ebnub

Damn it, I snapped it off trying to remove it so what's left is really jammed in there.

I'm not real familiar with how the sensor works at all and I'm wondering if anyone would know of any problems I may cause by drilling it out of the hole so that I can replace it. It seems that it goes all the way through the knuckle where it mounts and has a rubber tip that sets right up to the outer edge of the wheel hub? Does this rubber part come with the new sensor or would I be really SOL if I damaged this drilling out the old sensor?

One last question, does the sensor just pull straight out like I was doing when I broke it or should I have rotated it somehow first?

donbryce

It may be faster to get a solution (than waiting for a reply from someone familiar with these) to disassemble the one on the other side to see how it's mounted. These usually mount close to the serrations on the rotor/hub and just fit into a hole with a screw/bracket to hold them. Pictured is the 1993 es300 sensor. Yes, wiggling first would have been the way to go to loosen it up in the bore. You may have to punch it out (I wouldn't drill, no need and risk of mangling up the bore for the new sensor), maybe from the backside.

ebnub

I'd love to punch it out but it goes right up against the wheel bearing which would need to be removed in order for me to get the tools in to punch it out.

GEORGE_JET

I would suggest using a hand drill to drill it out. Start with a small bit and work your way to a larger one as long as you proceed cautiously, you will be fine. You could also try a easy out one the hole is larger enough. Go slow, you do not want to damage the tone wheel that is right

ebnub

What exactly is the "tone wheel"? Is that what the sensor meets up with? I would love to just take a picture of what I'm dealing with in order to help but I managed to lose my wheel lock key after setting it down on the driveway when putting the wheel back on. Not a good week for me at all.

GEORGE_JET

The tone wheel is the toothed wheel that the sensor almost touches. The spacing between the sensor and and the wheel is critical (so if there is any rust on the mounting pad it must be removed). Slight scratches in the hole that the sensor mounts in will not affect the sensor. If you are careful, you can drill it out, just take your time and work slowly. The other option involves taking apart the wheel hub, and that is something you do not want to do.

Use a center punch to mark the center of the old sensor, and then drill a small hole. Work your way up from there.