VAG-COM fault 01276 - ABS unit repair in 10 easy steps.
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Suffering from this fault code? ABS light keeps coming on? If this sounds familiar - read on.
I'm on my second Mk3 8v, and will attempt any repair before giving money to a 'stealership'.
In terms of 'repair effort' vs. 'money saved' this is a good one....
The other day I was presented with the permanent ABS light problem, and expecting to have to fork out for a sensor or two,
when I plugged the car into VAG-COM it came up with this error...
Address 03: ABS Brakes Labels: 3A0-907-379.LBL
Controller: 3A0 907 379 D
Component: ABS ITTAE 20 GI V00
Coding: 03704
Shop #: WSC 00000
VCID: 2B2984AFCA0B
1 Fault Found:
01276 - ABS Hydraulic Pump (V64)
16-00 - Signal Outside Specifications
When I looked at the pics of replacement units online I thought they looked familiar and realised its the same unit as my Volvo V70..
I know - I was surprised too. Well being the same unit they are prone to similar problems.. and thanks to a helpful write-up on a Volvo forum I repaired my Volvo ABS unit about 6 months ago with the following...
A torx E5 socket
small mirror
stanley knife
tweezers from the bathroom cabinet
screwdriver and pliers
a soldering iron
some sikaflex 221
The ABS light on the Volvo has never returned, so I thought I'd attempt this on the Golf. The problem with the units is that one or two of the solder joints break after a while
(in my case about 13 years of use). The breaks are difficult to see, but a quick dab with a soldering iron on the right joints is all that is needed.
So if you are reasonably competent with a soldering iron and fancy giving this a go, here's what you need to do.
1. Disconnect the battery...(this will clear your fault code anyway)
2. Take the broken ABS unit off. To do this you'll need a torx E5 socket (quite small, 1/4 inch drive). You will need to disconnect the
connection plugs (x2) and three of the brake pipes before the ABS module can be lowered downwards. There are 4 bolts about 50mm long to remove.
Small mirror quite handy here..
3. This is the only difficult part, prising off the lid of the unit. Firstly there are 4 circular clips, I removed mine with an engineer's scriber, or small screwdriver will do. Then carefully with pliers and / or screwdriver pick off the side flange of the lid. It is glued for a good seal with Sikaflex 221 and takes a while to do this... patience is the key.
4. Eventually it will prise off and you are left with the view in the photo. There may be a silicone seal across the printed circuit board (PCB) in which case you will need to remove this before soldering. Take a stanley knife and a small pair of your missus' tweezers and lift off enough of the silicone around the joints to be soldered. Take care not to damage the PCB with the knife.
5. Before soldering the PCB itself practice on a board from an old radio or something, this will help you get a steady hand..
6. The joints you need to re-solder are circled in the attached photo.
7. Finally seal the lid back down with Sikaflex 221 (silicone sealant will probably do).
8. Leave overnight for the sealant to dry.
9. Fit the unit back on and re-bleed the brakes if you lost too much fluid. I didn't need to bleed mine however.
10. Reconnect battery and drive off with no more annoying ABS light.
I hope this helps some of you out there as much as it has helped me. I think I've saved about £1500 on my two cars with this repair - costing no more than about £15. By the way - attempt this at your own risk - I take no responsibility for any damage caused by the above!!
Cheers
Chris
