For those of you who got your ABS Module repaired

[E0339]

Hey all,

I have two questions for you today. I recently noticed that someone stopped being able to communicate with their ABS Module via INPA after it got repaired (https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/cannot-communicate-with-abs-module-on-bmw-e39-after-repair.1303647/). The same thing happened to me, and I paid for the premiere module repair service via Module Masters. Why this is important to mention is I did not go to some shady eBay seller, but rather a professional company that specializes in these repairs. This means that their quality of work is higher, and they verified their repairs via their testing / simulation rig, and it passed all tests. But, alas, now I cannot communicate with my ABS Module via INPA. So, this leaves the question: Is this a side effect of getting your module repaired? Is this a blind spot companies do not know about, and thus cannot test for?

Let's see if we can't shed some light on these questions.

To be clear, this thread is not about looking for a solution because as far as I'm concerned, I have found it, and I will verify this through my conversation with Module Masters. This thread is simply to see if this is a side effect of getting your module repaired. Perhaps this is a blind spot the repair shops have, and just don't know about.

So for those of you who got your module repaired, after the repair, please share if you were still able to communicate with your module via INPA. Please share if you got yours repaired and you are able to connect, too.

And also, for those of you who can connect properly, when you try to connect to your module without bridging pin 7 & 8 together, what error message do you get?

Thank you!

[E39 Newbie]

I had mine repaired shortly after I got the car on the road. It needed a new engine. Anyway, I sent it to a local place, I forget the name offhand. They repaired it and I reinstalled it in the car and I can communicate with it just fine. It's been in service now for over three years.

[E0339]

Thank you for sharing!

[Chedley]

So, you could connect to the ABS module before the repair. But you cannot connect with it after repair. Yes ??
If so, they screwed the repair. Period. Return it and ask them to fix it or ask for a refund.

[E0339]

Yep. Yeah they're being really nice and professional about it. I'll be getting sent a shipping label to ship my module back and get this fixed. No extra charges which is nice. So absolutely zero hard feelings thus far. I'd still recommend them as the premier repair place.

I'd like to check out ACTronics work next time. They posted this video (https://youtu.be/NxumtQskqTY) about their work and their entire repair is machine automated. Kinda cool. Makes me feel like there's a much higher quality job from this.

[GZilla]

It seems a few people had problems with module masters. I used a guy from ebay who has been repairing modules as a service longer than I've been alive that BimmerZeit recommended in his YouTube video and have not had any problems so far. Even came with a 3 year warranty.

[ross1]

I'm unclear if your module is working properly or not. If it works but just not able to communicate who cares?
FWIW I've dealt with MM twice. Once for my own car which has been fine for over ten years now and one I sent in for a friend. MM sent the friend's module back no charge and at their expense to ship back saying the car needs a wheel speed sensor. They could have easily collected their three hundred bucks and left it for him to figure out his mistake.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

If it’s not communicating, wouldn’t it throw a trifecta? Or it is working with the rest of the car, but not communicating with inpa?

[blarf]

If it’s not communicating, wouldn’t it throw a trifecta? Or it is working with the rest of the car, but not communicating with inpa?

That's easy enough to check. The DME and/or cluster should throw a fault since it's going to want speed info from the DSC unit. M52TU/MS42 (the only one I've a list of fault codes handy right now) has codes 0x82 (Signal CAN ASC 1) and 0x85 (Signal CAN ASC 3).

The real question is whether or not there are other modules that OP can't communicate with. If there aren't then the thing to do is probably to bench test the DSC unit since it looks a lot easier to get at on the E39. Otherwise check for continuity between OBD2 pin 8 and pin 11 on the DSC harness. There's one splice in the driver's footwell. If there's continuity test/replace the DSC unit.

If there are other non-communicating modules check the splice.

[E0339]

It seems a few people had problems with module masters. I used a guy from ebay who has been repairing modules as a service longer than I've been alive that BimmerZeit recommended in his YouTube video and have not had any problems so far. Even came with a 3 year warranty.

I hadn't heard others have had problems. What were the issues?

I'm glad yours works!

[E0339]

I'm unclear if your module is working properly or not. If it works but just not able to communicate who cares?
FWIW I've dealt with MM twice. Once for my own car which has been fine for over ten years now and one I sent in for a friend. MM sent the friend's module back no charge and at their expense to ship back saying the car needs a wheel speed sensor. They could have easily collected their three hundred bucks and left it for him to figure out his mistake.

How wonderful of them! They've been wonderful to work with for me, too.

ABS Module works. Does not communicate with INPA.

