2005 S-Type 3.0, 93,000 miles, new appropriate NAPA vented battery installed in April 2015....


Headed out this morning to gas up and air up the tires. As I pulled out of the driveway, I heard what I thought was a slight "clunk" at the rear of the vehicle. A second or two later, the "Check Engine" yellow icon lit up, the DSC and ABS yellow icons lit up, the tachometer message center began alternating between "ABS Fault" and "DSC Not Available", and the speedometer message center began displaying "Cruise Not Available"....

In a case like this my first suspicion would always be the battery. But my battery is barely 8 months old, and I did hear that slight "clunk" before the dash lit up....

With my wife's 2006 XK8, the displayed messages of "Check Rear Lights" and "Cruise Not Available" almost always points to a failing brake pedal switch, and a new switch did indeed fix that issue back in September 2012 on that car....

I'll go get the codes read when I have some time later today and I'll do my share of research here on the forum over the weekend, but I'm open to any suggestions from you S-Type owners who may have already been through this....

Thanks in advance for any input....

 

Go for a short drive then shut off the engine. Restart and see if the messages reappear.

 

Yep, I tried that initially. No change in status....

 

How often has the car been used? I would be tempted to charge the battery first and then see if it reoccurs.

 

You may have a point. I've been driving our Subaru recently during the bad weather while my S-Type has sat mostly at home. I believe the last time I drove it before this morning was this past Monday afternoon. It certainly hasn't done the mileage during the past 30 days or so that it typically does. I'll put the battery on my next door neighbor's battery charger and see if that makes any difference. Stay tuned....

 

My neighbor's battery charger completed a full cycle of charging but unfortunately that had no effect on all the warning lights on my dash. Cranked up the engine after removing the charger and my dash is still lit up like a Christmas tree....

As I said earlier, I'll go get the OBDII codes read at my convenience (but not now since it's raining). Any additional suggestions are welcome....

 

When you get chance check the ABS sensors at the back, you may have a problem in that area which is causing your symptoms.

 

Thanks for your feedback. Where are the ABS sensors located? I assume they bolt into the rear wheel assembly somewhere. I'm familiar with wheel speed sensors but not ABS sensors....

 

Sorry Jon, meant the wheel speed sensors and reluctor rings. But while you are there the ABS sensors are there too.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I clean the wheel speed sensors on my wife's XK8 at every oil & filter change because they are such a known problem. I've never even unbolted the wheel speed sensors off my S-Type because I rarely read about them causing issues. I'll pull them and clean them with dish soap and a toothbrush like I do on my wife's XK8. I assume all four wheels have them, not just the rears?

I believe I remember reading about reluctor rings in the XK8 forum. If I'm not mistaken, they are the gear-shaped component that the wheel speed sensors continually read while transmitting their data. Do the reluctor rings wear out or break down? How do you get to them if they need to be replaced?

I probably won't get to this job for a few days due to the rain. That gives me time to do a bit more research, though....

Thanks for your kind assistance. I don't know how good JTIS happens to be on this subject but I'll see what I can find on it later on tonight or tomorrow....

 

When I read your post, as soon as you mentioned the clunk, my first thought was your battery worked loose from the clamp. I had this thought even before your next sentence where you mentioned all the new faults, which are the classic symptoms of a battery problem.

I just installed a new NAPA battery a few days ago, and it took several attempts to get the clamp on there securely. I think the base of the NAPA battery is just a hair narrower than stock.

Now you should rightly ask how a loose battery could cause an electrical fault. The cables are very short, with barely any room to flex. If the battery moved, it could have tugged on the cable connections. I don't mean just the terminals on the battery posts. Check the other end of both cables, too. Pay attention to where the ground cable attaches to the body. That bolt extends into the wheel well, so moisture thrown up by the tires can wick into the threads and cause corrosion.

I fully realize this is a long shot, but it won't cost anything to check other than a few minutes of your time.

 

Yep, one of the first things I checked yesterday morning after I popped the trunk was how securely the battery is held in place. It is still clamped down tight (as I fully expected it would be since I installed it myself last April). I'll double-check it today just to rule out battery looseness as probable cause....

After doing quite a bit of research on my JTIS CD yesterday, I won't be surprised if my ABS module has failed. My primary reason for thinking this is because the yellow oval failure light is illuminated (along with the ABS yellow icon), and the tachometer message center now simply displays "ABS Fault"....

