ABS Module question
 

I was at my local pick-n-pull and there were a couple of guys there taking some parts and we got to talking. They said that if the ABS module has the same part number you can swap it out and it doesn't need to be reprogrammed. I was wondering if anyone knows if this is truly the case. My ABS module may be out, I know there is a place on Ebay to get it rebuilt but I need to wait until the summer to send it out so I can ride my motorcycle while the part is being rebuilt. But if the ones at my local pick-n-pull match the part numbers then I can swap it out and maybe it will be ok or I can send the original to be rebuilt if it isn't and I won't have to wait for motorcycle riding weather.

I believe you can still drive your car with the ABS unit out..you just won't have ABS.

And I would suggest an X5 without ABS still has a lower risk of injury to driver/passenger than a motorcycle would... And before anyone flames me, I do have a current motorcycle license and have been riding for 30 yrs.

For the past 2 years I have been riding my motorcycle for 9 months out of the year. for the other 3 months of the year I was commuting with my wife, but that isn't possible now that she got a job farther away from her previous one. So I don't mind riding and I will continue to ride during the warmer months.

I had heard that you could drive without the module, but it wasn't a good idea. I just wanted to know if you could swap out the module with a module with the same part number.

You might not need to recode a same part # module if it comes from the same vehicle w/ the same options but I'm pretty sure you will still need to recalibrate the steering angle sensor using DIS or equivalent software. The junkyard module might work enough that at least your speedometer works. In the meantime then you can send your original unit out to have it repaired. When that comes back you still may need to recalibrate the steering angle - I have read that if you drive the vehicle for any length of time w/ your original ABS module removed you'll have to do that.

If you have DSC the steering angle sensor will need to be calibrated. There is a slight chance that calibration is not needed if you remove and install the same module with steering wheel exactly straight ahead (sensor at the same position within a few degrees).

Speedometer still works. the weird thing is that the lights don't show up if it is around 35 degrees out until the beast warms up. and they randomly shut off last night when it was around 50 out and I had been driving for a while. I had just gotten on the freeway and they turned off but turned on just before I got home.:dunno:

When my E39 M5 DSC module was dying, the lights would only come on some of the time and it also seemed to be temperature related.

When my E53 DSC module recently died (and it died so badly DIS and INPA and SSS can't communicate with it), the speedometer still works even though the trifecta lights arre on.

So it is most definitely the DSC module... I was wondering if it might be the steering angle sensor or maybe the speed sensor cables.

What codes come up with diagnostics?

I haven't gotten the code read yet. I haven't bought the code reader yet.