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ABS & ESC & Speedo reading VERY high

3K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  MIA KIA 09 
#1 ·
Hello Kia folks,

Been reading up on the ABS ESB posts as well as speedos. I haven't come across one with both yet, so was hoping to get some insight from the pros. I bought a 2007 Sorento LX 4wd with 100k miles a couple of days ago for my daughter who is heading off to college this fall. We've put very few miles on the car and the ABS ESC lights have come on and not gone away. The speedo is also reading what appears to be 2X's actual speed...it is not even in the ballpark. I've read some posts about wheel sensors, brake lamp switches, ABS units and figured I would start with the cheap one so swapped out the switch...nothing changed. Tomorrow I'm going to Oriley's to see if they can pull codes.

What are the chances this is one problem that can be fixed with one sensor or harness or ????? My hope is to address the speedo issue and that will fix everything else? Is that a pipe dream? Am I going down the road of a 1500.00 bill to fix the ABS?

Appreciate any and all help. Thanks!
 
#2 · (Edited)
The problem you have probably requires a better scan than what the parts stores do. My scanner checks ABS,engine BCC,air bag codes. 4 different areas. You may have to pay an independent shop with a good scanner to get information you need. Ask around as shop time is around $100.00 per
hour. I would try and get this done for under $200.00.
Try what parts store does free first.
With vehicle on jack stands check for broken or unplugged connections to speed sensors. Look at teeth for wheel speed sensors on hub. Check sensor on transmission also.
 
#3 ·
Thanks RH,

Code from parts store was P0501, in line with other posts. I drove by a radar sign today and it read 43 while the car speedo read 90. Tomorrow I plan to schedule a time for a code scan from a local mechanic shop. I will put car on stands and check for obvious problems this week as well.

Will post more as I get more info. I appreciate the help!
 
#6 ·
Thanks again RH,

I stumbled across that website earlier and found the parts on rockauto. For better or worse, after reading through several forum posts, I'm doubting whether or not swapping out the VSS will do it. It seems there are several stories about changing various parts according to the codes and nothing changing with the CE/ABS/ESC lights. I found a mechanic that will read the codes for 45.00 and figured that was a good investment. Hopefully all the codes will be revealed this afternoon and I'll start from there. One of my concerns is that the wheel sensors may come into play and if so, hopefully a code will tell me which one although I'm not sure if they will give that much detail. I do plan to inspect the wheel sensors on my own either way, but for now I'll see where the codes leads.

I'll post the results later.
 
#8 ·
Got diagnosis from the mechanic scan...right rear wheel sensor bad. He cleaned the sensor then checked for signal while spinning the wheel and nothing. Ordered one from rockauto this evening and will install myself. When I heard ABS wheel sensor, that made sense for the ABS/ESC lights, but I wasn't convinced it would explain the speedometer behavior and check engine light. I asked the mechanic specifically if this part would address those issues as well. He said he had done quite a bit of reading about this particular problem and is 99% sure this is the cure for all. I will install the new sensor and take the car in for a new scan and reset the codes and see what happens. Fingers crossed its a one shot deal.

Any helpful hints on the replacement process would be greatly appreciated. It didn't sound too bad, but it seems like there are always help hints from those who have done it before.
 
#10 ·
When dealing with ABS signals, the sensor may not be the be end, end all..

Also consider, a damaged/cracked tone ring, and a syndrome known as sensor jacking (rust swelling under the sensor and changing the air gap..

The wiring integrity must be checked first..

... Philip
 
#11 ·
Thankfully, without any leading questions from me, the mechanic went into detail regarding the steps he took to establish the right rear wheel sensor was bad. It started with codes, inspected the wiring, tested for voltage by spinning wheel by hand, and visually inspected the tone ring. That made me feel pretty good about his diagnosis, but my gut is telling me that there's more to this. Trying to ignore gut at the moment, replace the sensor and hope it all goes away. Sensor should be here this weekend, hope to have time to swap it out. I'll post results.

Thanks for the input RH and Philip.
 
#16 ·
Will do!

Everything is now fixed. The speedometer is reading correctly after changing out the speed sensor. I had to call a Kia dealership to find out which speed sensor to buy because it certainly wasn't the one I ordered from Rock Auto for 120.00. Apparently there are three different transfer cases that might be installed in the 2007 4WD Sorento. The parts guys had to call the Kia "hotline" to find out exactly which part to order. The part number is 96420-4A600 which is a plastic piece between the speedo gear drive and the pigtail that sends the electronic signal to the cluster. It was 80.00 from the dealer and 18.00 on ebay. Thanks for all the help and bouncing ideas back and forth. 120.00 worth of parts and a few hours in the shop turned an "Uh oh" used car purchase into a pretty good deal!
 
#18 ·
Glad to hear that you got it all squared away! All the same, how upset would you have been had you "shipped" the job out and had similar troubles they would have charged you for?
 
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