Meaning: CAN communication works. All parts of the module are fixed, but something is up with whatever connects to pin 11 within the internals of the abs module. This is my guess, at least. One of the engineers at MM are going to be looking into it in a few days, once my module arrives

[E0339]

If it’s not communicating, wouldn’t it throw a trifecta? Or it is working with the rest of the car, but not communicating with inpa?

The latter

[E0339]

That's easy enough to check. The DME and/or cluster should throw a fault since it's going to want speed info from the DSC unit. M52TU/MS42 (the only one I've a list of fault codes handy right now) has codes 0x82 (Signal CAN ASC 1) and 0x85 (Signal CAN ASC 3).

The real question is whether or not there are other modules that OP can't communicate with. If there aren't then the thing to do is probably to bench test the DSC unit since it looks a lot easier to get at on the E39. Otherwise check for continuity between OBD2 pin 8 and pin 11 on the DSC harness. There's one splice in the driver's footwell. If there's continuity test/replace the DSC unit.

If there are other non-communicating modules check the splice.

The thread's not about troubleshooting, but inpa gives me an interference code when I load up the abs module. When I unplug the module everything works.

Nothing changed either than me getting the module repaired. Before I got it repaired inpa read everything ok. That small test was enough to give me a clue as to what might be happening. I asked MM to check internal wiring of the abs module to pin 11 and they're all for it. I'm just leaving additional troubleshooting in their hands because I'm thinking the issue was caused by them, and also within the internals of the abs module. Totally out of my hands.

A total aside: I'm going to try to win myself a copy of the abs module internal wiring diagram from them as a part of my conversation with them.

[Chedley]

Just curious:
What was the original fault (which error code ?) that led you to send the ABS module for a rebuild, in the first place ?

[E0339]

Just curious:
What was the original fault (which error code ?) that led you to send the ABS module for a rebuild, in the first place ?

Here they are
705180

[blarf]

Honestly I'd check the wiring. On the Mk60 E46 there's a ground wire that's got to be removed to unplug the DSC computer (I'm too lazy to look at the 540 right now). In addition to checking for continuity I'd also give the electrical connectors a good visual inspection. Are any of the pins on the DSC computer bent? On the harness side did pin 11 get pushed in or otherwise damaged?

[Chedley]

So @GregoryEsman,
Well well, you really did not have to send the ABS module for a rebuild. It just had a pressure sensor gone bad that needed replacement.

Error 114 indicates a bad pressure sensor in the ABS module. It is a part that can be easily replaced without removing the module from the car: unscrew the bad sensor, and screw in the new sensor part # 34511165467.

Error 105 simply indicates a bad brake light switch, and/or that the ABS has been disabled -- presumably because of the bad pressure sensor ?.

When I had this problem, I bought a used ABS module from Ebay/junkyard, and simply swapped out the pressure sensor. Costed me less than a $100...I still have that ABS but without pressure sensor, if you are interested.!!
I also replaced the brake light switch under the dashboard, (Duralast part # RB-460).

[E0339]

Honestly I'd check the wiring. On the Mk60 E46 there's a ground wire that's got to be removed to unplug the DSC computer (I'm too lazy to look at the 540 right now). In addition to checking for continuity I'd also give the electrical connectors a good visual inspection. Are any of the pins on the DSC computer bent? On the harness side did pin 11 get pushed in or otherwise damaged?

I'll update you when I get my module back from MM :)


So @GregoryEsman,
Well well, you really did not have to send the ABS module for a rebuild. It just had a pressure sensor gone bad that needed replacement.

Error 114 indicates a bad pressure sensor in the ABS module. It is a part that can be easily replaced without removing the module from the car: unscrew the bad sensor, and screw in the new sensor part # 34511165467.

Error 105 simply indicates a bad brake light switch, and/or that the ABS has been disabled -- presumably because of the bad pressure sensor ?.

When I had this problem, I bought a used ABS module from Ebay/junkyard, and simply swapped out the pressure sensor. Costed me less than a $100...I still have that ABS but without pressure sensor, if you are interested.!!
I also replaced the brake light switch under the dashboard, (Duralast part # RB-460).

Nice move with the junk yard part! Man, I miss the junk yard. I've been staying home pretty much the entire pandemic. I would love to dig into some 540s and harvest some obscure parts from deep inside a transmission or an engine. Or, see if I can't start one up by using the parts from the multiple cars there, and make one working car.

I was thinking the same, but even though there was a chance it was just the pressure sensor, I still chose to get it rebuilt. With the gift of hindsight, I believe it was the right decision.

Here was my thinking behind my decision:

First and foremost, my car is 175k miles old. That's a lot of heat cycles, so even if the ABS Module was properly working, and it was just the brake pressure sensor acting up, it would be wise to do some preventative maintenance and get the internals refreshed and beefed up. And if it fixes the error, great.

