ABS, Traction, Brake, and Tire pressure light on

[VanosJan]

Hey all, for a few years now I’ve had my ABS, TC, brake (red) and tire pressure light on. My traction control and abs don’t work. I don’t mind driving the car without any aids but I also can’t rev past 6500 rpm. It’s like the limiter just moved down 1.5k rpm. I’ve replaced a wheel speed sensor and steering angle sensor and reprogrammed but still no luck. I pulled code on pa soft and only got a steering angle sensor code. I took my car to my trusted e46 mechanic and he thinks there’s a short somewhere. Anybody have an idea what my issue may be?

[Shonky]

Usually I'd be looking at a wheel speed sensor to cause all of those at once. Is there a reason to not fix the steering angle sensor and go from there?

Your mechanic is guessing as good as us.

Try reading codes with INPA?

[nuc1]

Hey all, for a few years now I’ve had my ABS, TC, brake (red) and tire pressure light on. My traction control and abs don’t work. I don’t mind driving the car without any aids but I also can’t rev past 6500 rpm. It’s like the limiter just moved down 1.5k rpm. I’ve replaced a wheel speed sensor and steering angle sensor and reprogrammed but still no luck. I pulled code on pa soft and only got a steering angle sensor code. I took my car to my trusted e46 mechanic and he thinks there’s a short somewhere. Anybody have an idea what my issue may be?

Can you post your codes?

Went through this last year. Most likely the connector for the wheel speed sensor (located just in front of the driver's side rear wheel) has fallen apart causing an intermittent short. This is where the wiring goes from outside the cabin to inside the cabin. These cars are old and the connector is exposed to the elements. Easy to fix: there is a replacement on FCPEuro that comes with the connectors, wiring and pins. It will require you to remove the rear seat and solder in some new wires. Car needs to be up with wheel off so you can access the connector. If you pull the connector apart and it starts to fall apart in your hands, you're probably on the right track. This is the input to the ABS module for vehicle speed. Do some googling and you will find a bunch of posts about it.
FYI, the wheel speed sensors on our cars are Hall effect sensors; they rarely (if ever) fail. There are no moving parts in a Hall effect sensor and it is completely sealed. You could also pull the wheel and see if theres a bunch of gunk on the slotted wheel the Hall effect sensor uses to measure speed. If you get under the car and look at the inside of the wheel hub you can see the toothed gear.
See https://electronics.stackexchange.co...ed-sensor-work for an easy explanation as to how it all works.

The ABS module having an internal short is also a possibility (but much less then the connector failing). If that is the case, there are companies that can repair them for much less then the cost of a new module.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

EDIT: Here is the part number: KIT-61131392246KT at FCPEuro.

Mike

[SQ13]

I don't remember the name of the sensor, but there's one under the drivers seat that may be causing the problem. I had similar symptoms a while ago (without the rev limiter issue), and replacing the sensor fixed it. New sensor was several hundred dollars so I got a used one off eBay.

[Estoril]

I don't remember the name of the sensor, but there's one under the drivers seat that may be causing the problem. I had similar symptoms a while ago (without the rev limiter issue), and replacing the sensor fixed it. New sensor was several hundred dollars so I got a used one off eBay.

Yaw sensor.

[nuc1]

Yaw sensor.

Replaced that one about 2 years ago. Different error code in NCS then wheel speed sensor connectivity. Purchased a used one off of ebay and zero issues.

Mike

[Tbonem3]

bad pressure sensors do this iirc. there are 2, under the abs. Go with OE, not OEM/aftermarket.

[Estoril]

My knee-jerk reaction to those problems in combination is 'wheel speed sensor'.

Test:

Disconnect the wheel speed sensor(s) from the harness in the wheel well. You'll need a digital volt meter. Connect the meter leads to the wheel speed sensor - polarity doesn't matter. Select the millivolt range (mV). Spin the hub and observe the meter. You should read between 1 and 5 mV when you spin the hub. No output = a defective and/or dirty sensor.

[Gt4]

bad pressure sensors do this iirc. there are 2, under the abs. Go with OE, not OEM/aftermarket.

There is 2 brake pressure sensor on master cylinder.

Speed sensor are magnet, you can also remove them and see if it’s not a small metal part stuck on sensor. Happened to me in the past with a wire wheel brush…

[Drewrivera]

I'm thinking abs module.

[VanosJan]

Thank you all for the feedback! I already cleaned out the housings for the wheel speed sensors but I will now test the connectors. Really hoping the abs module is fine.

[MotorSportThree]

Not to highjack this thread but I’m going through a very similar issue. All lights appeared after I attempted to replace my Yaw sensor which needed replacing (previously only tire pressure and DSC light would light up) . The car doesn’t move due to the brake remaining on. Still have not had the chance to tow it to a shop. And there are zero codes from my basic reader. Can a wheel speed sensor cause the brake to remain on?

[ugaexploder]

i notice on m3cutters there are many threads on bad reluctor rings but barely any on this forum. i’m leaning toward this as the culprit for trifecta lights. i don’t get any code for a bad sensor but it does mention rotation rate implausible which leads me to believe there are some shiny spots on the abs ring. the fix may be fix abs rings and utilize a spacer for the wheel speed sensor..

VanosJan, MotorSportThree - any updates on your end?

[bmwfnatic]

i notice on m3cutters there are many threads on bad reluctor rings but barely any on this forum. i’m leaning toward this as the culprit for trifecta lights. i don’t get any code for a bad sensor but it does mention rotation rate implausible which leads me to believe there are some shiny spots on the abs ring. the fix may be fix abs rings and utilize a spacer for the wheel speed sensor..

VanosJan, MotorSportThree - any updates on your end?

What’s the exact code? (numeric)
Sometimes the translations of these are just odd and in original German they make more sense.

The rings failing on these is mostly due to swelling from rust, if you car isn’t crusty I would say this is unlikely.

[ugaexploder]

What’s the exact code? (numeric)
Sometimes the translations of these are just odd and in original German they make more sense.

The rings failing on these is mostly due to swelling from rust, if you car isn’t crusty I would say this is unlikely.

5E14 - ABS-DSC: CAN Connection to DME
5E3C - ABS-DSC: Rotation Rate Implausible