Failure of the Bosch ABS ECU is fairly common on the E39 5 series BMW, with which the FFRR shares a lot of components.

If the ABS system is the same it might be worth looking down this route. I believe the modules can be repaired for ~£100-£150.

bozmandb9 wrote:

mrbon007 wrote:

UPDATE...

I have had the ABS sensor replaced, and the abs sensor wiring loom replaced, and the battery tested...

STILL GOT LIGHTS ON?!?!

I want to drive the car off a cliff!

Anyone had an issue like this?

What was the outcome of the battery test? Just because it passes a basic test, doesn't mean it's not the cause of your problems! Could be a red herring, but still something worth considering, how old is the battery?

On the BMW, it is a broken/loose connection inside the ECU case, the ECU sees this as what it is, an open circuit in an ABS sensor connection, however it is INSIDE the case, not the sensor itself or the wiring to it.

Martin wrote:

On the BMW, it is a broken/loose connection inside the ECU case, the ECU sees this as what it is, an open circuit in an ABS sensor connection, however it is INSIDE the case, not the sensor itself or the wiring to it.

Ok i have decided to take the plunge and replace the only remaining component in the system - the ABS pump & control module.

Obviously i don't intend to get a £1000 new one from the dealer so have been looking on ebay... trouble is i can only find ones with different part numbers, even though they are off the same cars?!

Will this be an issue? They look identical with all holes and plugs in the correct places so will it be a case of the number changing on newer cars but the system is the same? Should i try to get the exact same part number?

Why not send it to BBA Reman and see if they can repair it

If the battery is anything approaching five years old, you will need a new one. No ifs, no buts. Without research, it will be £120 or so, maybe less. Do this first.

If it doesn't fix everything (not kidding), report back below and the general FFRR populus will take it from there. Either way, you won't have paid for something which you don't need anyway. 2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster
2007 3.6 TDV8 Vogue - gone!
2003 V8 HSE (LPG) - gone!
2018 F-Pace 25t Portfolio
1974 LR Series III Lightweight FFR
2014 BMW 640i Gran Coupe

Ok, heres my view...

The battery is being discharged by or poss with the alternator not supplying the correct voltage. the reason I say this is yor gearbox problem. It sounds a bit wayward but bear with me.

It sounds like your gearbox is tripping into cooling mode meaning the bottom 8 rows of the radiator are blocked. This means the trans cooler cannot cool the atf and therefore the car choses the correct map to keep the gearbox cool. The car will hold onto the gears for alot longer and disable the manual chaging up as well.

Now if the rad is blocked there is a poss that the cooling to the alternator is blocked as well.

The reason I say this is that ny altanor went and as soon as it was fixed the car started ripping into cooling mode as well. A number of other threads on rrnet also show people with recently failed alternators having the same problem.

Now the fix.... I plumbed for a new alternator...no choice there... and to save my transmission a new rad, transcooler, filter , thermostat and fluid change. I didnt flush it as this can cause more problems than it cures from the info my dealer gave me.... he then advised another atf change after 5000 miles to confirm the box was ok....

get the batt and the alt tested and if the gearbox trips then DONT DRIVE IT TILL ITS FIXED or you could cook the box

Geoff

Sorry to buzz in. This problem sounds same as mine which I recently posted.

The gearbox hung on to gears in 1st 2nd and 3rd but would not leave 3rd even in manual. It was checked at a specialist but did not flag any errors on the ECU? No warning lights either, other than engine management but that could be linked to the LPG system.

this occured after an hour drive on motorway at 60mph. Not done it since but I've only been on short runs and have now left the car on the drive for the past week as scared to drive it until its sorted.

sounds like we both have cooling issues by....mine should be fixed under warranty by Evans Halshaw I hope but I want to make sure its not just a quick fix until the warranty runs out then I'm stuck with an out of warranty gearbox issue!

The battery is charged to 101% (?!) and the alternator tests show thats fine too...

Which leaves me stumped again!

did you test the alternator whilst the lights were all on to see if the charge to the batt had dropped?

Its just a thought but that would be linked to the cooling and it could be your alt is slowing being killed when the cooling stops.

The gearbox has all the symptoms of the cooling mode so have the rad flow checked out as RRphil described and dont drive it when it does it. The extra heat will oxidise the atf and after a while it will damage the box.
it could be the rad, transcooler , thermostat of cooler lines that are blocked and its difficult to tell which.......that why I replaced them all.

Geoff

*


Yep the alternator was tested with everything on e.g. lights radio, a/c etc and still working fine.

Can you remember how much all the rads etc cost when you replaced them all?

mmm... yes very well...

rad £200
trans cooler £130
cooler lines £50
thermostat £ 40
coolant (for complete flush) £80

then you have to put it all together. You can do that at home and the only difficult bit is getting the trans cooler off the gearbox as the quick release clips usually gum up. The gearbox atf should be changed as well with the filter. I found the atf on ebay at £8.60 a lt next to £35 from landrover!.... the filter is about £35.

I didnt flush the box as there is a debate that this can cause morte problems than it solves so I went for a fluid change and was advised to repeat this in 5000 miles.

Other advice is that the ATF from the factory is not cherry red but dark green. This means that if it looks black, and its never been done, then dont panic as dark green to black is not much of a step and simple shows it has been oxidised by overheating. Black from the after factory cherry red is more serious!!! I dont know how true this is but it did come from a LR dealer.

This may not solve the lights problem but the gearbox triping as al;most def caused by this and should be tackled. This happens reg and I an planning to swap out my rad every 2 years from now on.

when I asked about the 'lights on' I meant the warning lamps. The reason I ask is before my alternator went my car behaved strangly with various on related warning lamps and then flickering on the nav screen, reboots etc... then one day the red light came on and everything ran out after about 15 mins....

I got a recon alternator from fleabay for £250 ... £1000
from l/r