fastnoypi

As soon as you expose the axle end, you can replace it on the car. Just clean the area of the old tone ring really good and apply a light coat of grease before pressing the new one on. Any excess clean up with brake cleaner.

maxSteel

The speed sensor issue doesn't cause a CEL unless all of them go.

My car is AWD, so the VSC and TRAC lights don't apply.

My first tone ring problem revealed itself when the ABS was coming on inappropriately at low speeds. It makes noise and feels like the brakes are slipping when that happens. There are threads here about it. The ABS light did not illuminate though. It did some time later.

I don't think it's technically hard to change the ring. Remove axle, clean area, heat up the ring, press it in place. It's on my list of things to eventually get around to.

BlackRX300

OK, but I have a 2 wheel drive RX300 (front wheel drive).

The ABS system does not come on sporadically. However, the CEL, VSC and TRAC OFF lights did come on all at once. From other post and comments, I was told to clean the right rear wheel speed sensor due to all of these lights coming on. Also change air filter and clean the MAF.

Are we talking about two different problems? I don't think I have an ABS problem.

maxSteel

The ABS and traction control use the same wheel speed sensor.
Cleaning the sensor is fine.
But the sensor is useless without an intact reluctor to sense

BlackRX300

That makes sense, but how do I know which is bad.

I would assume that a good reluctor is useless with a bad sensor.

maxSteel

Examine the reluctor visually for cracks, broken or missing teeth, lack of a solid bond to the axle, etc.
It's fast and free.
Really fast if it fell off or moves as soon as you touch it.
If it's not obviously bad move on to the sensor.

Or start by changing the sensor.
Up to you.

BlackRX300

Can I visually inspect the reluctor without removing the axle, etc.?
Seems like a PITA to remove the wheel, the Axle, etc.
But I am all for saving money by inspecting first.

Thanks again for the info.

maxSteel

Yes. You can see it from the back and, if you unplug the sensor, through the hole the sensor is plugged into.

BlackRX300

Thanks, I'm gonna have to check this.
Look for break, rattle or movement?

Damn, wish I had known to check it when I had the wheel off and cleaned the sensor.

BlackRX300

OK.....changed brake pads on all four wheels and while in there checked the reluctor/tone ring.
All looked good. No movement at all and pretty clean.

However, I bought a new speed sensor to replace the current one on the RX. After removing the interior trim to get to the electrical connection and removing the sensor, the new one would not fit. The bracket on the new one would not line up with the mounting hole on the car. The hole looks to be about 1/2" to far. The new sensor bracket was to long. In other words, the bracket on the od sensor is about 1" long and on the new sensor, it's about 1.5" long. Every description that I found said this would fit my car.

Here are pics of the old sensor vs the new one.

fastnoypi

my sensors look like the new one you have with the longer mounting tabs on our 02 RX awd. I didn't see if your RX is awd or fwd in this thread. . If you are fwd, perhaps that is where the difference lies and the vendor gave you the wrong sensor.

BlackRX300

Yeah, my 2001 RX300 is 2wd. (front wheel drive).
I guess that is the difference.

Now I wonder if the front wheel sensor is different from the rear wheel sensor.

carguy07

Each corner is different and AWD is different than FWD for the rears. 6 different sensors total.

BlackRX300

They sent me a rear wheel sensor for an AWD.
Mine is 2WD.

I'm trying to get an exchange.

salimshah

With due respect the terms are AWD and FWD associated with RX. There are technical reasons why the term Front wheel drive is used instead of 2 Wheel Drive.

Salim