I'm getting a weird error, and not sure quite what's causing it. I drive about 15 minutes to work. Sometimes it's 5 minutes after I start the car, sometimes it's ten... But the last week or so, every commute has resulted with the tire pressure monitor and DSC lights coming on at the same time.

Last time I was at my local dealer getting a problem with BCM1 checked out, they mentioned my battery was low. I think I had battery issues way back in the day and seem to recall ABS going out first, not the Tire Monitor and DSC.

One other odd occurance the other day, was when I turned off my alarm (factory/oem alarm), I got about 11 flashes on the stalk and then it stopped, no repeat.

Last but not least, the dash is clear of alarms/lights when I restart it.

Anyone have any clues where to look without going to the dealer and paying a diagnostic fee?

 

If I were a betting man I'd say it's your battery. As an ET I'm sure you've checked including your wiring to the ECU.

On my 2nd 02 I did have an issue with a loose ground that caused the holy trinity of lights to go off and put my car in limp home mode.

 

Depending on the age of the battery, I'd start there. Computers do funny things when they get 'dirty' voltage.

 

how often are we suppose to change our battery?
mine is almost 6 years in my mcs

 

That would be I think a near record for a MINI.

 

The last time I was at the dealer they mentioned my battery was low, and it does seem like the most likely culprit. But there's always a small chance it's the alternator, except that it always starts and the error always clears.

And the battery is just over a year old. But on the flipside, I think the dealer only sold about 15 Mini's total last year, so there's probably not a high demand for batteries, and who knows how long the battery was sitting there before I bought it. I think I'll go about trying to test it myself, and then buy an Optima if needed.

 

Check the basics if you have not already done so. If there is too much of a difference in the tire pressures as compared to the last time the system was trained then the flat tire alarm will ring.

If this alarm rings, the DSC system will be disabled!
Sometimes when I get the three amigos lit on my dash, my scan tool tells me its the steering angle sensor, but when I start the car the next time all is well, this has been happening since I bought it new....go figure

Adjust the pressures when the tires are cold; try 34 or 35 psi all the way around, then take the car for a ride and initalize the TPMS system by pressing the button at the base of the e-brake.

If the battery is at fault there will likely be other anomalies. Good luck!

 

it could be one of the speed sensors located at each wheel. Have you noticed that the ABS and or DCS/traction control not working while the lights are on?

if it is a wheel speed sensor the repair is easy and you can buy 1 front and 1 back for what a normal diag fee would be.

 

Havn't checked the battery yet because I can't find my multimeter... And the Mini is perma-parked right now because I need a new Alta air filter. Went to wash mine and it fell apart in my hands. Guess the people who said motorcycle filter oil was as good as any reusable filter oil were wrong.

And I don't know about the flat tire thing Frenchie... I've had my flat tire alarm go off numerous times in the past, and it has never disabled DSC before.

 

I had the same exact issue about 30days ago.....the day AFTER my warranty expired. and at the same time my motor mount BARF'd all over the frame rail at 36.5kmi. Only difference was...if I started the car with the Ebrake on "lights" were OUT...release the Ebrake and the lights would come ON or would come on after 5-15min of driving. Toggle switch for DSC did nothing when the lights were ON. Talked with my friend and Service Manager at Niello in Sacramento and he said " bring it up and we'll see what we can do....probably under warranty". Just got back from said trip to Niello.... motor mount was replaced and based on the codes they found + other troubleshooting, a defective DSC sensor (which is located in the center console next to the Ebrake) was ordered...... all at N/C New sensor to be replaced next week.
"The codes that were present..... #1 - DSC-5D97 Voltage Supply #2 - DSC-5D8C Sensor CAN Timeout. Verified sensor voltage present at pin 6 of the ABS/DSC module." per the repair order.
Hope this helps.....

 

Wagnbat, I'm having this same issue. Started after I took her in for an oil change, everything was good. Did you ever find out what was wrong? Was it the battery?

 

sounds like the infamous steering angle sensor or l/f speed sensor problem