Stock Problems/Issues Discussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.

DSC light coming on intermittently while driving

  #1  
Old 06-01-2018, 02:16 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
DSC light coming on intermittently while driving

Recently the DSC light has started to flash occasionally while driving my 2005 Cooper S. When the light flashes it does momentarily cut the power. No other lights light up and there are no trouble codes indicated. Anyone have any ideas what could be happening? The right front hub and wheel speed sensor were both replaced not long ago but according the autoenginuity software everything is working fine.
 

Last edited by staudacher; 06-01-2018 at 03:58 PM.
  #2  
Old 06-01-2018, 03:25 PM
Thinker2112's Avatar
Thinker2112
Thinker2112 is offline
5th Gear
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 818
Received 85 Likes on 69 Posts
Drive slower as to not engage the DSC?
 
  #3  
Old 06-01-2018, 04:37 PM
pnwR53S's Avatar
pnwR53S
pnwR53S is offline
6th Gear - NAM Hall of Fame
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: soggy pnw
Posts: 3,967
Received 389 Likes on 356 Posts
If I were to tell you to turn that piece of *&^% off, I need to first consult my legal council for tort liability.
 
  #4  
Old 06-01-2018, 04:43 PM
Whine not Walnuts's Avatar
Whine not Walnuts
Whine not Walnuts is offline
OVERDRIVE
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Posts: 5,490
Received 625 Likes on 554 Posts
Have you done anything relative to removing the radio that could do something to the harness that connects to the toggle bank where the DSC switch is?
 
  #5  
Old 06-01-2018, 04:47 PM
MVPeters's Avatar
MVPeters
MVPeters is offline
5th Gear
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Northern MA, USA
Posts: 775
Received 145 Likes on 122 Posts
Originally Posted by staudacher
Recently the DSC light has started to flash occasionally while driving my 2005 Cooper S. When the light flashes it does momentarily cut the power. No other lights light up and there are no trouble codes indicated. Does anyone have any ideas what could be happening? The right front hub and wheel speed sensor were both replaced not long ago but according to the autoenginuity software, everything is working fine.
I have exactly the same issue. Hub replaced etc..
I think it's a loose plug or badly grounded, or maybe just a plain bad sensor; apparently, they are tricky to install correctly.
 
  #6  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:08 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Whine not Walnuts
Have you done anything relative to removing the radio that could do something to the harness that connects to the toggle bank where the DSC switch is?
No. None of that has been touched
 
  #7  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:10 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by pnwR53S
If I were to tell you to turn that piece of *&^% off, I need to first consult my legal council for tort liability.
Actually I do turn it off. But sometimes I forget until it cuts the power.
 
  #8  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:11 PM
pnwR53S's Avatar
pnwR53S
pnwR53S is offline
6th Gear - NAM Hall of Fame
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: soggy pnw
Posts: 3,967
Received 389 Likes on 356 Posts
The right front hub and wheel speed sensor were both replaced not long ago
Seriously, if a wheel speed sensor has recently been replaced, I will look into that. If your Mini is in winter road salt locality that add to likelihood the sensor may be damage from being forced into the rusty bore.
 
The following users liked this post:
staudacher (06-01-2018)
  #9  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:18 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by pnwR53S
Seriously, if a wheel speed sensor has recently been replaced, I will look into that. If your Mini is in winter road salt locality that add to likelihood the sensor may be damage from being forced into the rusty bore.
But what to look for? I have driven it with the laptop attached and AutoEnginuity recording and it never shows it misses a count on the wheel speed sensors.
 
  #10  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:22 PM
Whine not Walnuts's Avatar
Whine not Walnuts
Whine not Walnuts is offline
OVERDRIVE
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Posts: 5,490
Received 625 Likes on 554 Posts
What is "cut the power", car stalls?
 
  #11  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:24 PM
pnwR53S's Avatar
pnwR53S
pnwR53S is offline
6th Gear - NAM Hall of Fame
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: soggy pnw
Posts: 3,967
Received 389 Likes on 356 Posts
You need to give a brief history of your ownership. It it is a recent acquisition, more likely than not it is just how intrusive the DSC is. If you own the Mini a long time and it only just acts up, it is more likely a hardware fault.
 
  #12  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:36 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Whine not Walnuts
What is "cut the power", car stalls?
NO stall just a reduction of power consistent with the DSC kicking in
 
  #13  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:39 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by pnwR53S
You need to give a brief history of your ownership. It it is a recent acquisition, more likely than not it is just how intrusive the DSC is. If you own the Mini a long time and it only just acts up, it is more likely a hardware fault.
I bought it 4 months ago. The issue with the DSC just started a couple weeks ago. The DSC light will flicker and it pulls the power back randomly. This afternoon I was driving straight down a smooth road at 35mph when it flickered a few times.
 
