abs warning light on

[stypemike2245]

hi all. i recently got my 350 out of the garage where it's been since the beginning of the year. I've started it up every three weeks or so and reversed it out of the garage let it get to temperature and switch off. I check all the electrical accessories and everything worked. on the last occasion the ABS light and the DSC warning came on.
The thing I'm puzzled about is is ABS fitted to the front wheels. I've cleaned the sensors on the rear but can't see any sensors on the front. any reply's would be appreciated. my car is a 2005 4.2 x350 sovereign.

[Thixendale]

Hi.
The very first thing to check is the battery. Something I have picked up on in these forums is that the battery is everything. Make sure that is in top condition - it may not be after little use. I have an X-type in addition to my X350, and I had similar warnings on that when the battery was under par.

Tony

[J44EAG]

I agree with Tony. The first thing to check is that battery terminal voltage is at least 12.8v. This is a fully charged battery state and one that you should expect to see at all times. 12.4v is a battery in a half discharged state and at 12.0v, the battery is fully discharged. Batteries do not last for ever. A voltage drop test with a suitable tester will reveal the true condition of the battery. Once a battery has been used for five years or so, its reliability often plummets. ASB and DSC warnings after a cold start are often an early indicator that the battery is living on borrowed time.

The front wheel ABS sensor unit is part of the front wheel bearing cartridge construction. The sensor itself is in fact a black cable which plugs into the wheel bearing unit. These are reliable and usually last the life of the wheel bearing cartridge which in all cases I`ve seen will last for about 70k miles before the cartridge starts to show the first signs of wear. With brake calipers and discs removed, spinning the wheel bearing hub should be smooth and quiet. If it has a rough, loose or noisy feel, then it is probably due for replacement. Replacement OE or after market cartridges are easily found via official Jaguar Main Dealers, parts suppliers or on the internet for a wide range of prices. When a cartridge gets replaced, a new item will usually be supplied with a new sensor lead. Manufacturers for some reason all put different sockets on their cartridge products and few will accept a genuine Jaguar OE sensor plug. So if you ever have to change cartridges, check to see if the new part also comes with a new sensor lead.

If your car is diagnosed with front ABS sensor issues, check to see that the lead has not been cut or squashed if someone has been doing suspension or brake work on the car. The sensor leads are easily damaged so that is something to look for if there is clearly an ABS issue.

Mike

[iRS]

I had the ABS light come on a few weeks ago. I thought at the time it was going to be a drama to trace and fix. As it turns out it was one of the easiest fixes I've done on the car. The icarsoft pinpointed the wheel - the rear, driver’s side. As luck would have it I had a couple of sensors on some suspension parts I'd previously bought off someone. So, I used one of them and the problem was fixed.

[stypemike2245]

Thanks for the replies guys. the battery is 18mths old and I've only done about 600 miles in it. I'll put my ctek charger on it to hopefully bring it to full. I have a volt meter so how do I check the battery voltage. it a fluke model. the cars done 109k and I've had the left rear upper wishbone replaced. is it correct to have the wheel alignment done and what should it entail. the car drives very comfortably. I'm hoping to use it a bit more over the next six months is there anything I should keep an eye on. and by the way the headlining is coming off as well.
mike

[stypemike2245]

hi all. just an update. put the battery on charge after checking the voltage it was at 11.8v. charged it to 14.4v ABS light still on. I can't take it for a drive until Monday, that's when tax and insurance starts. can I expect the abs light to go off?. is it safe to drive?.
regards mike

[J44EAG]

I see not reason that the car will not be safe to drive. Just don`t brake hard in the wet!

I suggest you do a hard dump to clear the ECU memory. Simply disconnect the +Ve battery lead for 20 mins. Then reconnect. Hopefully the light will have cleared. Ensure you have the radio code for the car before you try a clearance. Expect to have to reset the clock.

Mike

[3.8etypephil]

I see not reason that the car will not be safe to drive. Just don`t brake hard in the wet!

I suggest you do a hard dump to clear the ECU memory. Simply disconnect the +Ve battery lead for 20 mins. Then reconnect. Hopefully the light will have cleared. Ensure you have the radio code for the car before you try a clearance. Expect to have to reset the clock.

Mike

It is potentially dangerous to disconnect the postive without first disconnecting the negative, which is all that is required to reset the modules and control units.

