I have an intermittent fault on my 2001 LS V8. Message reads Check Traction Control and abs/traction/brake lights come. It also shuts down the power steering. Auto parts store read code and said front and left wheel sensors missing. Took it into shop to replace wheel sensors. They road tested and it was reading 25 mph faster than it was going. They think it is a control issue and they are not set up to deal with that. He said he can't believe that all 4 sensors are bad. Any ideas?
ABS/Traction Control Fault
- Thread starter Scottman
- Start date
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Well, it can't shut down the power steering. The steering boost is electronically controlled (by the FEM) based on vehicle speed. I assume you meant that it went to minimum boost, which would mean that it thought you were going faster than you were.
ABS modules do go bad, but that is pretty rare. A little more common is for the bundle of wiring running at the front, right of the car to get corroded. Note that this is exactly where the ABS module is, so most of its wiring goes through that bundle. I think that you have to untape the bundle and cut into some of the wires to see the corrosion. Apparently the insulation is usually still intact.
ABS modules do go bad, but that is pretty rare. A little more common is for the bundle of wiring running at the front, right of the car to get corroded. Note that this is exactly where the ABS module is, so most of its wiring goes through that bundle. I think that you have to untape the bundle and cut into some of the wires to see the corrosion. Apparently the insulation is usually still intact.
AmsterDutch
Dedicated LVC Member
The shop should have a scanner that will let them know if the battery voltage is faulty when dealing with the wheel sensors if they’re limited to this technology I would advise you to find a shop that has worked on the Lincoln LS and knows how to diagnose this issue properly
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
If it's what I am thinking it is, it wouldn't show up on a "scanner." It requires some trouble shooting with a multi-meter and probably an oscilloscope. "Battery voltage is faulty" doesn't really make much sense dealing with wheel speed sensors. The sensors themselves generate an AC voltage as the wheel turns. The actual voltage is not nearly as important as the frequency.
Another clue, over the last week or so when the error comes on the odometer blanks out and the speedo stays at zero. Left work tonight and all was well, a few miles down the road the check traction control fault came on, a couple of miles later the odo and speedo stopped working. Turned off and restarted, traction control fault came on immediately but the odo and speedo worked fine the rest of the way home?
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Do you have traction control (spinning tire symbol) or AdvanceTrac (swerving car symbol)?
AdvanceTrac needs all four wheel sensors to work, the speedometer only needs two. (Note that the ABS module tells the rest of the car how fast it is going.)
AdvanceTrac needs all four wheel sensors to work, the speedometer only needs two. (Note that the ABS module tells the rest of the car how fast it is going.)
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
That makes it more likely that it is a rear wheel sensor that is the bigger problem.
I had similar issues with my LS years ago. The gauge cluster would spaz out like that from time to time. Turned out to be some frayed wiring on the engine harness.
Another clue? Around the same time the traction control issue happened the trunk remote AND interior switch for the trunk started acting up. I also noticed that the interior light does not always come on when the door is opened. Both of these are intermittent issues. Could this all be related? Drove home from work today and traction control fault came on several miles down the road but no issue with odo and cruise works fine during the fault, although I haven't checked it when the odo stops but that has only happened a couple of times.
Okay, is the module the likely problem given all the symptoms? Of course the key was not in the ignition for the trunk and interior light issue. Is there a way I can test the module? I have a multi meter.
AmsterDutch
Dedicated LVC Member
That sounds mighty suspect if the Decklid release solenoid and Interior lights are malfunctioning...if you have a decent scanner or Bluetooth adapter and OBII Scanner App it would pinpoint the exact wheel sensor frequency that is failing whether it be front left/right or Rear left/right
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Module, sensors, wiring. It's easy to do some pinpoint tests to narrow it down, but that's impossible for me to do over the internet. This will get expensive if you want to throw parts at it instead. A good scan tool is a must, but by no means will that alone get you an answer. You need to run the diagnostic flow chart and do tests with a multimeter (and maybe a scope) to figure it out.
jerrym3
Well-Known LVC Member
Deal me in.
My 04 LS ABS light went on today. No other symptoms yet. Car also has other problems.
My 04 LS ABS light went on today. No other symptoms yet. Car also has other problems.
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