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[baldy18]

ok, here goes, ABS light comes on car runs ok I still have speedo and power steering. If it does not come on car does not drive properlyas if T/C cuts in. Had Tec 2 on today (Kevin thanks) but it would not read anything from the ABS/TC.

Played around and could still find nothing. Started car ABS light stayed off and did this four or five times so we decided to pull the fuse. ABS light comes on, no speedo but drives ok.

Any one help with what to do next or come across this before :-?? suppose to be going to Cornwall for Christmas

[Kevin Wood]

Yep, certainly an odd fault. It seems sometimes ABS detects a problem immediately on startup and puts the light on. Car drives fine in this instance. Sometimes it doesn't and it's as if TC cuts power as soon as the car reaches 10MPH or so when pulling away. Speedo and PAS appear to work fine in all instances.

TC light doesn't appear to be working. It would be interesting to fix the light and see if it flashes when trying to pull away, to confirm TC is coming in.

Cheapo Tach 2 couldn't connect to the ABS/TC ECU although it would work OK on mine. Does anyone know if it normally works on a  '98 ABS/TC?

Also, there are 2 sensors hanging loose either side of the front end. Seem to be about 1" diameter stainless steel with a single hole mounting bracket. Will post a picture when I've worked out how to extract it from my mobile but it made me wonder if these are anything to do with TC? TC sensor appears to be intact on both front hubs.

Removing ABS/TC fuse puts the ABS light on, and car drives happily albeit with no speedo.

Clearly the ABS ECU is doing something because there's a speedo signal but it's odd that we can't read any codes from it and that it won't let the car pull away when it isn't in limp home.  :-/

Any ideas?

Kevin

[Marks DTM Calib]

Those sensors are suspicious......

I suspect the ECU is detecting noise/strange signals and is applying TC and retarding the timing.

Be interesting to see the pics.

[Kevin Wood]

Here it is:

Dodgy picture but hopefully it'll shed a bit of light.

The hubs appeared to have a brake line, a pad wear sensor wire and a third wire to what seemed to be the ABS sensor leading to them from what I could see without removing the wheel. This sensor seems pretty chunky. My only thoughts are that it could be the remains of a level sensor but there's one left hanging each side. Don't believe car had HIDs but I may be wrong.. May have self levelling rear suspension, I guess :-/



Cheers,

Kevin

[Marks DTM Calib]

Thats an ABS sensor.....

[Marks DTM Calib]

I wonder if somebody has just plugged a couple in to get the light off most of the time and left them hanging.

I ahev to say it doesn't look like the right type of ABS sensor (is it a very early model?)

[baldy18]

When I took the wheels off their was no where for them to go.

 I removed from the back of the bracks at the bottom and cleaned to smaller sensors black in colour which I thought were the ABS sensors.

[baldy18]

1998 3.0 V6 ex police

[Kevin Wood]

That might be looking hopeful then. Maybe someone replaced with the wrong type of sensors, couldn't figure out where they went and just left them dangling.

Someone deliberately hid the problem, because the ABS warning bulb was missing....

Kevin

[baldy18]

Is it possible that the correct ABS sensors should have two lots of wire connectors comming out of them :-?

[Kevin Wood]

My guess is that the ABS sensors currently on the hubs failed, they were replaced with the wrong type and were left loose rather than sourcing the proper ones.

I wouldn't be surprised if the ones on the hubs aren't actually connected further back in the loom.

I think we need to get hold of a pair of known good sensors of the correct type. Feel free to drop round sometime and we'll get it in the garage, jack it up and figure out what's actually connected to the ABS ECU and, if necessary, splice in the correct sensors.

Kevin

[baldy18]

Thanks Kevin, I will get Cornwall out of the way and pop over.

[Kevin Wood]

OK. No problem. Just remember, if it misbehaves on the way, pull out fuse 19.  

Kevin

[baldy18]

OK, I have put a bulb in the TC light on dashboard. Start up ABS & TC Light go out pull away TC light flashing. Press TC button so that the bulb stays on the car drives fine.