ABS fault, DSC not availaable

[Davidqhog]

Morning All,

Drving around last week doing the shopping, so some stop start. Pulled away from one supermarket and ABS fault came up followed by DSC not available.

Carried on driving, didn't go away after a couple more stop/starts. At home, checked codes, nothing to do with ABS or DSC. But as the engine was running, the temp guage dropped to zero and the red light came on. Codes said coolant signal failure.

Took the battery out and charged it with the CTEK which took 24 hours but showed all good at the end. Put it back in, temperature good but ABS/DSC still showing. Drove it 20 miles, no change.

Battery is just over 2 years old, Varta Silver, normally pretty reliable. The car doesn't do huge miles now I'm retired, just about 25 miles a week and that's just in one day.

ANy thoughts?

TIA,

DQ

[Thixendale]

Hi,

I would suggest that it could still be the battery or potentially a failing wheel sensor.

Might be a silly question but did you clear all the codes?

Cheers
Tony

[Davidqhog]

Hi Tony,

Not a silly question! I did clear them but ABS/DSC still present as soon as the ignition went on.

Agree, could still be the battery - hoping it's that rather than something even more expensive!

Regards,

DQ

[Thixendale]

If it helps put your mind (or wallet) at ease, new wheel sensors aren't that expensive
I got one for under £30 and fitted it myself. It's an easy job.

This solved my issue but I was also getting gearbox faults and the wheel sensor was throwing an error code.

Keep us informed of progress and good luck

Tony

[ptjs1]

DQ,

What is the voltage measured at the battery, immediately before turning on the ignition? And then what is the voltage measured at the battery whilst the engine is running?

You have to know that you've got both a fully-charged battery, and also that the charging circuit is working.

Good luck

Paul

[Davidqhog]

Paul,

I don't have a voltmeter. Sounds like a good excuse to buy one!

Regards,

DQ

[Thixendale]

I can recommend the Topdon battery tester.

Tony

[PaulGover]

FWIW, beware of the distinction between battery testers and voltmeters (or more commonly, digital multimeters). A battery tester is designed to draw a big current for a short while while monitoring the battery voltage. (The current means they get hot, so you can only use them for a short time.) A digital multimeter is much cheaper, but can't draw enough current to tell you about the battery's performance under load. However, they're generally more useful, and about half the price.

The advantage of the battery tester is an objective test to say "this battery is dying, which is why my car won't start" instead of "my car won't start, perhaps it's the battery". Another way to get the same test is to visit Halfords or a garage and ask them to use their tester. In my experience they're happy to do so on the chance they might sell you a new battery,

In this particular case, the way to test the system is to use the meter to show the battery voltage while the engine is running, as pts1 explained. If it's less than 12.8V, the charging system isn't working, and you could see all sorts of issues if the various ECUs don't get enough volts to operate correctly.

[Davidqhog]

Thanks to Tony, Paul & Paul for the excellent input.

Multimetre on its way, hopefully arriving tomorrow, so will test the voltage. I'll take the advice and toddle off to the local garage and see if they can put their battery tester on it too.

Many thanks and will add more when I know more.

DQ

[Davidqhog]

Tested the battery with engine off - 12.3 V

With engine running - 14.3V

Haven't had time to get it to the local garage for a battery test.

Today, driving home (25 mile roundtrip), got Air Suspension Fault as well as ABS Fault and DSC Not Available.

Begiining to suspect earth points as the suspension is fine. I've read about earth points behind one of the headlights but also think I saw a mention of earth points at the rear too. Anyone know where they might be?

TIA,

David Q