RDU Speed Sensor

[NycGoose]

Thanks so much for the helpful advice. I’ll post some pics of it once i start the work. I am waiting to pick up my mav from the dealership still. They have been doing recall work for 2 weeks now.

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[ListedGuru]

Thanks so much for the helpful advice. I’ll post some pics of it once i start the work. I am waiting to pick up my mav from the dealership still. They have been doing recall work for 2 weeks now.

Any update on this? Also curious what are the symptoms of this rdu speed sensor failure? Check engine light and codes?

 

[Brian_J]

Any update on this? Also curious what are the symptoms of this rdu speed sensor failure? Check engine light and codes?

I had this replaced yesterday. Only symptom I had was “service engine soon” and “AWD system fault” screens popped up and the little gear light came on. Truck drove fine otherwise. Interestingly, the faults went away a day after they came on with no changes in driveability.

 

[rclee]

This sensor sounds almost exactly like an ABS sensor. I had to replace an ABS sensor on my Honda Element. I looked at it and said "this should be a piece of cake" boy was I wrong! The first turn of the socket and the bolt snapped. Then I found out the plastic sensor basically welded itself in the hole and had to be drilled out. This was the front caliper it was living in, so it really gets hot in there. Then I had to drill out the retainer bolt and make new threads. What a PIA that was. The only bright side was, anything I drilled out just fell on the floor, instead of going into the RDU like what you may encounter.

 

[ListedGuru]

I had this replaced yesterday. Only symptom I had was “service engine soon” and “AWD system fault” screens popped up and the little gear light came on. Truck drove fine otherwise. Interestingly, the faults went away a day after they came on with no changes in driveability.

So are you out of warranty and had to pay out of pocket for this? May I ask what the total ended up being? Unfortunately this sounds like this could be a common issue with our Mav's as they age and get some mileage on them.

 

[Parabellum]

Did OP ever post an update?

 

[Brian_J]

So are you out of warranty and had to pay out of pocket for this? May I ask what the total ended up being? Unfortunately this sounds like this could be a common issue with our Mav's as they age and get some mileage on them.

59,950 miles. the sensor is not covered under the powertrain warranty as ford calls sensors "electronics". it WAS covered under my extended warranty though, so i only paid my deductible. it took them about 6 hours start to finish for this repair.

 

[Pointyears]

59,950 miles. the sensor is not covered under the powertrain warranty as ford calls sensors "electronics". it WAS covered under my extended warranty though, so i only paid my deductible. it took them about 6 hours start to finish for this repair.

I assume it would have been covered under the 3/36 had you less mileage/newer?

 

[Brian_J]

I assume it would have been covered under the 3/36 had you less mileage/newer?

i believe that would be true, unless theres a lower warranty for electronics and sensors.

 

[Transplant]

Did OP ever post an update?

There's an update in this thread somewhere, I fixed it myself.

Definitely not covered under powertrain warranty, electronic sensors in the powertrain are not covered. Would have been covered under the 3 yr/ 60K warranty if it had happened earlier.

I was quoted $1100 at the dealer, I did it myself for $140 (Canadian) including the cost of the sensor and fluid for the RDU.

The issue with this sensor is it's 2 piece, there's a cylindrical housing that's inside the RDU, and the parts you can see out the top of the RDU (and where the bolt is) is a separate piece. So when you try to pry the sensor out all you're doing is seperating the top piece from the cyindrical housing that is absolutely welded inside the RDU. After the sensor broke I tried to put a screw into the housing to haul that out but there's not enough plastic to hold the screw. I ended up using a dremel with a rotozip bit to get a lot of the plastic housing out, and a small sharpened flathead screwdriver to pry the last bit out until I could get some pliers on the last of the housing and haul it out. It was a mess, I'm sure some small bits of plastic got into the RDU hence changing out the fluid immediately after. If I had to do it again I'd say it's less than a 2 hour job, but I definitely spent more time doing mine.

Any questions ask away.

 

[Parabellum]

There's an update in this thread somewhere, I fixed it myself.

Definitely not covered under powertrain warranty, electronic sensors in the powertrain are not covered. Would have been covered under the 3 yr/ 60K warranty if it had happened earlier.

I was quoted $1100 at the dealer, I did it myself for $140 (Canadian) including the cost of the sensor and fluid for the RDU.

The issue with this sensor is it's 2 piece, there's a cylindrical housing that's inside the RDU, and the parts you can see out the top of the RDU (and where the bolt is) is a separate piece. So when you try to pry the sensor out all you're doing is seperating the top piece from the cyindrical housing that is absolutely welded inside the RDU. After the sensor broke I tried to put a screw into the housing to haul that out but there's not enough plastic to hold the screw. I ended up using a dremel with a rotozip bit to get a lot of the plastic housing out, and a small sharpened flathead screwdriver to pry the last bit out until I could get some pliers on the last of the housing and haul it out. It was a mess, I'm sure some small bits of plastic got into the RDU hence changing out the fluid immediately after. If I had to do it again I'd say it's less than a 2 hour job, but I definitely spent more time doing mine.

Any questions ask away.

Thanks for the reply. Sorry is was such a PITA. I always like to see what I can expect in my future. Dealers are such a scam anymore with labor.

 

[Finnster]

Thanks OP, Great info for the DIYers!
- Did you use a vacuum to help suck out any of the debris?
- Were you able to remove the "magnet" that is supposed to be in that sensor?

 

[Transplant]

Thanks OP, Great info for the DIYers!
- Did you use a vacuum to help suck out any of the debris?
- Were you able to remove the "magnet" that is supposed to be in that sensor?

I did not use a vacuum for the debris but probably should have. I just collected it all up as I went and don't think I could have missed much. I kept referencing the new sensor for size as I worked so that most of the drilling and mess was done before I broke through the bottom of the sensor, keeping the majority of it from getting inside the RDU.

I did get the magnet out but that was likely the most hazardous part of the removal process mostly because I didn't know it was there. It ended up stuck to the side of the housing and it was just by chance I saw it while cleaning up debris as I went. It very easily could have ended up pushed out of sight before I pulled it out. The possibility of tiny pieces of plastic in the RDU really didn't bother me that much, but a magnet could have made a mess.

If I ever have to do this again I'd definitely have a better process to work with:

1. Pull spare tire.
2. Yank on the sensor to pull the top section out.
3. Drill out the center of the sensor housing only far enough to get to the magnet so I can pull that out.
4. Dremel the plastic sensor housing in one spot with a zipbit or similar to weaken the plastic as much as possible without breaking into the RDU housing and without breaking through the bottom of the sensor housing.
5. Remove all debris (vacuum is a good idea).
6. Pry gently between the plastic housing and the RDU with flathead screwdriver to finish breaking the housing.
7. Grab the edges of the sensor housing with pliers and haul the sensor housing out.
8. Change the RDU fluid.

I figure that even with going super slow and taking your time this could be an hour job to remove the housing, 2 hours total including changing the fluid out. The main risks are bits of plastic dropping into the RDU or damaging the RDU housing with the bit or with the screwdriver, but I think those risks are minimal and unavoidable regardless of the method used.

 

[Finnster]

Thanks Transplant! Great write up!

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