Last April when my Electric Park Brake system failed, the yellow oval failure light was illuminated and the tachometer message center displayed "Park Brake Fault". It took a month to get it properly diagnosed and repaired and it turned out to be the Park Brake module. So I suspect the ABS module this time....

My biggest challenge right now is that JTIS lists a total of 51 possible B, C, or U OBDII codes that I do not have the capability of reading. I need to find a source that can read the stored codes for me....

I've read about various forum members who have mailed their faulty ABS modules off for troubleshooting and repair to companies that specialize in this work. I believe the typical cost was around $75. One repair company name I recall is ASI and I believe it is located in Tennessee. If anyone reading this thread has been through this process, please chime in with your details here....

I need to figure out just exactly where the ABS module is installed on my car. JTIS shows a line drawing of the module's exterior but is not very specific as to location....

 

I think like mine it'll be bolted to the ABS pump etc and is likely in the engine bay. Look for all the brake lines, they all cluster together at the pump etc.

The reluctor rings are bands of slotted metal - peer in or at the centres of the wheels from inside, at the drive shafts.

Don't overtighten the battery clamp

If you're not using the car much maybe a ctek / etc would be worth having.

 

Good detective work.
You could use my reader but a little out of the way.


Wayne

 

Hey Wayne,

Do you have a code reader that can read the B, C, and U codes? If so, what is it? Maybe I can find one around here....

 

I think the main ones that can are expensive: professional like (non-clone J2534 tool with) IDS/SDD, Snap-On, etc, then iCarSoft, AutoEnginuity.

IDS etc just needs a cheap Mongoose (clone) but is quite a pain to use.

I had hoped ForScan would work (uses elm327) but a bit unclear if it works with any S-Type (which have quite different internal OBD networks over the model years). Safe enough to try it if you've an elm327 and fancy a try.

 

Update:

I drove to my local Advance Auto Parts and borrowed their rather basic code reader late this morning. It managed to pull one code: C1175. Drove home, pulled up JTIS on my computer, and learned that C1175 means "left rear wheel speed sensor (WSS) circuit failure". This could indicate a faulty speed sensor or damaged/corroded connectors and pins on the sensor. But it could also be due to a number of different circuit faults between the speed sensor and the ABS/DSC control module. It could also be due to a faulty ABS/DSC control module. JTIS goes on to describe a number of electrical circuit troubleshooting tests that I have neither the equipment nor the training to do....

So when the weather clears up (maybe tomorrow) I'll jack up the rear axle and pull the left rear wheel, remove the speed sensor, examine it closely, scrub it down using Reverend Sam's toothbrush-and-dish-soap routine, clean the electrical connectors with contact cleaner, examine the harness and clean it if necessary, then put everything back together and hope I get lucky. Even if this fixes the issue, I'm guessing I'll still have to clear the C1175 code somehow. Keep in mind that along with the ABS/DSC warning lights and error messages being illuminated, the MIL is also illuminated. So I don't think those lights will magically turn off by themselves if a freshly-cleaned speed sensor is indeed the fix....

Additional input and suggestions are always welcome....

 

Jon, Mine is a Advance Actron 9580, I think. Reads lots of stuff and I am no expert with it, but am learning. I'm headed that way in a bit and will read up on it.
Autoenginuity is one thing I hope it reads, but I doubt it.
I need to get everything tied up from putting in the Realgauge Temp and Oil. I just went to get a packet of bulbs for the dash. Thought I might as well replace all 8 while in there.


Wayne

 

That slight clunk could have been a small pebble getting
wedged between the abs sensor and the reluctor ring.

That would lead to damage and the rest of the DSC, ABS,
christmas tree effect because the signal is now absent.

Snapping a tooth off the reluctor ring will do the same
thing.

On the other models, a ABS fault clears after three?
cold start sessions where vehicle speed exceeds 5mph.

 

Wayne thinks that slight clunk I heard could have been the rear brake system doing a quick move when the circuit failed as I pulled out of the driveway. Your hypothesis makes sense as well. I'll take a good look at the general area when I pull the left rear wheel once our weather clears up. Maybe tomorrow, maybe Monday. In the meantime the car can sit and wait for me....

How do you remove the reluctor rings? I have searched JTIS and have seen nothing even mentioning them....