the sounds of your post I'd think you'd be able to manage replacing it yourself. The old cable corroded on the inside causing a decrease in amperage while you start the car, eventually you won't be able to start it at all.

 

Yes, mine is definately not toothed like the one pictured. It is smooth and round so all my struggles was simply the magnetic strip on the wheel bearing. It was made in Slovakia, it said '***' on the box and came with zero instruction or indication of a magnetic strip. But red definately goes to the outside of the car.