Sensors are very vital parts of automotive applications. A modern automobile has lots of kinds of sensors that send information to the ECU system of the car. And Automobiles can work according to these signals. One of these sensors is the left rear wheel speed sensor. Also, we call them the ABS rear brake sensor. Here you can find detailed information about these parts.
What is Left Rear Wheel Speed Sensor?
This is the sensor that sends the wheel speed information as signals to the ECU system. The ECU system adjusts the best ABS braking according to the wheel speed. For example, it adjusts the traction and wheel-based braking according to the signals from the wheels.
And you can find these sensors are generally located at the left rear wheel of your car. It is a very important sensor that optimizes the driving safety o your car.
Can I Drive with a Broken Wheel Speed Sensor?
Yes, you can. But it will not safe to drive without it. Because it adjusts the safety traction and safety barking according to your driving behavior. For example, it tunes the level of braking according to the wheel speed. Also, it collects and compares data about the wheel speed according to the other wheels to adjust the traction.
The normal brake will work without this sensor. But the ABS braking system will not work efficiently. This means you can have even accşdents with the same driving behavior after the sensor is broken.
Probably, you will not feel anything if that sensor is broken. Because the car moves and the brakes are working when your press the brake pedal. But after a while, you will realize that your car lost some abilities in different curves of the road. So, the problem is the broken left rear wheel speed sensor.
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Left Rear Wheel Speed Sensor?
Speed sensors are not expensive stuff. If you have an average car, you can find OEM or aftermarket ones between $30-40. But the labor cost is very high. Because they need to rip off the brake system and adjust and tune the ECU system according to this sensor.
So you need to pay around $300-400 for the full replacement of the left rear wheel speed sensor with the new one.
What Happens When Well Speed Sensor Fails?
Probably you will not directly realize that this sensor fails. Because your automobile will continue to work. But you will lose the different kinds of abilities that your car have such as traction control. Modern automobiles have special traction control systems. The left rear wheel speed sensor sends wheel speed information to the ECU, and ECU adjusts the different and best traction for that wheel to take the vehicle from a situation.
Also, there are algorithms that your ECU system has to improve the stability of your car in different cases such as curves. You will lose all of these stability optimizations.
So, your modern car driving performance will be the same as a 1980 model passenger car. You will feel it while you are driving.
How Long Does It Take to Fix Wheel Speed Sensor?
For an average mechanic, it will take 1.5 or 2 hours to fully replace the rear wheel speed sensor of your car. So, you can start to use your car on the same day.
Last Words
In general, you need to change the left rear wheel speed sensor around every 20.000 miles. So it is a very important car maintenance rule that your mechanic needs to look for. These sensors are generally durable systems.
If you have additional comments and questions about this part of your car, leave them below! Also, you can find other insightful articles and posts about car maintenance on fmechanic.com!
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