GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: lectrotek on 10 October 2015, 15:01
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So google tells me ABS on mk3's is a bleedin' nightmare. And yet into this nightmare I must go...
So car scraped thru MOT a year ago, but with the garage telling me the ABS needs sorting.They felt a bit of pity for me coz i'd spent a fortune with them previously so they turned a blind eye to the ABS.
Anyway, what's odd is that the ABS warning light to the right of steering wheel doesn't come on at all. Airbag does, and then goes off as normal but no ABS light. Anyone know why?
The handbrake light below the speedo is also on constantly.
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Hi, speaking from previous experience. The norm is that some people find it funny to damage the bulb in order to disguise that there is a bigger ABS fault! I found this on my MK3 GTI years ago. It also went through years of MOT's before I bought it without the bulb lighting at all, So when I bought the car, I delved a little deeper! But it just show's not all garages follow the procedure during an MOT?? Anyway, I found my bulb smashed to s**t! and the ABS pump to be the incorrect one and an ABS sensor not working! So after connecting vagcom found the 3 faults and replaced accordingly. So in your case, check the light its self or connect Vagcom if you have it. Hope that helps you :smiley:
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When you get an abs fault the abs light stays on.If you dont sort it in a certain amount of time the handbrake light comes on as well and stays on.
I had this on a 96 8v gti,it was just a wheel sensor.
Fault code reader would be a big help to you,under £20 on Ebay.
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Lovely. cheers guys
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Handbrake light on points to the pump/abs ecu having a fault.
If its just the ABS light then you have a sensor(s) out or showing intermittent fault.
If the ABS light does not come on and go off on start up then someone has fragged it to trick the MOT tester.
This is not a nightmare job at all.
Change all the wheel senors and make sure all the connectors/wiring is good, don't go down the "its only year or so old" route.
The after market ones are gash and leak moisture into the coil inside giving problems after one winter (i used to make them).
They are easy to fit, about 20 mins a corner.
Clear all your faults take it for a spin, see if the light comes back on.
ABS pump is next fix if above does not work.....
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Thanks Bush. Much appreciated.
Found these faults:
Wheel sensor left/front
Wheel sensor right/front
Wheel sensor right/rear
ABS pump.
Looks like the whole system is farked.
Gonna change the sensors first. These worth getting?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLKSWAGEN-GOLF-MK-III-2-0-GTI-16V-1992-TO-1997-ABS-WHEEL-SPEED-SENSOR-LEMARK-/391270195044?fits=Model%3AGolf%7CPlat_Gen%3AMK+III&hash=item5b19855f64
Gonna get a new pump too. I presume this is not as easy to fit?
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The pump is not hard to fit but you have to bleed the whole system afterwards,possibly more than once.
If you get a known good pump you can just about manage to hook it up to the plug on the car and test it before you fit it.The plug/lead already on car will just about reach.
After clearing the fault codes obviously.
Sounds to me like it may just be the pump itself but you should alos check condition of the plug on the pump as it could just be a poor connection.
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Fronts are different to rears, the rears also changed from about 96 on.
This company will be able to help make sure you get the right bits if you are not sure.
Forum discount too.
http://oemandmore.co.uk/
I used Eicher last time out and they all lasted more than a year before I cubed the GTI...
Start looking for a working ABS unit, don't get one unless it has a guarantee or you see it working/scan it for faults.
Fitting is easy but as said you will need to bleed it by using vagcom to activate the pump unit ensuring all air is removed from each brake caliper.
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What was the fault code that suggests it is the pump? 01276 Signal out of specification? With all those 'faults' you list I'd be suspecting the ABS controller. Unless you are unfortunate with all those faults. I've recently taken the ECU off the pump, opened it up and repaired the dry solder joints inside.
Swap the connectors over at the rear, under the rear seats and see if the fault with the rear sensor has swapped sides. This would point to the ECU rather than the sensor.
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thanks for the input chaps. very much appreciated.
I've got half term off (teacher-perks!) so i'm going to try and sort it out. To be honest i've got no idea how to sort the ABS controller/pump so I'm going to change all the wheel sensors first coz they look simple, and at least I can eliminate em (they must be shagged anyway)
Worth getting standard or more expensive sensors from GSF?
