Abs fault ( the lemon strikes again)

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Beginning to think the LR specialist has conned me into replacing 2 perfectly good front ABS sensors as the intermittent stiff pedal problem that occurred originally has occurred again just before the lights came on. Time to clear the codes and check the pump and pressure switch - maybe the relay as well but the complete fusebox was new 5 years ago and accumulator was new in October 2019.
http://www.landy.ee/manuals/codes/RR_ABSfault.pdf
Also check the brake light switch
 
Also check the brake light switch
The vehicle actually brakes better with the abs and traction disabled i.e. with the lights staying on - at least I get a consistent brake pedal. Shame it wont pass an MOT like that. After each set of front sensors were fitted and before the lights came on, I had a pedal that alternated between normal to jerky to solid. So the fault is intermittent until the ECU has had enough and turns the lights on. I'm beginning to doubt that its the sensors or the accumulator or the pump or the pressure switch as they all behave normally with both abs and traction lights on. I've done the test below and the lights stay on with the pressure switch connector unplugged which points to a wiring fault. The fact that it occurred after the balljoint and front sensors were swapped may be purely coincidental. I'd be grateful as to any observations regarding the erratic feel of the brake pedal before the lights became illuminated.
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Jerky/hard pedal is that not the abs functioning normally?
on my 1990 year mk3 granada - the 1st car with ABS, the pedal pulsates back and forth which gives you reassuring feedback that the ABS has kicked in, whereas on the P38 before the ABS and TC lights came on, the pedal sometime felt normal and then say 100 yards further on felt like something was jammed solid i.e. no power assistance and zero feel or feedback whatsoever - very unnerving. Something is definitely not right somewhere. The "Landrover Specialist" that diagnosed faulty front ABS sensors and sold me another set even though the existing ones were brand new is going to get a call as soon as they are back in the New Year. :mad:
 
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on my 1990 year mk3 granada - the 1st car with ABS, the pedal pulsates back and forth which gives you reassuring feedback that the ABS has kicked in, whereas on the P38 before the ABS and TC lights came on, the pedal sometime felt normal and then say 100 yards further on felt like something was jammed solid i.e. no power assistance and zero feel or feedback whatsoever - very unnerving. Something is definitely not right somewhere. The "Landover Specialist" that diagnosed faulty front ABS sensors and sold me another set even though the existing ones were brand new is going to get a call as soon as they are back in the New Year. :mad:
In my opinion, the pedal 'feel' is completely different to that of a regular abs system on a modern car.
Without 'testing' on a slippy surface, I'm pretty sure my pedal goes solid but the brakes still work, the pressurised system sorts everything out based on pedal position
 
In my opinion, the pedal 'feel' is completely different to that of a regular abs system on a modern car.
Without 'testing' on a slippy surface, I'm pretty sure my pedal goes solid but the brakes still work, the pressurised system sorts everything out based on pedal position
The road was dry and I wasn't braking particularly hard. I've been driving the p38 since 2016 in all weathers including snow and ice and I knew the pedal still wasn't right after the 2nd set of sensors. Lo and behold 12 days and just 70 miles covered after 2nd set of sensors being fitted, ABS and TC lights back on and back to where I was a month ago. What I really need is a P38 owner local to me with a Nanocom because the Landrover dealerships have no longer got the kit to diagnose a 20 year old model due to obsolescence.
 
To be honest I'm tempted to buy a pair of good 2nd hand genuine Wabco abs sensors and fit them and see what happens - hasn't been right since I had to destroy the original Wabco ones to get the hub carriers off to do the balljoints.
 
Do you have the 2wd or 4wd TC? I should be back at work in Crewe at some point next week i think, if that's any use to you, my nano works on the 4wd wabco-d
 
I can't remember what I've said previously but i had intermittent abs/tc lights. One of the abs rings is broken, waiting to be fixed and when i replaced the sensor on the same wheel, the lights stayed off
 
Do you have the 2wd or 4wd TC? I should be back at work in Crewe at some point next week i think, if that's any use to you, my nano works on the 4wd wabco-d
That's very kind of you.
mine's a w reg 2000 with Wabco D 4wd TC
i'm back to working from home on the 4th, but I could get over to Crewe in my lunch hour.
No idea how to send a PM on this forum.
 
That's very kind of you.
mine's a w reg 2000 with Wabco D 4wd TC
i'm back to working from home on the 4th, but I could get over to Crewe in my lunch hour.
No idea how to send a PM on this forum.
That's the same as mine, will PM you

As far as my employer is concerned, WFH is for everyone else
 
That's very kind of you.
mine's a w reg 2000 with Wabco D 4wd TC
i'm back to working from home on the 4th, but I could get over to Crewe in my lunch hour.
No idea how to send a PM on this forum.

The ABS ECU has been known to fail on the later models with 4W TC.

That said, if it started after doing the hubs and that isn't coincidence then it can only be the wiring loom itself broken inside somewhere.
 
To be honest I'm tempted to buy a pair of good 2nd hand genuine Wabco abs sensors and fit them and see what happens - hasn't been right since I had to destroy the original Wabco ones to get the hub carriers off to do the balljoints.
The sensors are a simple wire coil round a soft iron core, the after market ones work fine, I have aftermarket fitted to the front of both mine.
 
The sensors are a simple wire coil round a soft iron core, the after market ones work fine, I have aftermarket fitted to the front of both mine.
My wabco one threw a code from the broken reluctor ring, the new one doesn't, not really sure why.
Still haven't got to fix it yet
 
My wabco one threw a code from the broken reluctor ring, the new one doesn't, not really sure why.
Still haven't got to fix it yet
The WABCO sensor has a flat sloping surface like a skid so that air pressure will push it back when initially fitted, the aftermarket part just has a small round raised button so is less likely to push back and may thus produce a better signal.
I'm not a fan of ABS, on my last 4x4 I fitted a switch to turn it off as it was far too inclined to operate when not needed increasing braking distance unexpectedly. Not so easy to do on the P38 and in any case it rarely operates.
 
The WABCO sensor has a flat sloping surface like a skid so that air pressure will push it back when initially fitted, the aftermarket part just has a small round raised button so is less likely to push back and may thus produce a better signal.
I'm not a fan of ABS, on my last 4x4 I fitted a switch to turn it off as it was far too inclined to operate when not needed increasing braking distance unexpectedly. Not so easy to do on the P38 and in any case it rarely operates.

I've only once had my ABS kick in and that was on a deserted straight when I was testing the brakes and absolutely mashed the pedal.
 
The sensors are a simple wire coil round a soft iron core, the after market ones work fine, I have aftermarket fitted to the front of both mine.
Yes I agree, which makes me doubt the original diagnosis by the "Landrover specialist" that the new aftermarket sensors were duff and then proceeded to sell me another set of aftermarket ones which may well have been aftermarket by Landrover but they looked identical to the ones I fitted 1st time around. The second pair have lasted 70 miles until the same warning lights came back on. I suspect he fitted the second set and then cleared the codes in the ECU and its taken about the same length of time after fitting the first set of sensors before the errors appeared for the second time. Will see what Kemit's nanocom comes up with next week. Could be the ECU, could be a sticking valve in the modulator. God knows.
 
I've only once had my ABS kick in and that was on a deserted straight when I was testing the brakes and absolutely mashed the pedal.
I've had to stamp on mine just to get them to work since the mot - lights were off then :) . If it wasn't for the fact that it will be an MOT fail next time around I wouldn't bother as it brakes much better with the ABS and TC lights on than the intermittent pedal I get when the lights are off.
 
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