I have a 2005 MC with under 16000 miles on it which I autocross. Have had absolutely no problems with it till last Sunday when I was on my way to the event. It was before dawn so I had my headlights on as well as the fog lights. Was running down the interstate with the cruise control on. I noticed that the DSC disabled light and the low tire pressure light were on. The DSC light did not respond to the toggle switch and I had checked tire pressures before leaving home. I got to wondering whether the electronics was set up so that (for some unknown reason) the DSC was turned off automatically when the cruise or fog lights were engaged. Turned off cruise an fogs but the condition persisted. Upon arriving at the site I tried initializing the tire pressure indicator and finally succeeded. The DSC indicator worked normally for most of the day. I probably started the car 15 times and used the DSC toggle before each run. The problem reappeared just as I was leaving for the trip home. I tried every thing I knew to get the indicators to go out but to no avail. I guess it is a system failure but wanted to get some input before I headed to the dealer. I need to know whether the DSC is truly disengaged for the autocross coming up this Sunday. Anyone have similar problem?

 

I had the same problem, turned out it was a bad wheel speed sensor. Drove me nuts for a bit, i finnaly had to take it into the shop. If i had know the problem i could have saved myself alot of money. As it cost $150 to replace the $5 sensor.

 

Did your DSC indicator light come on also when you had the wheel speed sensor problem?

 

Ya, DSC light was one as well the tire pressure light. And i couldn't make either one go away. Occasionally the lights would go off and everything would work like a champ.

Oh and while the lights are on neither system will function. so if you want to autocross it before the sensor is replaced you should be able to do it with out damaging anything else. I drove for 4 months with my lights coming on and off while i tryed to figure it out on my own.

 

Thanks for the info......Following your advice I have looked in the ETK (Electronic Parts Catalog)for the sensor but have not found it. I took a look and on the inside of the rear wheel supports (don't know what the official name is) I can see where the ABS wires terminate. Whatever is at the end of the wire has to be the sensor that provides wheel speed data for the ABS and the low tire pressure indicator (which is actually a condition based on wheel speed) . Somewhere ,while looking for the sensor, I ran across the words 'pulse generator' which would describe the function of the sensor but I havn't been able to track down a part number. Did they specify a part number and price for the part replaced on your car? If I had a part number I can look it up in the ETK and see what I'm dealing with.
Ben

 

Hey Ben,

I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...55&hg=34&fg=20

Item number 10, part number 34520307382.

GotMINI

 

Thanks Alerious....that may very well be the culprit but I wanted to investigate the possibility that it is one of the sensors on the wheels at the end of the ABS wire. That is the part that I cannot seem to find anything about.
Ben

 

I have an '05 S with the EXACT same "problem." Out of nowhere sometimes the DSC and Tire Pressure lights will pop on at the same time. My way of clearing it is to stop somewhere, turn off the ignition and then restart. That clears everything and I can roll on with a clear dash. Those yellow things stand out at night against the orange dash lights background! It's definitely an intermittent thing and seems to be a sensor issue of some sort. Any more insight on this would be appreciated. Did the sensor listed above in the OEM catalogue correct the problem? Thanks!
I've got 61,000 miles on my MINI and I'm running the original brake pads/rotors.

 

My 2002 Coop has been doing this intermittently since day one. The car now has 90K plus miles. It seems to come on if backing up or going forward with the wheels turned all the way. I complained to the dealer when it was under warranty but they could never find a code stored. A word about the wheel speed sensor.....its magnetic, and sometimes small metal particles from road dirt may adhere to the sensor tip and interfere with the signal. Make sure there is no foreign objects between the sensor and the pulse wheel.Also be advised of a TSB regarding the ABS/DSC lights on:CAUSEMoisture penetrates the ABS/ASC/DSC control unit and wheel speed sensor connector causing corrosion on the pin contacts. If this is the case clean the contacts with contact cleaner and apply di-electric grease to prevent further occurances.

 

"Also be advised of a TSB regarding the ABS/DSC lights on:CAUSEMoisture penetrates the ABS/ASC/DSC control unit and wheel speed sensor connector causing corrosion on the pin contacts."

That sounds like the most probable cause in my case. I have power washed the engine, albeit carefully, so maybe some moisture made its way into the DSC box. Hmm.