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It may be half term & you are off duty, but I hope the subject you teach isn't English! :whistle:
I wouldn't go too cheap with the sensors, the lower quality ones have really poor quality plastic bodies that just snap off, making them a lot harder to get out.
Great as GSF are... from my experience their unknown or non branded stuff does tend to be not that great
-I would stick to known brand.
The advice about swapping the rear sensors over to see if the fault follows the sensor is really good for diagnosing if the ABS ecu is broken.
Where the wheel sensors connect to the ECU the solder goes dry and cracks at the circuit board. it is possible to re-solder these terminals, but getting to them involves opening the case and this is a right pita to do without destroying it.
If the ECU is broken I would suggest sending it to BBA Remen, iirc they will fix it for £150 and it will come back to you with a lifetime warranty.
I don't think it has been mentioned that apart from people breaking the warning bulbs deliberately to hide the fault, the other thing bad owners do is just ignore the light and the bulb just burns out, the majority of Mk3 I find in scap yards the bulbs are burnt out.
lastly, the warning light will not re-set its self, the fault has to be cleared.
Good luck, I hope its just the sensors.
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These pumps don't like manky old brake fluid either and it can become contaminated with water. I've took a few of them apart and cleaned them out and they have worked fine. Don't really need vagcom to bleed the system either. As for sensors, I've used cheaper ones and they have worked fine but as already mentioned the're not as robust as oem parts and can fail prematurely. You can manually check the resistances of the sensors with a multimeter at the connectors or if it's an early Mk3 they can easily be checked via the abs ecu under the panel on the passenger footwell if you have the appropriate wiring diagram.
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These pumps don't like manky old brake fluid either and it can become contaminated with water. I've took a few of them apart and cleaned them out and they have worked fine. Don't really need vagcom to bleed the system either. As for sensors, I've used cheaper ones and they have worked fine but as already mentioned the're not as robust as oem parts and can fail prematurely. You can manually check the resistances of the sensors with a multimeter at the connectors or if it's an early Mk3 they can easily be checked via the abs ecu under the panel on the passenger footwell if you have the appropriate wiring diagram.
I get round using vag com by locking up on the gravel drive running the pump and then bleeding as normal.
you can get away with just normal bleeding but I have had it where I needed to run the pump via VC.
The plastic bodied sensors are all gash, dont think you can get the metal ones anymore.
Problem is when they are dry/cold they measure in normal limits then bum out in use giving you the pedal vibe and default brakes when you least expect it.
you can take a chance but I always change sensors in pairs minimum and write it on the inner wing with a china graph.
Best tip is to drill the hole out they go into and skim the scale out to fresh metal, about 0.6mm bigger is fine.
The sensor goes in with no force, the plastic does not waist and crack when it swells and you can change them easier next time :wink:
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Think i''ll be doing that. Cheers :grin:
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So the front sensors were sorted nice and easy.
rear ones, another matter. couldn't get the body of the sensor oiut of the hole for love nor money. most of the sensor is out but there's still some remainder left in the hole. going to have to admit defeat and book it in somewhere.
odd thing is...i wiped the 9 faults and re-scanned after replacing the front sensors and the fault count went down to 5, but of those 5, there were still two faults for the front sensors!
weird.
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I am afraid that is bad news - your ABS ecu is damaged, likely to be dry solder joints.
It is possible to remove the ecu from the pump without spilling brake fluid or letting air into the system, its only four tiny male torx head bolts on the underside of the ecu, some slight bending of brake pipes and it will slide off
Getting to the stuck part of the rear sensors is not that difficult - removing the caliper carriers, remove centre bearing dust cap, remove split pin & cage, undo nut and the disk just pulls off leaving the stub axle with the stuck sensor ready to be pulled with pliers or drifted through. The hardest part is adjusting the bearing properly for the correct amount of play.
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Yep, dry solder joints on the PCB inside. If you are confident, unbolt the ECU from the pump and open it up. It's a toughie to do because it's all sealed up. There is a good guide on Club GTI and this is what I have done. Otherwise it's looking for a good second replacement or sending it off to BBA Reman who would be able to repair it.
If you do look for a replacement one make a note of the ECU part number, it's printed on it and only replace with the same part number.