Hi All,
I have an 03 Ford Escape. I was just informed my ABS tone ring (driver/front) needs to be replaced. I was told I need to replace the whole axle as the tone ring is not available as a seperate part. The axle is almost $500...part only. The mechanic was nice enough to unplug the ABS on the front drivers side so that I could at least drive without it constantly firing off. The car drives fine now.

My question is: I don't really have the money to replace this now. Not to mention, I had planned on upgrading to an Explorer the end of 2010 (need more room for the kids). Can I just drive around like this for now? Is this ok for the next few months or perhaps even for a whole year?

By the way...do I really have to replace the whole axle??

Thoughts?

Thanks!

I have EXACTLY the same problem with a 2006 Ford Escape that I JUST bought. It has 23K miles on it and I've driven it for all of 2 weeks. This morning I brought it in and the mechanic said it needs a front axel and ABS sensor costing me just under $600.00. This is completely upsetting to me and unaffordable at the moment. I went under the car and saw a 1/4" crack in the ring, so I know it is true. I asked the mechanic if the entire axel needs to be replaced or if the ring can just be replaced and he said the entire axel needs to be replaced. Is this true?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Think you're likely getting some BS regarding the need to replace the axle. I've got an 05 which I had the toning ring ONLY replaced on just a few weeks back despite having 3 previous mechanics tell me the toning ring and axle would have to be replaced together!

I bought a used 2006 Escape last month and this past week the ABS light came on constant while the 4x4 light cycled intermittently. I took it back to the dealer for warranty repair. He indicated it was the ABS tone ring on the right front wheel. They replaced it today with Ford part #FMC 7L8Z 2C182B RING ABS SENSING $25.99 plus $99.90 labor.
This proves that you can replace it without changing the axle. This was warranty work so the price was a chargeback to sales.

anyone else out there have only the tone ring replaced? I was just informed that I need to replace the whole axle because the ring itself cannot be replaced. I also read somewhere that some people just sanded off the crack in the ring and glued it with poyurethane glue. Seems like a bad idea to me but just might work?

I just installed a new Axle on my son's 2002 Escape as a result of an accident. I got it online for $80 from Auto Parts Warehouse. I noticed on the wheel end of the axle, just behind the knuckle, there is a ring that resembles gear teeth. Mounted on the Knuckle just above this ring is an electrical sensor. I suspect this is the ABS sensor that monitors the RPM of the wheel and detects if the wheel should stop moving (locking up) during braking. It could just be a defective sensor which can be be replaced. Removing this from the steering knuckle is easy, but the routing of the electrical wire may prove to be challenging. I did not do this, but I did check for the ease of replacement and was glad I didn't have to do it.

So, that "gear" is the only "tone ring" I can think they may be referring to. I can't imagine why the entire axle would need to be replaced, unless one of the "teeth" of the ring were broken, or they were damaged to the point where it would give a false reading. By the way, Ford did quote about $450 just for the axle. Actually, if you have a jack, jack stands, a torque wrench or log break bar, socket set, a medium pry bar and a five lb hammer, you could probably replace it yourself. It was not really that difficult to put one in.

You have to remove the tire, but before you do that, there is a large nut right in the center of the axle. It's a 1 1/4" nut that has to be broken loose first, this is where the long break bar comes in handy. You can get a 1 1/4" socket at autozone for about $6 (1/2" drive). Break the wheel lug nuts loose also before lifting the car.

Jack the car up at the frame, not the wheel support itself. Place a jack stand under the frame and lower the car onto the jack stand, leaving the jack in place as a supplemental support.

You may not have to detach the strut from the sterring knucke, but if you do, there are 2 bolts you have to remove to take the knucle loose from the strut. I would try leaving it attached to support the steering knuckle when you free it from the lower control arm. I already had it loose when I replaced mine so I am thinking you can leave it attached.

Completely remove the pinch nut and bolt that secures the lower control arm ball joint to the steering knuckle, then pry the knuckle up off the shaft. You may have to disconnect the stabilizer link (or sway bar) from the strut to allow it to swing outward. The Axle can then be pryed out of the transaxle with a pry bar It's only held in by a spring clip on the end , but have an open container under where the axle goes into the transaxle as it will drain transmission fluid. I had about a quart drain out.

Don't let the axle hang freely after you remove it unless you are replacing the entire axle, the CV joints could be damaged with the weight of it hanging there.

To remove the axle from the steering knuckle, you can position the large nut at the end of the axle so the axle is flush with the nut, and tap it with a large hammer to knock it out of the steering knuckle. You can loosen the nut after it starts moving and continue tapping it until you can remove the axle. The replacement of the new axle is the reverse. Use gear grease on the splines of the new axle so it will slip in easily. Make sure when you slide the new axle in the transaxle, that you hear it click and pull on the CC housing (not the axle itself) to make sure it is secure.

