brake warning lights on...dsc abs

[jaima]

Hi,
2003 3.0i X5
I had a battery drain issue and had to recharge the battery every day and this went on for a few months, this is when the DSC ABS warning lights came on the dash, it was suggested to start engine turn the steering wheel full left and full right to clear the warning lights, I did the that but the lights still remain on?
The problem lights only came on after the battery went flat so I don't think that there is a fault with the DSC or ABS (apart from the warning lights of course)
Has anyone ever had this happen to them and if so, how did you manage to get the warning lights on the dash to go off ?
Also I have a Launch Creader vi OBD2 scanner and there are no Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) stored in the vehicle the vehicle gets a clean bill of health
from the scanner, no faults showing at all.

Anyone any ideas?

Will I need to take it to BMW and pay them to put the lights out ?

[btmed]

Those lights are on my 01 x5 3.0. Have been for about 2 years now. Mine is the steering angle sensor. Just havent replaced it but when i do i will have to take it to bmw and get it coded, $130. They've found it twice during free diagnostic check so it does show up on their gt1 system as a fault. Maybe your battery problem just erased the coding on yours. Sensors about $230 and the labor at BMW, well, forget that!

[jaima]

Thanks for the reply btmed, I think that may be the case with mine, it's a bad day when a flat battery throws up faults that only the stealer can put off, usual BMW taking money for a module to be REprogrammed through no fault of the owners,.
crap software or crap parts!

[Isambard]

Turning the wheel to the left and then right is the same-problem fix on mercs-Im not convinced its the same on beemers?! Tried that with mine when I replaced the battery (money lights were on after), it didn't work and only went out after a few hundred yards down the road.

As for your problem, this place is littered with 'dsc, abs, brake' lights on posts, just hit the search button and you'll feel like you've hit the jackpot on a fruit machine!

Get your codes read and find out what it is, then go from there. It may well be something like your steering angle sensor-mine died a couple of years back. I got a secondhand one via partsgateway.co.uk (£40 from Quarry Motors), fitted it myself in about 45 mins-not difficult at all-if you don't know its on the steering column. Then (as btmed rightly said) I got it coded to the DSC module at a local indy for £90.

Bottom line: it could be anything from a bad DSC module to a dodgy abs sensor, so get your codes read first and foremost.

Let us know how you get on

[bastereo]

Dead/dying batteries can set odd ball codes in modules all over the place.
And most generic obd scan tools only pull codes from the engine(dme)
Many scan tools can read all the bmw specific modules.
So either get with an Indy or buy a better scan tool.

And turning the wheel lock to lock can work to reset the steering angle sensor, doesn't always, sometimes it takes a short drove.

But, sounds like you have real trouble codes set. Get them cleared.

Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

[btmed]

Isambard, when you replaced the steering angle sensor did you run in to any problems. took the cover off from under steering wheel to have a look and decided to wait till i had more instruction. Were you able to release the steering column to uninstall and reinstall the sensor from the inside of the car? Many posts on this without a good diy. Im tired of looking at the lights always on!

[Isambard]

Originally Posted by btmed

Isambard, when you replaced the steering angle sensor did you run in to any problems. took the cover off from under steering wheel to have a look and decided to wait till i had more instruction. Were you able to release the steering column to uninstall and reinstall the sensor from the inside of the car? Many posts on this without a good diy. Im tired of looking at the lights always on!

No problems at all. Yes you can release the steering column from inside the car-You have to 'split' the steering column by undoing/removing the clamp bolt/clamp assy. Then push the lower half of the column downwards (like you'e pushing it through the floor pan) to access/remove the sensor. I used a large flat-bladed screwdriver to lever it downwards. If I remember rightly I marked the position of the two sections of the column, as you have to line the splines back up in the clamp you remove when putting back together, otherwise the steering wheel won't be in the correct orientation. Basically the clamp is splined and both top and bottom steering columns slide in as one.

The above is from memory as it was a couple or so years ago now, but if my memory serves me correct that is pretty much the only 'hassle' there is. Hope that helps.