Abs fault ( the lemon strikes again)

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alanlucas said:
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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I forget where we're up to but you have reset the brake light switch?
 
alanlucas said:
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.
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Send them back and tell him to refund the money.
 
Grrrrrr said:
I forget where we're up to but you have reset the brake light switch?
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Happy New Year.
No I haven't reset the brake light switch. I took a trip to the local shop this morning and on the way back from the shop, both lights went out ?? - still needs diagnostics on it as I reckon they might come back on at any time :(
 
alanlucas said:
Happy New Year.
No I haven't reset the brake light switch. I took a trip to the local shop this morning and on the way back from the shop, both lights went out ?? - still needs diagnostics on it as I reckon they might come back on at any time :(
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The ECU does a self test every time you start up so if there's currently no fault detected then the lights will go out on their own
 
kermit_rr said:
The ECU does a self test every time you start up so if there's currently no fault detected then the lights will go out on their own
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Hi there, yes I've read up on the abs ecu and its functions and diagnostic tests :- https://blackbox-solutions.com/help/SM018.html
Must be an intermittent fault then as it comes and goes. Clutching at straws at the moment. The only common factor with lights coming on that I can recall is that the abs & tc lights came on & stayed on after driving through puddles each time, so maybe water is getting into the rear Abs connectors if the rear connector positions are exposed, the front connectors are protected from weather as they sit on top of the inner wings but I've never had the problem before in wet weather. I've also read where coolant has leaked onto the ECU connections past the heater matrix o rings.
 
Start up and move forward until the light goes out, then stop. Let it creep forward very slowly with your foot on the brake do it's barely moving. Do that for 10 feet or so and see if it triggers the lights to come on
 
So this morning, started it up and abs & tc lights went out once on the move. Tried creeping along and lights didn't come back on. Stopped and switched engine off and tried again and just abs light on which then went off after speed rose. Tried Kemit's idea and crept both forward and in reverse and no lights came back on. When the lights are off I seem to get a 2 stage brake pedal i.e. lots of resistance and then it gives and brakes but I don't get the 2 stage pedal all of the time. I presume the abs system when active uses the valve block modulator and when it's disabled it does not use the modulator ? If so, then I think maybe its a sticking valve in the modulator or the ECU which controls everything is playing up intermittently.
 
kermit_rr said:
Silly question, does the brake fluid look clean and do you know when it was last changed?
Might be worth a flush, at least from the 3 bleed nipples on the modulator
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I've never changed it during my 6 years of ownership apart from a semi bleed when I fitted new calipers and discs all round about 3 years ago.
I've read about the gauze filter becoming blocked in the reservoir - how easy is it to remove the reservoir and flush the filter ?
 
alanlucas said:
I've never changed it during my 6 years of ownership apart from a semi bleed when I fitted new calipers and discs all round about 3 years ago.
I've read about the gauze filter becoming blocked in the reservoir - how easy is it to remove the reservoir and flush the filter ?
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Fluid should really be changed every 2 years, in practice it rarely happens. Water is absorbed into the fluid causing rust and other problems.
 
kermit_rr said:
Silly question, does the brake fluid look clean and do you know when it was last changed?
Might be worth a flush, at least from the 3 bleed nipples on the modulator
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Tried to bleed the master cylinder/modulator today - cant get any fluid out of the bleed nipples. Tried with ignition off and pressing the pedal.
 
alanlucas said:
Tried to bleed the master cylinder/modulator today - cant get any fluid out of the bleed nipples. Tried with ignition off and pressing the pedal.
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Might be worth something like an Ezibleed kit to push it through to start with.

alanlucas said:
Yes I'd say it is air in the system as I also get a ticking noise when the abs light is off when I put slight pressure on the brake pedal.
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Yes, that sounds like air. When bleeding brim the reservoir regularly, at least between each RAVE step.
 
alanlucas said:
Tried to bleed the master cylinder/modulator today - cant get any fluid out of the bleed nipples. Tried with ignition off and pressing the pedal.
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Sounds like the same symptoms posted by someone else, when he took the master cylinder apart the valve springs were rusted up.:eek:
It's convinced me to do another flush on both P38's this summer.
 
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