ABS and ASC LIGHTS

[stevesz]

Hi all,
Does anyone know if there is a quick fix to extinguish the ABS light which has suddenly come on.

Just after this light came on the ASC warning triangle came on.

The switch on the centre console doesn't seem to do anything ?

The brakes are working fine, there are no visible leaks and the abs seems to work perfectly if you come to a sharp stop on loose ground.

Any ides ?

Regards,

Steve

[John Wilson]

Could be the wheel sensors needing cleaning. A common fault. Do a search as theres lots of posts about the job. Its a pain to do the first time because they get rusted in. You have to be careful not to shear the allen headed bolt.

[mrscalex]

The cause of the ABS light illuminating on my car was a duff electronics black box that sits on the ABS pump. The soldered joints inside deteriorate over time. I paid £45 for the complete pump/black box and it takes about 5 mins to fit if it's just the black box. You will then need to reset the error codes and if you want to do the job properly re-code the black box unless it came off the same model Z3 (most on ebay are from 3 Series).

It would help to get the error codes to give you some indication before diving off and spending money and time on something that it may not be. But the black box and the wheel sensors seem to be common issues.

I had a code 71 ABS pump error. My understanding is if you get that error then it is the ABS unit (pump and/or black box). If that is in error, wheel sensor and other downstream errors are blocked by the failure even if present. If you get a downstream error then I guess your pump/black box is okay.

I claim no great expertise here, just my exeprience. Hopefully others will confirm.

[therealdb1]

Yes a good idea to get the codes read before changing parts randomly.
Most likely to be a wheel sensor dirty or faulty but if you get the code read by a BMW specific reader like INPA it will tell you which wheel needs attention.

[stevesz]

Hi All,

Thanks for the comments, I will go and get the codes read from our local guy.
Is there cause for concern over the ASC light staying on and the switch not doing anything or is it part of the ABS problem ?
Once the code is read and the problem fixed do i have to have the lights reset ?
I will let you know the outcome shortly,

Regards,

Steve

[therealdb1]

Hi Steve,
The two are almost certainly linked since they use the same wheel sensors.
The switch is doing nothing because the systems are disabled which is what the warning lights are telling you.
If you get the appropriate sensor sorted and clear the stored codes, which the chap with the reader can do for you after you get the fault fixed, the lights will stay out.

[bertiejaffa]

Hi Steve,
The two are almost certainly linked since they use the same wheel sensors.
The switch is doing nothing because the systems are disabled which is what the warning lights are telling you.
If you get the appropriate sensor sorted and clear the stored codes, which the chap with the reader can do for you after you get the fault fixed, the lights will stay out.

The codes clear on their own when the lights are out - or at least they have on mine. I have a similar issue with the lights being on intermittently. I'm suspecting it is the rear passenger wheel but just to be sure I went out this weekend to check. Code reader said no codes stored and the lights have gone out.. guess I will have to wait till the next time they are on to see which sensor is playing up.