ABS, VDC and SLIP light coming on randomly

W

WietseFX35

Member
Location
Netherlands
Car
2009 FX50S AWD
He guys,

Been a long while since the last time i was here, although i do some reading here every now and then.
I keep having problems with my '03 FX35 ABS,VDC and SLIP lights keep coming on every now and then.
Did the usual search on the web but cant really find some info with the same symptoms as i experience.

Thing is, the lights sometimes come on when i fire up the car, and they will stay on as long as i am driving.
Once i shut down the engine and fire it up later again the lights will light up again but after driving a few meters they will go off. (doing selftest i guess)
The time between shut down and start up again can be 5 minutes or 5 hours, the will go off after a little drive.

With the lights on and engine running the diagnostics says there are no fault codes. (i am wondering if this diagnostics do have access to the ABS unit and is able to retrieve any codes from there.)

I can only come with a few things that might cause this:

-Battery voltage (maybe during starting the battery voltage drops too low which can cause the ABS system to shut down, but my car battery is new...
-Wheel sensor faulty (if this is the case the diagnostics should give me a fault code for the specific wheel sensor causing the fault)

Other than this i run out of options, the hydraulic oil gets flushed/bleeded on a yearly base and the oil level is good.
There are no leaks etc in the system, and in winter time i always test the ABS,VDC system in the snow and always works (exept when the lights are on ofcourse)
The diagnostic software i use is NDSII 1.3 (Nissan Diagnostic software) and like i said, it never indicates a fault code when the lights are on.

So i would like to ask you guys for a idea or experience with the same issue.

Thx for reading!
 
The car cant be turned on when using a scan tool only on the on position and you will need an ABS scan tool to get the proper codes. I had the same problem and had to change both my front hub bearings on my FX.


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Thx for the reply.
Not so long ago i also changed out one of the front wheel hub with bearing, was some play and became noisy.
I was hoping at the time that it would solve this problem also but it didn't.
The other bearing is still in good shape, no play and or noises etc.

What software would make it possible to read out all fault codes? The one i have now is a free version and i am able to see quite a lot of info but far from all.
 
Not sure about software but I have an obd scan tool that reads engine and abs trouble codes you can find them on line,


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WietseFX35, all free versions of PC based scan tools have the ability only to clear the "service engine soon" MIL, I do not imagine that a free version would give an access to manufacturer specific systems / sensors. So you should assume that you are not seeing the trouble codes rather than there are no trouble codes. The VDC-OFF, SLIP and ABS will not light without an issue in the system and an associated trouble code.

Most of these PC based scan tools are simply incapable even when a license is bought, there are just certain things that you would expect but you won't get, I have once decided to invest in one, and made a long and extensive research over the Internet, the best PC based scan tool for the money was by far autoenginiuty, I bought one and I am extremely satisfied.

I can help you on this but I need trouble codes it will just make it much easier. Otherwise you will go into dozens of possibilities wasting time and possibly money.




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Thanks for clearing that up.
Now i feel stupid i just purchased a licence for VSDC for my VW Golf.
This autoenginiuty could have done both probably....quite pricey though but as far as i can see i can understand your satisfaction about this scan tool.

Think i'll give it a go and let my local garage check the car with his professional scan tool.

But am i right in saying that when there is a bad wheel sensor that all the lights will come on?
I assume that the slip and the differential also use these wheel sensors for their functioning.
 
Check your brake fluid, happened to me for weeks but could not figure out exactly what was wrong. Topped up my brake fluid and it went right away, I'm guessing when driving the meter could go up and down (lights going on and off at random times). Ever since then I never got the lights again
 
WietseFX35 said:
Thanks for clearing that up.
Now i feel stupid i just purchased a licence for VSDC for my VW Golf.
This autoenginiuty could have done both probably....quite pricey though but as far as i can see i can understand your satisfaction about this scan tool.

Think i'll give it a go and let my local garage check the car with his professional scan tool.

But am i right in saying that when there is a bad wheel sensor that all the lights will come on?
I assume that the slip and the differential also use these wheel sensors for their functioning.
Click to expand...


Correct, any of the below trouble codes which are associated with wheel sensor malfunction will trigger ABS/VDC-Off/SLIP warning lights as follows:

From C1101 to C1104: wheel sensor open or short circuit
From C1105 to C1108: wheel sensor can not read because of large gap between sensor and rotor

Be aware that TCS and EBD will also be disabled (they are part of the VDC anyway), because all of them need data from wheel sensors to operate.

Yes I am happy about autoengiouty, the only thing that tool was unable to do so far was resetting of the TMPS, on their support site they claim that my car model (2004 FX45) does not support this communication function, while QX57 same year does.

For the price, you could select only NISSAN license it will come cheaper, but think of the savings you will make if you are a DIY'er, I never went to NISSAN dealer after I bought the tool unless to buy spares.


