So I was able to make the repair, and so far so good.
This link on another forum also has a lot of good information and photos:
Hey guys I know these been a lot of people having issues with the (mainly) 2017-2018 Rams ABS and/or traction control lights turning on intermittently while driving (myself included). I’ve got a solution that won’t break the bank as most shops/dealers want anywhere from $600-$1200. This is very...
www.cumminsforum.com
Couple of things:
1 - I came across some other posts that talked about drilling through the three dents in the motor housing to get it apart. DO NOT drill these. There is no need; they are there to hold the magnets in place. With a little bit of prying on the 3 plastic tabs with a small flathead screwdriver, you will get it started. As it starts to come apart, you will need to use a bigger flathead screwdriver. You will not have to beat on it to separate the housing from the windings, but it will take some finagling.
2 - As attempting to clean out and lube my stuck brush was getting me nowhere, I finally decided to very slightly spread apart the brass body where the brush rides, and that did the trick.
3 - You can test the motor before pulling it out of the HCU body and once you have it on a bench after you have made the repair. You can test it in two ways, put 12vdc to the connections to see if it runs or check for continuity. With continuity, I was reading 1.4 ohms. For short testing, it does not matter which connection gets positive and which gets negative.
4 - Getting the motor back into the HCU body is the tricky part. Definitely review the posts in the link above. The tricky part is getting the 2 plungers/pistons inside the HCU, where the motor sits, pushed in and out of the way. This is where using modified feeler gauges is a necessity. I bought and used a pre-bent set from O'Reilly's that only cost $7, and the bend was right where it needs to be for this job. Use the two thinnest feeler gauges. Per the referenced other forum, I modified the short ends of the feeler gauges (see my attached photo) using my Dremel drill.
After taping the feeler gauges in place (see other forum again), when you push the motor in, you will feel it when the plungers/pistons get pushed in and out of the way. I gave several attempts at trying to hold the the motor in place by hand as I pulled out the feeler gauges using locking pliers. I then had an idea of using a C-clamp, which would probably also work, but in reaching for my C-clamp, I saw my one bar clamp and thought it might work better. With the ABS module removed from the HCU body, I used the clamp to hold the motor all the way in as I pulled the feeler gauges out, still using the locking pliers. This worked the first time and the feeler gauges pulled out fairly easy.
5 - You could again test the motor, once you have it bolted back together, by applying 12vdc or checking for continuity (see photo of HCU body motor connection). As I have AlfaOBD, I put the ABS module back on, reconnected the electrical plug, and then went into the ABS function in AlfaOBD and ran the "Recirculation Pump" test. This will activate the motor for about 5 seconds.
No more C0020 ABS codes, no more annoying dinging, no more flashing ABS and Traction Control icons.
