Changing the ABS Reluctor Rings on a 2006 Smart Fortwo CDI
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2013
- MB wanted to replace the axles on my smart because the rings were cracked... to the tune of $1500. Did both of them in about an hour and it cost me $100 for parts and shipping.
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Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to shoot, edit, and post this video. I had one side done two years ago on my '08 Smart For2 and now the ABS light and Triangle exclamation are on again. I'm expecting to find it's the other side reluctor ring failed. For those that are unaware of this comes on, the first indication is that you will notice of trouble is when you lightly brake at highway speeds (coming off exit ramp for example) the pedal will ABS pulse briefly. Check the ring for cracks!
Thanks for the video. It inspired me to order rings from England that shipped to Canada two rings for a total of $17.63 on ebay. I'll be going out this afternoon and saving myself a bundle of money. Re-watching the video again to ensure I remember the procedure.
Good luck dude! It's been a good number of years since I did this but it was pretty straightforward.
@@TheBestestJohn The short side was a bit tricky. Had to remove the lower bolt holding the strut in place before I could get enough wiggle room to remove the drive shaft.
@@mikereilly174 Yeah I remember that too. Thought I had put it in the video too. It may have been on an annotation that has since been removed. Glad you got it sorted. I'd love to see how much money in total this video has saved people haha. I'd bet it's in the 6 figure range now.
Great video! Just finished changing mines on a 2005. Took me about 3 hours thanks to you!
My son has just come back from the Mercedes garage with a potential bill for £1000 (around $1300). I don't know if changing the ABS rings will work, but after watching your exellent video, I'm sure as heck going to try. Thank you John for taking the time and effort to put this up here. Much appreciated.
I'm glad to have helped
Took less than an hour to replace my left side broken reluctor ABS ring. I used the heat fit method as whaling on the CV joint just didn't seem like a good idea. Using a hand torch with MAPP gas, I got the ring hot and with a pair of pliers and a welding glove it just fell onto the hub and in seconds it cooled to a nice snug fit - no problem. I'm amazed that smart is replacing the whole assembly instead of the $5 ring alone. Just dumb. East repair at home with proper tools on hand.
Awesome glad it worked out for ya! I chose to forgo the heat treatment on these rings due to the plating and metallurgy of the more expensive rings. These should outlast the car.
Thanks a lot for sharing this video, was very helpful! Just did this job myself instead of taking it to the dealership to have it done.
Actually the cracked rings got me stranded on the highway twice. Found out after some research this was the issue. Smooth sailing with the new rings!
Lucas van den Houten That's great! It's awesome to see that this video is still helping people 2 years after I posted it. Be on the lookout for my Upcoming alternator video and shocks and balljoints one.
How did that cause you to get stranded???
When it goes into hard limp mode there's no way you're going highway speeds
Great video! Just changed mine out on my winter smart
Good job John. Thanks
I just want to let you know that people (me) still use this video to do the job themself! Thanks John.
+Ron Stangvik Great to hear man! I've got 2 more just sitting there waiting to be edited. Alternator and shocks, struts, and balljoints. Cheers!
Great, doing the front shocks now myself. Springs had rusted and snapped in both sides. Guess they never were designed for salty Norwegian winter roads... Ordered the shock grip tool today, as the 7mm umbraco hole for loosening the top nut was very rusty and now is only a perfect circle.....
Awesome vid, i have just removed a front wheel from my Chevrolet Nubira to take a look, and my ring is rusted as hell, tnx to you i know what and how i have to do in order to get this sorted.
Yeah I think it should be about the same procedure. I'd read into that model a little bit but as far as changing the ring out it's the same
Yeah its exactly the same thing, just have to get replacement parts tomorrow.
good job on the video... would only add one thing. (mine is 2006 same as done here)
Needed to remove both support arms before the suspension arm would swing to one side enough to free up either driveshaft.
I also heated the rings on a coleman stove, and they easily slipped into place and then cooled totally tight fit.
and then... knowing that the rust between the ring and CV body was the problem, I put RTV into the corner, between the ring and CV body on both sides... in hope to reduce moisture entering it. :-)
That guy doing all the work is a hottie!
Great vid , thanks for posting
if my dealer only charged $2-300 labor, i'd bring it to them. i can get 2 new rings for my 2008 smart for $50 from e-bay.
my car started acting up 4-5 years ago, the ABS would pulsate when stopping on dry roads, then finally quit working altogether. no other problems! i like the car better without ABS and traction control. i know a Fiat dealer 100 miles away that used to work on smarts, see if they'll do it... they are not MB and charge reasonable rates. i don't have the equipment to do the work myself, nor the space (condo dweller) but i did change the motor mount a couple weeks ago for a high performance one in like 5 minutes.
