ABS and ASC lights on

UK forum for general and technical discussion about the Z3 roadster
Post Reply
User avatar
FreddyK
Joined: Fri 14 Nov, 2003 10:14
Posts: 117

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Lliria
Contact:

ABS and ASC lights on

Post by FreddyK »

Last week (during those snowy days) my wife called me at work. She was out with the Z3 and both the ABS and the ASC lights were lit on the dash and she wanted to know if this was a bad thing. By restarting the car, the lights went out, but soon came on again when she started driving.

I guessed it was one of the ABS sensors that was giving problems but as she was probably more sliding than driving that day, I sent her to the $tealers to have a look at it. There she was told that it was indeed one of the sensors that was broken and needed to be replaced. We already had an appointment for an oil leak fix on the 7th of januari so they would order a sensor and replace it when the car was in.

This was a week ago and since then she has not seen those lights come on again (snow has melted) although she drives the car every day.

Does this sound like a broken sensor or just a bad contact that was fixed when they had a look at it ? I'm starting to think they are going to replace a perfectly fine working sensor and charge me for it.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Freddy
Freddy

Image
User avatar
motco
Joined: Tue 18 Aug, 2009 18:12
Posts: 728

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Post by motco »

http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?id=181246&pn=1&ps=15&c= is a thread on a similar problem. Hope this helps.
PORTMYSTER
Joined: Tue 07 Oct, 2008 17:45
Posts: 240

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Halifax
Contact:

Post by PORTMYSTER »

I had this problem last year and the rear abs sensors was dirty and my mechanic spent some time cleaning and filing then down slightly and I have not had one problem since. I sugest clean and file and if not try the new sensors.
skeete
Joined: Wed 17 Jun, 2009 08:43
Posts: 288

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Moved to Thailand

Post by skeete »

This worked for me and its free.

Just turn the steering full lock to full lock so you get reasonable resistance on the steering wheel, and it apparently scrubs the sensors. Never happened since and it was a common occurence before.
User avatar
FreddyK
Joined: Fri 14 Nov, 2003 10:14
Posts: 117

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Lliria
Contact:

Post by FreddyK »

@#$%
Just driven the Z again and all of a sudden, while driving 50 mph, the ABS and ASC lights came on again !!

The road was slightly wet. Could it be that some leftover salt from last week is messing up the ABS sensor readings ?

Who knows HOW these sensors work ? Are they visual, magnetical ? Could salt interfere with them ?

PORTMYSTER suggested to clean the sensors. Anyone knows what they look like and where I can find them ?
Freddy

Image
User avatar
Titan
Joined: Fri 01 Apr, 2005 20:20
Posts: 4002

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: North Yorkshire

Cleaning Sensors

Post by Titan »

Freddy

There are loads of threads about cleaning sensors on this forum.
Do a search using "ABS and sensor" as the text string.
Here's one of them:
http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13139

Don't be fooled if you the sensors look clean when you remove them - a lot of the dirt falls off during the extraction process!

Have fun - and a Happy New Year
Image :devil:
User avatar
FreddyK
Joined: Fri 14 Nov, 2003 10:14
Posts: 117

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Lliria
Contact:

Post by FreddyK »

Thanks.
My first resolution of the new year:
roll up sleeves and clean ABS sensors :D
Freddy

Image
User avatar
FreddyK
Joined: Fri 14 Nov, 2003 10:14
Posts: 117

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Lliria
Contact:

Post by FreddyK »

OK, first of all: I have changed wheels before on different type of cars.
Now I want to take off one of the rear wheels of the Z3.
- Pull hand brake
- loosen the 5 bolts
- jack up the car
- remove the 5 bolts
- take wheel off

the problem is with this last step: the wheel just doesn't come off.
I've tried pulling, kicking, swearing, it just doesn't move.

Any ideas ?
Freddy

Image
User avatar
Taz-Devil
Joined: Tue 01 Dec, 2009 04:16
Posts: 108

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: leeds

Post by Taz-Devil »

make sure jacked up well brick under front wheel get a nice piece of wood 3/2 and slide along floor underneath hitting the TIRE only you might need some force doing it also try rotating wheel if does not come of first hit your hitting the wheel outwood

then look for 2 wires 1 goes to brake calipper over goes to hub carrier behind brake disc there you will see the abs senser has a allen key bolt holding it in
User avatar
FreddyK
Joined: Fri 14 Nov, 2003 10:14
Posts: 117

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Lliria
Contact:

Post by FreddyK »

OK, got the wheel off now.
Lesson learned: "when in doubt: use brute force"

Also found the sensor, removed it.
Man, that's dirty. Will clean them all.

