ABS Unavailable

[veletron]

Hi

 

Last weekend I was heading up towards Perth overtaking a lorry when said lorry pulled out to straddle the outside lane. This resulted in some heavy braking on my part, but all OK. The reason I mention this is that a half our later, the van went 'ping' and a message 'ABS Unavailable' together with the ABS warning light appeared. I do not know whether this might be related to previous heavy braking + I was in dirt/dust on the outside lane.

 

I pulled over, stopped and restarted engine. The message reappeared, and then cleared as I pulled away.

 

The following morning, when moving again, the dash started to go a bit mad with just the ignition on some half-arsed, incomplete 'pings', the speedo momentarily pulsing up from 0MPH to 5MPH, and some dash lights flickering in tune with the speedo. Van started fine, and ABS Unavailable message re-appeared with another 'ping'.

 

The whole thing smells like a grounding issue - my van has always had the (common, it seems) issue where some of the LED's on the dash glow dimly when not on (the fuel warning light, for instance). I am also aware of many issues experienced by owners that required the instrument cluster to be swapped out.

 

Its also poss, of course that this is the ABS pump, or the related wheel speed sensor (grit from the road from the heavy braking?). I am an engineer by trade, and prone to doing some fault finding before paying any money to someone else. I am hoping someone has some suggestions?

 

Also, does anyone know where the dash earth strap is located, or how to remove the instrument cluster?

 

Thanks

[colin]

Have you checked the pad thickness?

[Keithl]

Hi Veletron,

 

First off what is the base vehicle of your MH and its age?

 

Next, do you have a scanner to check for codes? There should be codes stored to go along with the illuminated warning light.

 

Keith.

[veletron]

Hi

 

Yes, the model would have helped wouldn't it!!!

 

2015 Fiat Ducato X290 130MJ (New shape headlights)

 

Pads were changed recently (April), and this should activate a different light. Only have a Phone App to Scan using bluetooth adaptor (Torque on Android) and it does not spit out any codes!

 

Prob need to shell out for Multiecuscan

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Veletron

 

Your motorhome is a 2015 Campereve Magellan 643 based on a Ducato X290.

 

Removing the instrument-cluster should be a simple 5-minute task and the procedure is described (with photos) here

 

https://www.lockwoodinternational.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/instructions/Fiat/C120_C1179_C1181_etc_8329-8332_Fiat_Ducato_etc.pdf

 

As you are aware many earlier X290s had problems relating to the instrument-cluster (dimly glowing warning lights etc.) and Fiat Professional agents would replace the cluster free of charge when this fault showed up. Whether they would still do this in 2019 for your vehicle is anybody’s guess, but it would be worth you checking as a brand-new panel is far from cheap (£800?) and a panel showing faults is most unlikely to self-repair.

 

Have you had your motorhome serviced by a Fiat Professional agency as the dim warning light fault should have been addressed as it’s been present from new and Fiat software revisions should also have been applied between 2015 and now?

 

 

 

[veletron]

Nope, its not been near a fiat garage since I bought it! There is not one locally and its a major exercise to get to the nearest one which involves wasting a days holiday.

 

Edit: That's a lie - I had to take it in to get the ignition switch recall done several years ago. They did not update anything.

 

My local garage combined with me have done the servicing up until now. I note that there are a few places online that will fix an instrument panel. Will check out those first.

 

Thanks for links re instrument panel, I will take it out and hunt down an earthing point.

 

My van is coming up on 40K miles - I suspect other folks still have these issues to look forward to...

 

This looks to be the solution: https://cartronix.co.uk/product/fiat-ducato-mk3-van-and-motor-home-instrument-cluster-dash-repair/ whether or not the ABS thing is related remains to be seen, but the odd behaviour when I turn the ignition on leads me to think that its poss. I will try re-soldering any dodgy looking joints on the PCBA before I send it off.

[Deneb]

I don't see anything in your apparent ABS fault description that would relate to the common instrument cluster faintly glowing warning light issue. The ABS warning is a text display and suggests a fault with the ABS system. That is normally accompanied by a beep from the cluster warning buzzer to draw the driver's attention to the message.

 

The speedometer signal is also derived from the wheel sensors and sent to the cluster via the ABS ECU and body computer, so a problem with the speedometer reading could also be consistent with an ABS issue, possibly a wheel sensor would seem a likely cause.

 

Unless you can see anything obviously amiss from beneath the van in the form of physical damage or disturbance to ABS wheel sensors or associated wiring the first port of call would be suitable diagnostic equipment to check for any logged fault codes that may help locate the problem.

 

Multiecuscan can do that and should also be able to record actuation signals from the wheel sensors which may also indicate a fault or implausible reading.

 

If you do connect diagnostic equipment to the ABS module, it is normal for the ABS and ESC system unavailable warning messages and beeps to be displayed/sounded by the instrument cluster when the module is being read. I only mention that so you don't mistake that behaviour as evidence of additional faults!

 

Is the warning permanently displayed, or intermittent? Sometimes after a severe activation of the ABS/ESC system it can continue to generate a false warning until the vehicle has been driven a certain distance with a number of steering turns in both directions until the system has had the opportunity to reset itself.

[veletron]

Hi

 

Thanks Deneb for that informative reply. The only reason I suspected the instrument panel is that I have always had the Dim LED issue although its never caused an issue. Additionally since the ABS fault, the speedo has started doing its pulsing thing, and emitting what best described as 'blips' from its beeper - these are random and last maybe 1/10th of a second. I have 4 new tyres being fitted next week so while the wheel is off, I shall have a poke around. Sounds like it might be worth my waiting also in case the issue self-clears.

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

veletron - 2019-10-19 3:56 PM

 

Nope, its not been near a fiat garage since I bought it! There is not one locally and its a major exercise to get to the nearest one which involves wasting a days holiday.

 

Edit: That's a lie - I had to take it in to get the ignition switch recall done several years ago. They did not update anything.

 

 

When the ignition-switch recall work was carried out on my 2015 Ducato-based Rapido at a local Fiat Professional agency I mentioned that warning-lights on the instrument-cluster display were glowing dimly and was advised that the vehicle should be booked in for a cluster replacement as the problem was likely to worsen. The cluster was changed a few weeks later by which time the green cruise-control light permanently illuminated whenever the ignition was switched on.

 

After my Rapido had been serviced in early 2018 (by the same Fiat Professional agency) I was told that two software ‘upgrades’ had been applied as part of the work. Subsequently, when I switched on the vehicle’s ignition, I saw that the dashboard lighting now illuminated automatically (the Fiat ‘fix’ to improve speedometer readability). I don’t know what the other revision was for and as I didn’t notice any ‘driving’ changes (positive or negative) after the service, whatever the 2nd revision’s purpose was didn’t much concern me.