sorry, posted it to the wrong forum at first...

First off, I want to thank the list for all the tips such as pairing new remotes, clearing climate control faults, etc.

I have had the car for three years, drove to LA and back, NO and back with no problems.

Then, the dreaded Traction Control Fail/Stability Fail...

I eliminated the wheel sensors, cables, etc. and then purchased a Torx socket and was about to follow the online instructions when...

I decided to heat up the pump pins from the outside.

Five minutes on each pin with a 30W pencil solder gun and voila--the fault was now intermittent.

Attempt 2: the tip of the gun is wedged between the two pins, after 9 minutes, smoke, at 10 minutes the pins start to move. Heat removed. Wait for joints to cool.

Fixed! RR tracks, speed bumps, and still no fault light

Of course the joint is not as good as taking the unit off, but it does diagnose the pump power pins as the culprit.

If a need arises in the future to solder it again from the board side, I would saw off a small portion of the rear lower corner of the case, solder it and then seal it back up with silicone.

Hope this helps...

Sabrina
MIT Physics
1999 XK8 86,000 miles

 

Thanks for the tip! Keep us posted as to how it holds up.

In general, extended applications of heat can cause melting and weakening of the plastic connector, and possible delamination of the pads on the circuit board. The strength on the new connection may also be limited by inadequate flux to clean the oxidation off of the joint or an inadequate quantity of solder at manufacturing time.

On the other hand it is a very clever approach and might just work well enough!

 

the cool thing about it is, if re-soldering fixes it for even a short period of time, you know it is not your pump or wheel sensors...

that saves you the hour it would take remove four wheels, remove and clean four sensors, and put everything back together or the $75 the dealer would charge to give you the codes...

as opposed to cutting a corner of the cover off as I suggested, has anyone tried to take the cover off with the brake lines in place? (remove the torx bolts, then peal off the cover with the unit in place--it looks like there may be enough clearance)

 

Removing the unit doesn't take very long. When I soldered the pins instead of cutting the box or a corner I drilled a .75 hole, not to hit the circuit board I used a drill press and set the stop. Then I was able to use a 3/4" black plastic plug. When I inserted the plug I used a small amount of silicone to seal the box back up. Haven't had a problem since.

 

Not quite that, but I did remove the ABS box without opening the brake lines. It's in the FAQs, I think, but if it doesn't turn up easily, give a yell and I'll dig up a copy.

MIT Physics, you say. Tell us about that.

 

RC:

I have never liked bleeding brakes, be it on my motorcycle, my airplane or our old 65 S 3.4 (the clutch was even harder to bleed.)

How long did it take you to diagnosis that it was the solder joints, remove the unit, repair it, replace it, and bleed your brakes? I imagine it would take me at least four hours.

What took me so long in this instance was the fact that the fault appeared after I changed a flat tire on the right rear. It was just a coincidence, but that coincidence sure pointed me in the wrong direction...

White:

Cool website... here was my attempt at a website back in the day... http://Sabrina.Aero

 

@Dennis

great department, we have Nobel Laureates not only as our professors but as recitation instructors as well... very cool, esp. since most of our professors know how to turn a wrench as well... best of both worlds... mind and hand...

PhysicsGirl

 

Well I'll be. I had a hunch.

Gents, we're talking world-class smarts here. The average IQ of the forum just jumped by 10 points or so.

I hope Sabrina will not mind my posting this link. (If so, Sabrina, I'll take it down.)

30 under 30: A Teenage Pilot and Aspiring Physicist: Scientific American

Welcome, dear Sabrina!

 

As written by Sabrina
I have AutoEnginuity's Scan Tool and it threw up the code. The whole job only took about two hours. really I never noticed much air getting into the system I did bleed them, by the book, but while I was at it I flushed the system. I devised a tool for the pedal hold down out of a couple of clamps and aluminum angle to hold the pedal down. I also have a Mighty Vac bleeding tool that makes the job easier and a one man operation.
Welcome to the forum we need more younger people.

 

Welcome Sabrina,
Nice to have another pilot on the forum.
Regards,
White Bear.