Is there a way to reset the ABS controller so that it won't light the warning lights on the dash anymore after I've cleaned everything ?
Freddy

Image
User avatar
Robert T
Site Admin
Joined: Mon 12 Jun, 2006 10:35
Posts: 10170

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Post by Robert T »

AFAIAA the ABS system will reset itself after a certain number of engine restarts/ignition on-offs. This is why some people have reported all being fine when they start the car and the lights come back on again after a few miles.

Glad you got it off, I was just going to suggest whacking it with a mallet. :lol:

Cheers R.
Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
Image
User avatar
Taz-Devil
Joined: Tue 01 Dec, 2009 04:16
Posts: 108

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: leeds

Post by Taz-Devil »

if its just dirt when you drive down road it will reset itself mine does it everytime
User avatar
Titan
Joined: Fri 01 Apr, 2005 20:20
Posts: 4002

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: North Yorkshire

Post by Titan »

FreddyK wrote:......... the wheel just doesn't come off.
I've tried pulling, kicking, swearing, it just doesn't move.
Any ideas ?
As has been suggested - brute force!
I use a rubber mallet when mine get stuck.
It's worth smearing a film of copper grease on the interface between the wheel and the hub to make it easier next time :wink:
Image :devil:
User avatar
FreddyK
Joined: Fri 14 Nov, 2003 10:14
Posts: 117

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Lliria
Contact:

Post by FreddyK »

Phew... this is turning out to take a little longer than the 1-2 hour job I had in mind.
Both rear sensors are done now.
I then removed the first front wheel, located the sensor, removed the screw, but the sensor won't come out. I already sprayed half a can of WD40 onto it and tried tapping it with a little hammer, no luck.

It only has 1 screw, right ?
Should I be able to turn it like the rear sensors or is there a different technique to get it out ?
Freddy

Image
User avatar
Taz-Devil
Joined: Tue 01 Dec, 2009 04:16
Posts: 108

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: leeds

Post by Taz-Devil »

front is fitted same as back you just have to keep at it wd40 should get it out good luck
User avatar
FreddyK
Joined: Fri 14 Nov, 2003 10:14
Posts: 117

  Z3 roadster 1.9i
Location: Lliria
Contact:

Post by FreddyK »

YES !! All 4 sensors cleaned.
Now I have 6 days to see if the warning lights go off and stay off.

Thanks for all the tips guys.
Freddy

Image
El Reacho
Joined: Tue 04 May, 2010 12:27
Posts: 14

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Post by El Reacho »

Hey all,

My ASC and ABS lights started coming on whilst driving about six weeks ago, and in the last couple of weeks have just come on from engine start and stayed on. So I've just spent the day cleaning my ABS sensors as advised on here. The two rears were pretty dirty but the fronts weren't too bad. They're all spotless now.

Anyway I've just gone for a drive and it's made no difference - still two warning lights. Can anybody suggest where to from here? Should it be an instant fix or will it take a few days for the lights to go out?

I've now convinced myself it's something a little more costly than taking a Saturday afternoon at it.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.
El Reacho
Joined: Tue 04 May, 2010 12:27
Posts: 14

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Post by El Reacho »

I was just wondering - given that both the ASC and ABS lights are both on rather than just the ABS light only could this rule out anything in particular?

For example would a front sensor fault cause the ASC light to come on even though the traction control isn't really anything to do with the front wheels?

Likewise could I rule out a new ABS pump - as it's related only to the ABS not the ASC?

Am I being a little too simplistic?
El Reacho
Joined: Tue 04 May, 2010 12:27
Posts: 14

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Post by El Reacho »

Also given that the two lights only came on intermittently at first and then all the time after a few weeks can I decipher anything from that?
User avatar
Sorcerors Apprentice
Joined: Thu 26 Aug, 2010 21:53
Posts: 272

  Other roadster

Post by Sorcerors Apprentice »

Yes, your lights are working perfectly. :wink:
Image
User avatar
leahandsteve
Joined: Sat 29 Sep, 2007 20:02
Posts: 122

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Stokenchurch (J5 M40)

Post by leahandsteve »

Got the exact same problem, lights would come on intermittently.
Then over the last few months they are on all the time.
The resistance of each sensor measures 1000 Ohms which is correct and using an oscilloscope I can see the waveform generated by each sensor and they are okay.
I thought I would then check the abs relays, there are 3 of them according to the circuit diagrams and they are supposedly located in the fuse box.

But opening the fuse box, they are not in there.
El Reacho
Joined: Tue 04 May, 2010 12:27
Posts: 14

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Post by El Reacho »

I spent an afternoon cleaning my sensors and was gutted when the light was still on after, but two days later the lights went out and haven't been back on since. Fingers crossed, but it just seems to take a while for the computer system to be happy that the sensors are clean!
Post Reply