 

Also I forgot to mention this. The RR ABS wheel sensor is used to provide vehicle speed data to the ECU....so if your speedometer is not erratic and appears to be accurate you can eliminate the RR as the source of the concern!

 

It has been constant since I first posted. The last time I swapped my tires I pulled the sensors on three of the wheel supports and wiped them down. Didn't think about doing it until after I had already finished swapping the RF. Will look into the suggestion about corroded pins on the wheel speed sensor/ABS connection. I sure hope this isn't an intermittent condition when I'm on the autox course. Don't believe so or I would notice it in the cars performance but I don't have time to look. I'm looking for an excuse why some guy in an RSX that I was running *** and tuck with last year whacked me real good the last time out. We'll see what happens this Sunday.

 

A faulty Steering Angle Sensor can also cause the DSC and TPMS lights to come on at the same time.

 

I had the same problem with the DSC and low tire pressure light coming on together.I have a 2003 mini cooper S with 33000 miles on it.This happened on and off for a few weeks.then it they came on and stayed on.After reading some postings I took out the wheel sensors and cleaned them.This did nothing.I then purchased 2 front wheel sensors at $70 each thinking that should work.It did not help and the lights came on again.During this time i noticed(after i purchased the sensors)that the lights stayed off untill i released the hand brake.I thought at first this was a coincedence but it wasn't.If I released the handbrake just enough to make the handbrake light go out but no more the dsc and tire light stayed off.If i pushed down on the handbrake so it bottomed out the lights came on immediately.If i put on the hand brake and turned the engine off and repeated the sequence they would stay off.I removed the handbrake cover to look inside and found a set of 4 or five wires together that run under the handbrake and were pushed down when the handbrake bottomed out.i moved the wires over to one side with no problem and the lights are out and stay out even when the handbrake is at the bottom.I believe this has taken care of the problem.I'm not sure if this will help any one else but before replacing sensors and other parts try the hand brake test to see if the lights stay on or go off.i hope this was not to long winded and gives some help and saves some money.Thanks,Danny

 

I had the same issue, replaced my Drivers side front speed sensor (pulse sensor). It tooks about 30 minutes to do and has been trouble free since. I bought both a front and a rear since it was cheaper to do than drive to the dealer, pay a diag fee and wait till it was done.

 

Both of the lights just came on in my MCS (2003).

I am ready to buy the speed sensors, but the rear one is a special order and non refundable.

Is there anyway to troubleshoot if it is the front or rear or the left or the right other than trial and error?

Thanks,
Brad

 

I am having this exact same issue. Any way to pull the codes to help determine which speed sensor is the problem. I have a scanner but since it is not a CEL its hard to tell the real issue. Any insight into viewing DSC codes and tire light code?

 

There's 1 on the driver side front and passenger rear those are the only 2 sensors.

 

I was under the impression that there is a abs/speed sensor at each wheel that could be the cause for the lights on the dash.

 

Bram is refering to the brake pad wear sensors...
The dsc/abs/tpms sensors are one in EACH hub...
a standard odb reader WILL NOT tell you which sensor....
So this is one case imo that paying the fee to have it done is worth the $$. Sure you could just have them scan it, tell you which one....but corrosion can make getting the old one out a pia.

 

My mistake.

 

Good reading here fellas. 2044 coop s, w/100,000 miles (I like to drive her). I have same issue, recently though it was due to low pressure in a tire, but i would think that would just have the TPMS light come on. After adjusting all the tires with air, these lights did go out. Now they have returned, and air pressure did not fix. I recently rotated the tires and replace the lower control are, rear driver side. I am sure I did not damage anything while replacing this are. Until I review the sensor connections and clean the sensor and surrounding area, can bald tires be a culprit... meaning, I know I need new tire and alignment, but I drove anyway and there is one tire that needs replacing now. Can this cause a reading issue between all the tires? Just wondering.

 

Hi folks

I've got 2005 R52 Cooper S. 70K miles on it. DSC Light is on but Tyre pressure sensor not.

Took her to the dealer and they were unable to connect to abs unit. Does anyone have any idea what it might be?

Regards
Davit

 

Hi,

I have a 2003 Mini Cooper S, hit several pot holes at once today and all of a sudden my tpms and dsc lights are on, anyone know why or what I need to do to fix this issue? I tried toggling both switches and nothing. I'm going to disconnect the battery and see if that does anything.