No ABS, No DSC, No Traction Control, No Speedometer
 

Hello. Today was the first snow of the season here in Colorado, and y check engine light has been on for a while. I had a previous thread on here about a non working speedometer, but the issues associated with that, have been added to a ton of new issues. While driving on the icy roads this morning, I found out that in addition to no cruise control, and no speedometer, my car has no traction control, no hill decent, and no ABS. I am starting to think that all of these problems are related. What are the symptoms of a failed ABS unit? The only light that I have on, on my dashboard, is a service engine soon, light. The code reads for a faulty speed sensor.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am ready to just take this into a dealership and pay them to fix all of it, but I would like to check on here, before I pay so much to the dealership.

well, a dealership is not a panacea for all the problems...

obviously, if your code reads a speed sensor, natural inclination is to check in the area of the speed sensors... the sensors report to ABS module, and each one has its own task, and they work in concert with the main module...

depending on your level of handyman-ness (is that a real word??), you can try to test the sensors that you have...

you need a multimeter that can test diodes, then pull the wheels off the car and test the sensors while in place... you can start with the one that is pointed out...

another option, instead of pulling the wheels, pull the connector at the ABS module and test the leads from the sensors at the connector... since we don't know what you are driving, this suggestion is rather generic... if all of your tests are good, then the next thing is the ABS module itself... that module is responsible for the speedometer, odometer, hill decent, obviously the ABS brakes (regular brakes still work fine) and many other functions in the car...

keep us posted on your decisions and findings...

Where is the ABS module located? I am driving a 2001 e53 4.4. How can I know if I need a new ABS module? I am starting to think that it is the ABS module. I have no functioning anything in the car. DSC light will not illuminate when I press the button. When sliding laterally, there is no traction control or DSC. Cruise does not work, speedometer does not work, etc. I have no idea what could be causing all of these issues.

Thank you

the passenger rear speed sensor controls the speedometer if I remember correct.

you either are due for an ABS module rebuild or a new sensor in my opinion

a new ABS module will cost you several hundred bucks from a dealer and will need to be coded to the car (with 2 year warranty). a used ABS module will cost you couple hundred bucks and still needs to be coded to your car. a repair of your ABS module will cost you $100 with lifetime warranty.

before deeming your module bad, test the speed sensors... the module is located in the engine bay, behind left headlight, under the oil filter housing, below the power steering tank. the module is secured with 6 torx screws and is a b1tch to get out - you will need to pull the left headlight to ease the access...
you probably have a Bosch 5.7 module - do a search on google, ebay... you will find a lot of info on that particular module and you will find a pinout on the bimmerfest (here, on the xoutpost as well) along with test instructions...

before deeming module bad, test the speed sensors... if a sensor is bad, replace only with OE or OEM sensor, not chinese crap

Thank you very much. I will test sensors before I replace or rebuild my module. Also, I forgot to mention that my Odometer and my trip counter also does not work.

Thank you for the help.

How old is the battery? Have you have monitored the alternator output for min/max charging and for voltage spikes?

I was following the other thread but don't remember. I think it would be better to work from that one, but certainly your call.

I'm not sure exactly how many years old the battery is, but I've never had any issues with it. While driving I have 13.5 to 14 volts. While idling, I have about 12.5 to 13v. Both seem very normal to me. What's odd, is that wheel ABS, DSC, and speedo don't work, there aren't any yellow lights on the dashboard.

You should have 13.5-14 volts at all times, not just while driving. 12.5 at idle seems a little low.

To verify the battery is good you should get it load tested. Most good auto parts stores will do the test free. Sounds like you have unlocked the cluster-- have you seen any alternator spikes 14v or more? Suggest you make sure the battery and alternator are working properly. If they are not working properly many combinations of bogus warnings or malfunctions can result.