[PaulGover]

...
It is potentially dangerous to disconnect the positive without first disconnecting the negative
...

Disconnecting one lead or t'other first makes no difference. It's a single circuit from the chassis through the negative lead, the battery, and then back out through the positive. The electrons won't know which terminal's been disconnected.

The recommendation that does make a difference is when attaching jump leads or high current chargers, which should always be connected positive first. That's because if you do negative first, you've connected directly to the chassis, so if you then brush the positive jump lead against the body, you're in danger of an inadvertent welding job! If you do it the other way round, and brush the negative against the chassis, you're simple completing the circuit through the battery exactly as you were going to have done anyway, and the current will be limited by the battery.

[stypemike2245]

Thanks for all the info guys.
So first drive out in car this evening after 6mths. I disconnected the battery for half an hour as suggested and checked its voltage, 13.8. So back on charge for a few hours and got it back up 14.4. Then took it out. still showing ABS light and now engine management light. It drove as good as I can remember. Temp got up to normal and stayed there and no strange noises. So thinking of getting a icarsoft II scanner. as far as I can see this should through up the faults. Any advise on this would be appreciated.
regards mike.

[3.8etypephil]

...
It is potentially dangerous to disconnect the positive without first disconnecting the negative
...

Disconnecting one lead or t'other first makes no difference. It's a single circuit from the chassis through the negative lead, the battery, and then back out through the positive. The electrons won't know which terminal's been disconnected.

The recommendation that does make a difference is when attaching jump leads or high current chargers, which should always be connected positive first. That's because if you do negative first, you've connected directly to the chassis, so if you then brush the positive jump lead against the body, you're in danger of an inadvertent welding job! If you do it the other way round, and brush the negative against the chassis, you're simple completing the circuit through the battery exactly as you were going to have done anyway, and the current will be limited by the battery.

The reason that it is potentially dangerous to disconnect the positive first is that there is a danger of the spanner on the clamp also touching the body, resulting in sparks at the very least, damaged components, or injury from the spanner being launched at your head.

Thanks for all the info guys.
So first drive out in car this evening after 6mths. I disconnected the battery for half an hour as suggested and checked its voltage, 13.8. So back on charge for a few hours and got it back up 14.4. Then took it out. still showing ABS light and now engine management light. It drove as good as I can remember. Temp got up to normal and stayed there and no strange noises. So thinking of getting a icarsoft II scanner. as far as I can see this should through up the faults. Any advise on this would be appreciated.
regards mike.

It is not uncommon for a faulty reluctor ring, abs sensor, or other fault to also generate EML illumination. I have no idea why, but when the underlying fault is rectified, the EML will self extinguish.

[stypemike2245]

Hi all.
A quick update on my ABS fault. Yesterday I took the car to my local independent jaguar garage where he plugged in scanner. He was using a snap on device which no doubt cost a fortune as well as monthly subscriptions to keep it up to date. Anyway the diagnosis was that the rear drivers side wheel speed sensor wasn’t working and possibly a worn or distorted reluctor ring, So parts on order and waiting for a call to get it fitted.
Mike

[J44EAG]

Corrosion often builds between the external reluctor ring and the drive shaft universal joint. The corrosion exerts pressure between the two parts and can break the ring...its like a square toothed, castellated ring and from memory, is made from cast iron. In addition, corrosion can build up on the castellations and cause the sensor to get spurious readings. Whilst I`ve found replacement rings for the X-type, I`ve not yet found them for S-type, X350 or XF models. This is a big problem for us as the only way around a broken ring is to completely replace the drive shaft from the diff to the hub carrier bearing unit. Costs are not insignificant but there may be some half decent after market shafts available as an alternative to buying the hugely priced Jaguar OE components.

Lets hope all you need is a clean up of the rings.

Mike K

[3.8etypephil]

Reluctor rings for X350/358 are generally available from:

https://www.buycarparts.co.uk/jaguar/xj ... 5/abs-ring

Unfortunately out of stock at the moment.

[J44EAG]

Exactly what I found, Phil.....and that goes back at least three years. The situation wouldn`t appear to have changed. Hence my comments above.

If anyone has managed to find a source for these rings, perhaps they could post it here. It would be most useful to many owners.

Mike