Yup certainly did, I bought the rings a while back for cheap (4 were around $70 with shipping). The one smart is only winter driven and I knew for sure the rings would only last in the winter so I changed them out of precaution. Couple notes: the bit is a 21MM 12point socket ($7 @ carquest), and you should change your tranny fluid at the same time since Mercedes doesn't have a service schedule for it :/
Good idea to change the transmission fluid at the same time :)
Thank you so much
Great vid......thanks
hey, i just bought a used smart and while driving it home, my ABS, brake and esp warnings all came on. i did some research, checked under the car, and sure enough, cracked reluctor ring. at least the right side, not so sure about the left but i purchased two of them just in case. i've just got a couple questions. i don't know much about cars but i am pretty handy and can learn to fix most things, so im thinking of following this, but do i need a lift or can i use a jack to do this? also, do i need powertools like you're using or can i get away with manpower? and also, in the event that i don't feel up to the task, how much could something like this cost at a mechanics shop if i provide the part?
You can do it jacked up, just remember always use stands too. Man power could get it done I believe. It'll be a bit of a pain already on the ground but you should be ok. probably an hour or 2 labour at a shop and they'll probably watch this video themselves.
AWESOME! If I've helped one person then it's been worth it.
Nice job! It'd be awesome if you'd put a link to the parts supplier in the description.
THANK YOU :-)
AWESOME FELLA!!! brilliant job!!1 thanks so much its helped me loads!! can I use this link in my Smart Car news piece please?
Smart E.R. link away my friend
Thank you sir!!!
I think so. I was getting that I believe.
Awesome video. Getting to the drive shaft took 5 mins. Couldn't take the drive shaft out (longer one) for the life of me. It kept getting stuck and i was unable to get it free. Don't have a lift like u guys any hints if just jacking it up?
Great video! Is this the reason by abs will activate when I brake at low speed?
Suggestions on where to buy the reluctor rings? I see a Brit company that sells a brand but with shipping, etc. that is pretty pricey. If the issue is what the original rings were made of, does an Americn company sell something that is better?
So when you're driving you feel the ABS engaging under the pedal while you're slowing down, right? Mercedes didn't have a clue what it was until I friggin' researched. I've had one replaced the expensive (stupid) way, at Mercedes where they replace the whole axle (why???). The other is wasted now so I'm going to see if I can find a mechanic who will do what you've done here. Any ideas for a shop in Toronto?
Thanks!
Also, if the rings are not broken, can you just cleaning them up with a wire brush, etc.? someone suggested that on another site.
HI, I just called Smart Car and they said my 2008 convertible with a broken reluctor ring cannot be ordered separately. The axle must come with it. Is this true? Your demonstrating on a 2006. They want $350 for the axle and ring combined. thanks, Matt
I bought two rings for £6 about $7.50 by post. Mercedes only sell COMPLETE drive shafts.
It totally can be. They can't order the part because Mercedes and smart don't sell it. You can buy your own ring online and
A: do it yourself
or
B: Bring it in and have them do it..
for 60 minutes work I'd definitely do it myself to avoid the 2-300$ they'll charge "servicing"
Did you even put the rings on properly? Looks like you were just smashing the cv joints. Pretty sure you need to heat the rings up to install them
yep they're installed correctly. You can use heat or force. the cvs did compress a bit but they are placed properly
Cleaner the joint the easier it is to fit if loose use a bit of loctite, try not to hammer it on, try heating it first in an oven.
Has that been in the sea the corrosion is awful. Those ring slit because of rust underneath forcing it apart. Replacement ring s are available as separate parts ,aftermRKET
Typical canadian driving conditions
where do you buy the new reluctor ring???? I have been looking everywhere
Jason K Did you happen to find any? I know ebay has some. I can't recall where I got mine but I believe I mention it in the video
If you take a good look at them I'm sure you should be able to see that they are cracked somewhere. Sometimes it looks like there is no damage when rust is filling up the spot.
I'm no expert. You could try to clean them up real quick and put on new ones. But why? You've already got it off. I think you can find some cheapy rings on ebay or something. I bought mine from the place you mentioned. The guy precision machines them and I'm confident they'll outlast the car.
Can I get info on where you purchase these reluctor rings
I got them a solid 7 years ago but I got them off of an ebay seller. Look up ABS rings or Reluctor rings. Some of the smartcar forums may have a good supplier for you
Hi. Where are you guys located?
dachubbydman I'm not a mechanic haha. this is just at my old man's work after hours where they let us use the car lift.
not a clue. I'd really advise you do it yourself... took literally 30 minutes per axle... and this was my first time ever doing it.
1500? Damn it, somebody must cut dealership balls. To all of them. The fackin Nissan told me the diagnostic (only) starts from 120 british pounds before days and i told them that will give them to suck my left ball for free :D. After that i found crack version of the Nissan software and i can do everything now with my car. I plan some day to go piss on the front door of Nissan dealer :D
get in there and take a look with your phone.
My*
Butcher job to say the least. His hammer ''shouda'' been bigger. Shocking, that some commenters called this a good job ?!Enough said!
Right! We should all watch your video on how to do it :) Sorry for trying something new and sharing my experience with people. Guess we should just leave these things to the experts like you.
I HAVE A 06 BRABUS MODEL -MERCEDES WANTS A 1000.00 TO CHANGE THE WHOLE DRIVESHAFT -CONFIRMED CRACK ON RELUCTOR RING
I LIVE IN ANCASTER ONT - ANYONE AWARE OF A MECHANIC WHO CAN DO THIS -I DO NOT HAVE THE TOOLS OR MECHANICAL ABILITY
brian066@sympatico.ca -THANKS