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Thx for your help guys.
Next week i will go to the local garage and ask if they can do a scan on fault codes and see what they come up with.
Good to know that the codes for the sensors also indicate a failure or just a clearance issue. (might save you buying a new sensor while it just needs some adjustment)
I will keep the software in mind, if i have some spares to invest in the car i might buy it as well. ( i must say my local garage does not charge me much for a scan with their tool, to me just curious if they are able to find all fault codes)

And the Nissan dealer i went just once, decided they are doing a major rip-off on pricing for spare parts.
Although i live in the Netherlands it cheaper for me to buy spares from the states incl. shipping and import tax.

Thx again and i will post here if they found something

Edit: Just a question about that scan tool. You need to buy the scan tool itself and a separate software package for the car brand you want to use it on? So $250 for the hardware and another $150 for Nissan/Infiniti software?
 
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Just another question, no need to make another tread for this i guess.

The brakes:

After i bought the car i noticed the front discs where bend as i got a shaking steering wheel during braking.
I got the discs machined so they where straight again and installed them with new OEM brake pads.
After 6 months the shaking wheel story started again, and i bought a full set of discs and pads from EBC.
OEM style rotors from EBC and Greenstuff SUV 4x4 pads...as they are for SUV's i was expecting this can't go wrong......
I was wrong, again there is some wheel shake already, nothing bad yet but it indicates that the same thing is going to happen again.
I ordered a set of Ferodo DS2500 race pads for the front rotors and the idea is to get the rotors machined (anyway still new and plenty meat) and install them with the Ferodo pads.
When this also fails, my next move would be a BBK, or aftermarket or a upgrade from a FX50 is also a possibility when there will be a retro fit kit available.

Any others have any good suggestions here for some decent braking.
I understand that the brake system of the FX is not for European roads with it's small rotors so maybe a BBK is inevitable?
 
Man!!! I had the exact same problem, original front rotor set that came with the car was already wrapped, then a brand new OEM rotor set followed by brand new EBC rotor set were wrapped nearly couple of thousand miles after installation afterwards, I turned every goddam stone (you do not want to hear what I did), only to find out after all that my front left brake steel line was bent, and hence flow area is highly restricted, it was easy to push brake fluid through when braking because the master cylinder piston is larger than the caliper's, but the caliper finds it very hard to push its piston back when foot off the pedal, so the pads keep in friction with the rotors causing them to continuously overheat and eventually get wrapped, and back to shaking when braking again.

It was only the front left rotor that gets wrapped and cause the shaking every time.

After brake steel line change, I installed a new OEM rotor set and pads, it has been now more than 8,000 miles without a problem.

Here is the full story : ///18018


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---------- Post added at 12:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:58 PM ----------

When you read the story, start from the end.


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Thx for that.
I will check all brake lines to make sure that they are ok.
Up till now i was convinced that it has to do with the rotors and pads getting too hot during city use and get warped.
That is why i changed to the Ferodo pads as they should absorb the heat insted of the rotor, but i can only try this.
Maybe i have overseen the real issue here, keep you posted.
 
I recommend not to throw any new rotors or pads on it till you confirm that you do not have an overheating problem. It's not normal to have wrapped rotors unless if you have a heavy and abusing foot on gas and brakes.

Accumulated dirt and dust on lines can conceal damage, so take a clean rag, inch by inch wipe clean and inspect each brake line from the ABS actuator unit all the way to the connection to the flex hose, and then keep going till you reach the caliper.


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I've never seen any "hotspots" on the rotors or the callipers or pads, then again i never really looked out for it either.
After the weekend i will be home again and check the brake lines as you mentioned.

But i must admit that the brake usage is quite high during city driving etc. but i always remember myself to put the tranny in Neutral and release the brake pedal when standing still when waiting for traffic lights etc.
 
To be honest I can not identify a wrapped rotor when I see one - I never paid o much attention, my old rotors (wrapped left and good right) still in my possession and they all just look a like.

City driving is normal driving conditions, if you drive this way most of the time then you shouldn't even need to replace brake pads that often :).


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When a rotor is wrapped you can not see it.
You need to measure it or put it in a laith and you will be able to see it if you put the cutting tool against the face.
It's not much, 0.5 millimetre is enough to make your steering wheel shake like hell when you hit the brakes.
 
I thought so, something that is too small that needs to be re-surfaced.

By the way, if you read my other post, it was the orange paint that I put on the calipers and pads that was burnt and showed the hot spot, otherwise I would not have known, so you won't see any hot spots on the caliper or pads as they are.


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My Calipers are painted black, not a real good color to see hotspots hehe.
Tomorrow i will come home again and i will have a good look on them.
Monday i need to bring my VW Golf to the garage for a yearly MOT and i will ask the mechanic if he can do a check on the FX to find some fault codes.
Does the system store all fault codes, even when the abs, VDC etc lights are off?
Or do i need to f*ck around to get the lights on and then search for fault codes?
 
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