So my new 04 mini has an abs light , traction control light and the tire light if on also.. it had no codes according to inpa as well as my Bluetooth scanner and app.
so I replaced all 4x wheel speed sensors and reset everything with inpa and of course, all the lights are still lit with no change..
Can inpa even reset that light or does it need something more in depth ? I have no problem taking it to the dealer since the car still has 6x open recalls so they need to be taken care of as well as these error lights.
is there something I'm missing ? Would a battery unhook and full power down reset it ??
any info and tips is much appreciated.

 

Mine turned out to be a wheel bearing as that's where the wheel speed sensor reads off of. I haven't used inpa but I have a specialty BMW scanner that told me exactly what wheel it was.

 

my wheel bearings seemed good with no play and easily spins still but that still could still ne the issue.
if I don't get it figured out ille have the dealer check into it once the car goes in to have it recalls taken care of..just gotta finish its full tuneup 1st..

 

If any of the sensors had to be drilled out, it is possible that the tone ring was damaged. So the bearing should be OK. A good scanner will tell you which wheel is affected.

 

You need to access the ABS module with a compatible scanner and determine which sensors aren't reading right.

Just went through this when I swapped the R56 trailing arms to my R53 - ended up having to buy new gen 1 sensors for the rear and make some custom grommets for the 1st gen sensors to fit into the 2nd gen control arms.

 

Yep schwaben tool will tell you which side and you can read the wheel speed and test it. If it still shows ABS and you have new sensors and bearings, check the wire. If not the wire then is ABS unit itself.

 

After unhooking the battery durring another unrelated thing , I put on my trickle charger and when I restarted the car all codes were gone..
then I took it around the area and 1x block down the road all the dummy lights came back on.
Buuuut. Now that you guys mention wheel hubs , even though there's no play it does sound grindy while coasting and its not the brakes or transmission.
I had a bad hub on my other mini , so bad the wheel was beginning to bind on it and it never threw a code though..
if it WAS the abs unit , wouldnt it throw a code and inpa atleast be able to read that code ????

 

Read what Zillon and ECS said above. They gave the correct guidance to diagnose the source of the issue. It’s not something you can do at home, and is not related to wheel bearings.

The right diagnostic tools will identify which corner is having an issue. Then it’s either the sensor, hub, wire, or abs unit (done on that order, process of elimination).

 

Yep - I don't pretend to know half as much as most contributors here but I also had the "trifecta" a while back.
Changed all 4our wheel sensors at least 3ree times. More expensive="quality" in succession each time. Also tried some other things but I can't recall.
Finally upgraded my OBDII (Foxwell) which managed to clear the codes and lights never came back.
Albeit, I can't recall what caused the issue in the first place. It's been 8months no codes no lights.

A different scanner/better maybe worth a shot?

 

So lights turned off and has stayed off so far abd my abs is for sure working because I tested it brake checking..
I went to move the car closer to my garage today and wgen I went to hit the brakes pulling into the parking spot the brake pedal began to pulse and alter positioning and then it stopped ,firmed up and went back to its normal position and then the abs dummy lights ALL turned off..
idk ???? I did change fuses just encase though old ones appeared ok and I swapped out another's reservoirs worth of fluid and it was almost completely clear finally, so I'd gotten most the old fluid out finally. So lol idk what exactly fixed the issue OR if it's forsure fixed.. but if the dummy lights come back on , I will post back again..
but I wonder if a line was clogged or the fluid very dirty and the pump wasn't able to supply enough fluid or pressure but worked enough not to throw an error code but wasn't working just enough to trigger the dummy lights.. I just don't know unfortunately.
o well , i wont complain.. onto the next task with this car..

 

AFAIK removing almost all the fluid from the brake reservoir and refilling with fresh fluid will not remove the bad fluid. There is limited circulation of fluid in the brake system.

A proper flush/bleed needs to be done. This ensures fresh fluid flows through the brake lines into the calipers and forces out the old fluid. If one bothers to catch this old fluid in a see through container it will be some nasty looking fluid.

And at some point the ABS pump needs to be cycled so any fluid in it is removed and replaced with fresh fluid.

The end result is all the old fluid is removed and yet there are no pockets of air in the brake system and this includes the ABS pump.

 

Would wheel alignment play any part in the dummy lights staying on?

 

I'm aware , I just wanted to get out most of the crap in the bottom of the brake reservoir and what dirty fluid i could this way.. id drive around too in-between each time id change it out so the fluid cycled around. I will bleed it via calipers and slave once I can get my buddies power bleeder.. I won't ever attempt these brakes or slave again without one. It just makes it 10x easier and 10x more effective.

 

I'm not sure but I belive the steering wheel angle sensor can.

 

Removing fluid can be a good thing. Under the right circumstances.

Techs told me that removing some fluid from the reservoir *before* a flush/bleed operation is a good idea as it reduces the amount of fluid necessary to complete the flush/bleed. And reduces the amount of time it takes. In a busy dealer service department several brake fluid flush/bleed services can be done in a day. Day after day. So for a dealer the savings in fluid costs and savings in labor time adds up.

A power bleeder is nice. Just don't use too much pressure. IIRC the pressure limit was 20psi. I erred on the side of caution and kept it below 15psi.

 

It's not really to save fluid, because you still need to put it back to whatever level it was prior to service (and yes, it won't be at max level if the brakes are worn), it's about taking as much of the old fluid out so you push new brake fluid in right away without possibly pushing whatever might be in the reservoir into the lines. We use the full bottle at work, so we know that most if not all old brake fluid is out.

 

Lol, the lights came back on again durring the test drive after the header install......so I will have to address the hubs I'm sure.. they do sound kinda rough while rolling.

 

All i can think of is the back of the bearing is bad on the ring tone, thats were the bearing first rusts. How new are the wheel bearings?

 

Does ECS sell these bearings ? Thanks

 

Yea, whole bearing/hub. 7/2006 is the switch over from M12 to M14. So thats the split year on the bearings. So watch out for that. I Just did all four on my old R52 since i was rebuilding the whole underside.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ed-sensor.html

 

When you refer to the switch from M12 to M14 ; is that the lugs bolts? Thanks

 

Yes 100% that's the difference in the hub bearing from Gen 1 split years.

 

Not new just didnt feel any play or abnormal amount of corrosion on them. Buy I believe you hit it on the head with the bad tone rings.. because my abs dummy lights will periodically be off when I 1st start the car , then it starts rolling and then after a short distance the dummy lights come back on , like the sensors can't read correctly...actually had this same issue in an impala ss I'd owned awhile back.
also thx for reminding me about the bolt size change in the years , because i planned on ordering new hubs , 7mm hubcentric spacers and extended lugs..

 

Yep no problem, i think i have done like 8 wheel bearings on MINIs in the last 5 years...lol I have seen it all.

 

The fluid does not really move around. The fluid in the calipers stays in the calipers for the most part. You have to push it out or suck it out.