Front wheel speed sensor - HELP

I'm replacing the front wheel speed sensors on my Year 2000 323i, and having a terrible time of it. I removed the old sensors after much tugging and swearing, but the new ones don't seem to fit. They measure about 16mm across, as did the old ones, but short of using a sledge, there appears to be no way I can get the sensor through the whole in the bracket that holds the caliper. Am I missing something here? Does anyone have a "trick of the trade" that may help?

Remove the caliper? I don't recall doing that on mine, OP, but usually removing more parts helps. This is the speed sensor...you're not confused and talking about the brake pad sensor by any chance, are you?

You have a realoem.com picture of what you're working with...or just a photo?

use sandpaper

Originally Posted by MercForHire

use sandpaper

No a bad idea on the inside of the hole it goes into. I've never had a problem just sliding them right in. Sometimes its a tight fit but doesn't take much force.

dmax,

It is the speed sensor - the reason the caliper is off is I'm rebuilding the whole brake system.

I wonder if the part I have is simply too large. I ordered them from OEM Bimmerparts and have never had a problem with the parts they carry. Tomorrow I will try some lithium grease (Is it OK to use lithium grease on the hole?), but I fear the worst. The car is in an unheated garage - should I consider heating the caliper bracket? would that enlarge the hole?

js

Originally Posted by 330ciandr6

No a bad idea on the inside of the hole it goes into. I've never had a problem just sliding them right in. Sometimes its a tight fit but doesn't take much force.

no, you sand the sensor instead.
Which is easier to sand? Metal or plastic

Originally Posted by MercForHire

no, you sand the sensor instead.
Which is easier to sand? Metal or plastic

If you have to sand the sensor, you have the wrong part.

And who in the world would sand a brand new part they just bought to try to make it fit if it obviously doesn't?

I'm talking about sanding down any corrosion on the inside of the hole it slides into so it will fit properly, just like you have to do on the hubs when there is rust and the wheel is tough to get off.

merc and 330,

Didn't mean to start an argument. I will check with OEM Bimmer Parts to ensure I have the right part. If so, I will start sanding the gunk in the hole and look for my bucket of lithium grease.

js

Everyone,

Thanks for the help - I do indeed have the wrong part. Tomorrow I check with OEMBimmerparts and hopefully get an exchange.


js

Could you let us know which sensor is for 323?
I thought all e46 share the same front wheel sensors

There are build date splits, as well as the coupe and sedan sensors being different. Depends on build date.

330ciandr6,

Your correct. I have a BIG problem. I emailed Max at OEMBimmerparts to explain that I was sent the wrong sensors; he telephoned me to say he thinks I do have the correct sensors. According to my Bentley Manual which say that since my car has DSC I should need the one that requires a different left and right front sensor. However, Max said that according to BMW since my car was built in May 2000 rather than after Sep 2000, and although my car has DSC, it still uses the identical sensors, i.e. the ones that don't fit.
He further verified this by saying that if the original connector is grey, rather than the post Sep blue, then my car uses the ones I have.

So what the hell am I supposed to do? They simple do NOT fit. My admittedly cheap plastic caliper shows them to be about 0.015mm larger than the ones I removed. Perhaps ATE just made these too large. However, Max said that ATE makes these sensors for BMW as well. Another example of over-rated German engineering and efficiency.

Do you E46 fanatics have any other ideas?

js

Originally Posted by jsaklas

330ciandr6,

Your correct. I have a BIG problem. I emailed Max at OEMBimmerparts to explain that I was sent the wrong sensors; he telephoned me to say he thinks I do have the correct sensors. According to my Bentley Manual which say that since my car has DSC I should need the one that requires a different left and right front sensor. However, Max said that according to BMW since my car was built in May 2000 rather than after Sep 2000, and although my car has DSC, it still uses the identical sensors, i.e. the ones that don't fit.
He further verified this by saying that if the original connector is grey, rather than the post Sep blue, then my car uses the ones I have.

So what the hell am I supposed to do? They simple do NOT fit. My admittedly cheap plastic caliper shows them to be about 0.015mm larger than the ones I removed. Perhaps ATE just made these too large. However, Max said that ATE makes these sensors for BMW as well. Another example of over-rated German engineering and efficiency.

Do you E46 fanatics have any other ideas?

js

My idea is to take the sensor that came out down to the dealership and get another just like it, then send these back.


There are two wheel speed sensors. Look here,
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...07&hg=31&fg=10

Had the same problem on my 2000 328 coupe. The old sensor put up one hell of a fight coming out, and the diameter of the new one was just a hair too large to fit into the hole. I used fine grit sandpaper to slightly reduce the diameter of the sensor (it's only plastic), and after a few tries it slipped right in and has worked perfectly for the past several years.

Maybe the holes get slightly smaller (or go out of round) over the years due to corrosion and/or extreme and repeated temperature fluctuations, or maybe the manufacturing tolerances of the new sensors aren't what they should be. But (provided it's the correct part), sanding down a little of the sensor's plastic enclosure apparently has no effect on its function and solves the frustrating fit problem quite handily.

Sorry for the delay in replying. Enzo the baker and Mercforhire had the perfect solution. I simply sanded the damn things and with a little push they went right in.

Thanks Enzo and Merc