Preventing corrosion on Truck ABS Tone Ring

[Travelover]

This is slightly off topic to tractors, but I'd like to tap the best minds here.

My Ford Escape has steel ABS tone rings press fit on the steel front axle shaft hubs. These tone rings are a toothed ring about 3 inches in diameter, about 3/8" wide and about 1/4" thick. The problem is that here in the north, the salt causes corrosion that eventually splits this tone ring which goofs up the ABS operation. Ford's brilliant solution is to replace the whole axle shaft at $500 per side.

I've found that I can buy just the new tone ring and press it on myself, but based on other's experience, the same thing happens all over within a couple of years.

What can I do when I replace this ring to keep it from corroding all over again? Would never-seize last in the salt spray? Any other approaches that I can do myself?

 

[arrabil]

Paint it with a metal bonder that won't come off before you install it. POR15 comes to mind.

 

[Ford tractor]

Paint it with a metal bonder that won't come off before you install it. POR15 comes to mind.

What is "metal bonder"?

On my chev truck, the sensor is precision located to the ring and surface rust under the sensor will raise it enough to cause the system to barf. ('Barf" means that at 8 mph the system loses signal and thinks the brakes locked and releases front pressure resulting in 20-30' longer stops. A real seat staining experience). Thankfully, the fix is to just pull the sensor, clean and use a metal converter then replace and overcoat with under coat spray. Sadly, the rust holds the sensor so tight that it destructs when pulling it out - but they are "only" 40 bucks.

 

[arrabil]

Metal bonding paint. Search for POR-15 and read their info.

 

[Danno1]

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Have your local machine shop make you up one out of 316 SS.



.

 

[Car Doc]

I fix cars for a living and thankfully I don't have the corrosion some do to deal with so I don't have an actual hands on fix for you.

I do agree with trying a thin coat of paint of some kind even a galvanized type (like body shops use when welding/replacing panels) on the ring the next time the axle is out, prep the steel properly is the key there and anti-sieze or grease the speed sensor so it will come out next time it cant hurt. hth

 

[Travelover]

OP here.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll clean it up and use a rust neutralizer on it. Since it is a press fit, it will be hard to keep anything positively between the ring and the hub. I'll try painting it once it is pressed on to seal as well as possible.

 

[Car Doc]

Travelover,

fyi the corrosion spray I mentioned is 3M part number 051131-05913 a weld through corrosion resistant coating for body repair, it keeps a welded area from rusting later on.

I think there are more products out there possibly I saw some galvanized type of paint at the welding supply store but cant remember for sure?

 

[Soundguy]

clean up good then clear laqure?

soundguy