I hope this helps.

The ABS light on my 2005 Escape came on last month, 50 miles out of warranty. After a bit of research I found that the tone ring on the right front hub had broken and come loose, some seriously crappy engineering on Ford's part. Even worse, this has been going on for years and nothing has been done to correct the problem. The dealer wanted over $600 to fix it since they feel it necessary to replace the entire axle rather than the offending tone ring itself. After telling them to take a hike, I went on eBay and found a new tone ring for $25.

Replacing the old one only took about an hour, was pretty easy and did not require that the axle be removed. I've outlined the steps to help the next victim of this ineptness avoid a $600 repair bill.

1) Remove the wheel. Duh!
2) Remove the brake caliper and wire it up to keep the hose from ripping off.
3) Remover the spindle nut.
4) Remove the single bolt that attaches the lower control arm to the frame.
5) Pull the lower control arm and hub assembly far enough out to disengage the outer end of the axle. You may need to help the splined end of the axle through the hub with a punch and hammer. You don't need to take the axle out but if you want to, it's held in by a couple bolts farther inboard. I found that out when I needed to replace the alternator on another Escape.
6) Clean the rust off the area on the axle where the tone ring mounts. I used a sanding roll on a die grinder but a wire brush would probably work as well.
7) Tap the new tone ring into place using a brass hammer and a punch. Take your time and keep the ring straight as it goes on. Make sure it goes on all the way to the shoulder on the axle.
8) Assemble everything in reverse order and you'll be good to go. The ABS light went out instantly. The 4WD light stayed on for about two miles before the PCM realized that life was good.

Here is the link to the eBay tone ring:

eBay tone ring

It's made in China but it couldn't be any worse than the one Ford stuck me with.

Tom

This post has been edited by TGriffin: Dec 21 2009, 07:09 AM

Common....Very common issue. At first the ABS light appears, Next the 4wd light flashes.

I dealt with this on my 2005 Escape.

Computer scan for the ABS sensor will identify the Area of the error.
Local Ford dealer in my Area will charge roughly $100 likely to "Plug" in and diagnose. My local privately operated semi shade tree mechanic charged me $45.
The bad part is : I could have seen the problem if I looked at each sensor at the wheel. But I chose to plug in and have the Computer narrow down the area of interest.

End result, I picked up a drivers front sensor for $52. and headed home to take it apart and replace the sensor.
(FYI side note. The rear sensors both right and left & Drivers front sensor is available at most part stores. The passenger front apparently is a dealer only item.)

Upon initial inspection as I raised vehicle and began to check things I found it was not the sensor. It was this so called "Tone ring".

I found the ring itself is available. I seen it online (EBAY) for about $39. But in my opinion very much over priced & it's a matter of cutting a corner to save a couple dollars. If you plan on keeping the vehicle or depending on your mileage there is nothing wrong with replacing the entire shaft. Now or later? You might want to ask yourself how long do you plan on driving & do you have high mileage? I'm at 90,000 miles & plan on driving the thing till it falls apart. So the entire axle shaft was for me acceptable. Considering I already rebuilt the transmission at 65,000. and replaced 1/2 the driveshaft 3,500 miles later. I feel It's mine for the long term now.

The entire axle shaft cost me roughly $70.

Now, the speed ring or "Tone Ring" on the end of the shaft is interesting. We use alot of road salt in the mid-west & corrosion is obviously the reason for the crack. It simply rusted the underside & pressure caused the crack & then the ring spins freely.
I could have wire brushed the shaft, "Pinched the ring together" "tack welded" it near the edges back into place. I have now seen it done on a 04 escape & it's been like that for three years without an issue.

However, you simply would not want the repair to change the gaps or high points of the ring & the point of the original crack needs to be pressed completly back together. And once again if your repairing it yourself at what point is cutting a couple corners worth it? Do you have the time to tink around with the broken part?

For $30 & a few more minutes of my time I now have a entire axle shaft installed. It has new cv joints, boots & a lifetime warrenty on the part.
I could have attached a new ring for $40 to my old parts & not had a warranty on anything and saved myself 15- maybe 20 minutes of labor. big deal? plus if your taking the axle nut off it should really not be reused it would be better to get a new nut if your going to fix the old part so add on a couple dollars most likely.

Whats easiest & worth your time if your going to invest the labor yourself ?

Now to me these ridiculous repair bills of $300- $400 you plus you folks mention only tell me I'm in the wrong profession.

It took me maybe an hour plus a few minutes to put in the new shaft. This included all the "talking" to my tools and parts as I went along.

But yea, If your paying someone els $300 to $400 plus for this repair wow. I agree it's a little crazy.

"This tone ring" to me should be more like a $5 part in reality. & it's one of the finer best engineered defects I've ever seen put into a vehicle. The engineers should be proud of the the revenue this creates for the service Department. They knocked one out of the park when they designed this item.