  #14  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:48 PM
Whine not Walnuts's Avatar
Whine not Walnuts
Whine not Walnuts is offline
OVERDRIVE
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Posts: 5,490
Received 625 Likes on 554 Posts
So you have DSC and not ASC? Allot of times we are blindfolded when we throw answers/darts here.
 
  #15  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:50 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Whine not Walnuts
So you have DSC and not ASC? Allot of times we are blindfolded when we throw answers/darts here.
Yes, DSC. And completely understand on the difficulty diagnosing something like this over a forum. I had hoped it might be something common that you guys had seen before.
 
  #16  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:55 PM
Whine not Walnuts's Avatar
Whine not Walnuts
Whine not Walnuts is offline
OVERDRIVE
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Posts: 5,490
Received 625 Likes on 554 Posts
Check all your plug wires and then see if there is any rust on any of the coil connections. A loose plug wire can make the DSC go off.
 
The following users liked this post:
staudacher (06-01-2018)
  #17  
Old 06-01-2018, 05:56 PM
MrBlah's Avatar
MrBlah
MrBlah is offline
6th Gear - AX Champion
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Pittsboro NC
Posts: 3,281
Received 264 Likes on 210 Posts
if you had a hub bearing fail you might have another one going, when the bearings fail the wheel speed sensors will fail with them it really messes with dsc, it'll think a wheel is locked up and mess with the brakes/throttle
 
  #18  
Old 06-01-2018, 06:01 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by MrBlah
if you had a hub bearing fail you might have another one going, when the bearings fail the wheel speed sensors will fail with them it really messes with dsc, it'll think a wheel is locked up and mess with the brakes/throttle
The hub bearing didn't fail. I had taken the MINI to a shop to have the bushing replaced and they broke the wheel speed sensor on the right front.. They then proceeded to drill the old sensor out and managed to nick the magnetic ring on the back of the hub. After all that they then wanted to charge me another $255 to fix the hub that they screwed up. So I replaced the hub.
 
  #19  
Old 06-01-2018, 06:03 PM
MrBlah's Avatar
MrBlah
MrBlah is offline
6th Gear - AX Champion
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Pittsboro NC
Posts: 3,281
Received 264 Likes on 210 Posts
holy crap that's a train wreck from the start

when your dsc goes off, are you cornering or just driving straight at a normal pace in traffic?
 
  #20  
Old 06-01-2018, 06:05 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by MrBlah
holy crap that's a train wreck from the start

when your dsc goes off, are you cornering or just driving straight at a normal pace in traffic?

It is random. Today I forgot to turn the DSC off again after I stopped at the bank. After that the DSC flickered a few times while driving at a constant 35mph on a nice smooth straight road
 
  #21  
Old 06-02-2018, 09:23 AM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Here is the coil I just took off the car. Luckily a local Advance auto parts had a replacement coil and plug wire set in stock. Changed coil, plug wires and plugs. I also did a computer reset. I hope it helps
 

Last edited by staudacher; 06-02-2018 at 02:51 PM.
  #22  
Old 06-02-2018, 02:52 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Well nothing has changed. While it does idle better now I am still getting the intermittent DSC light.
 
  #23  
Old 06-03-2018, 10:01 AM
ItsmeWayne's Avatar
ItsmeWayne
ItsmeWayne is offline
6th Gear - An Official NAM Greeter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Southern oregon
Posts: 2,991
Received 328 Likes on 309 Posts
It is possible the DSC switch maybe bad and vibrations may be making it flicker. There is no good way to test intermittent problems, unless you can test on the fly.
That switch is important to the DSC circuit and is responsible for the many things tied to it's working properly.
 
  #24  
Old 06-03-2018, 02:28 PM
staudacher's Avatar
staudacher
staudacher is offline
1st Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 16
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by ItsmeWayne
It is possible the DSC switch maybe bad and vibrations may be making it flicker. There is no good way to test intermittent problems, unless you can test on the fly.
That switch is important to the DSC circuit and is responsible for the many things tied to it's working properly.
If it is an issue with the switch, wouldn't the DSC be turning off when the light flickers? When the light flickers it pulls the power back like the DSC is activating.
 
  #25  
Old 06-03-2018, 02:40 PM
ItsmeWayne's Avatar
ItsmeWayne
ItsmeWayne is offline
6th Gear - An Official NAM Greeter
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Southern oregon
Posts: 2,991
Received 328 Likes on 309 Posts
If the switch is faulty, vibrations in the milliseconds may, or may not cause an effect. If something got spilled on it, this could do it also.
The plugs on the wheel sensors may also have corroded pins and this could cause the same effect.
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Quick Reply: DSC light coming on intermittently while driving



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:22 AM.