Secondly, Module Master just sends ABS Modules back without doing any work on them if they don't need it

Thirdly, I did some diagnosis. I had the full trifecta going. My brake light worked properly (I assumed it wasn't supposed to, with the code I got, but I could be wrong). Also the brake light switch was being activated when I pressed the brake pedal. Verified through INPA. Soo that was a BS code. Additionally I put a multimeter to the brake pressure sensor, and it was working fine. I was getting voltage, and it was increasing linearly as I pressed the brake pedal. It just had a real hard time getting past 3V, when the max should be 5. So, I kind of assumed it worked fine because of these two tests. I learned that you can use an opened up staple to get in between the weather sealing and the connector, if you don't have one of those insulation piercing accessories for your multimeter. Then, just touch your multimeter lead to your staple, and there ya go. I was expecting it to not react at all to me pushing down the brake pedal, if it truly wasn't working. My ABS also wasn't pulsing under hard braking. Actually, there wasn't really any hard braking to begin with. I literally almost flew past a red light once because the damn thing wouldn't brake to save its life... And I was only going 40.

Fourthly, I wasn't about to pay hundreds for a new brake pressure sensor without being certain that's the problem. Might as well send it out to MM for repair. If they knock the problem out, I saved myself some money over what a pressure sensor would have cost... And I would have gotten my unit refreshed.

And, now that I have hindsight in the situation, after the repair, I'd say it was the right call:
- All lights are out
- My car brakes like a monster (I almost ran a stop sign, but that's because I was going 60 and only noticed the stop sign was what seemed like half a second before I hit it. The car stopped seemingly instantly)
- ABS Pulses under hard braking on slippery surfaces. I found myself a dried up lake bed to test that theory in.

705194

So I would assume internals were damaged, the ABS did need a rebuild, and that the pressure sensor was working properly. Module Masters mentioned in the post-repair debrief that some wires were found broken, anyways.

I made this choice in a way where no matter what happens, I couldn't mess up and end up spending more money than I had to.

[GiantSam]

Sent mine out to Georgia some airbag place.
Got it back in a week, plug and play. That was 18 months ago and its fine..

[E0339]

Sent mine out to Georgia some airbag place.
Got it back in a week, plug and play. That was 18 months ago and its fine..

Thanks for sharing!

[nsticka]

It seems a few people had problems with module masters. I used a guy from ebay who has been repairing modules as a service longer than I've been alive that BimmerZeit recommended in his YouTube video and have not had any problems so far. Even came with a 3 year warranty.

name of module repair guy or link to Bimmerzeit YT?

[E0339]

Honestly I'd check the wiring. On the Mk60 E46 there's a ground wire that's got to be removed to unplug the DSC computer (I'm too lazy to look at the 540 right now). In addition to checking for continuity I'd also give the electrical connectors a good visual inspection. Are any of the pins on the DSC computer bent? On the harness side did pin 11 get pushed in or otherwise damaged?

The engineer at MM got back to me. He said that the solid state component pin 11 is connected to is shorted.

The end result of the MM repair is this:

My original module: Repaired but diagnostics line got knocked out.

MM is sending me a repaired module to replace mine.

I asked to receive mine back, too.

So I am getting two modules back. Both working. One without a diagnostics line. As someone who loves to tinker and learn about internals of things... I'm pretty excited about it.

MM's customer service was top notch. They covered all additional shipping, new module and the engineer's time. I paid zero out of pocket past the original payment for the repair.

So who knows how to code a new module to your car?

[Chedley]

You do not need to code the replacement ABS module, if it is the same type part # as the original broken module on the car.

Also, see: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2412825-Confirmed-method-of-coding-ABS-module

[Jason5driver]

You do not need to code the replacement ABS module, if it is the same type part # as the original broken module on the car.

Also, see: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2412825-Confirmed-method-of-coding-ABS-module

Where did you hear that ?

I had my abs module replaced because the original , according to BBA , was not serviceable .
I had another old module that I was able to get from my local indy shop , but they had to code that module to my car .
The module needs to read off the car's vin and options . A 528i is different from an optioned 540i .

[JimLev]

A heat shield would lower the temp and make them last longer……..right Jason???????
Get it fitted and send me some pics.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I wanted to tackle that heat shield today, but it’s way too hot outside! 95 degrees! Screw that.

[JimLev]

Here’s a prototype I made for Jason to test the fit on his i6.
The parts are screwed together so if changes are required they can be easily swapped, then the pieces are riveted together and the adhesive insulation gets applied.
Thanks for sending me the pic Jason.

This one is very similar to the one I made for my 540.
705467

[E0339]

You do not need to code the replacement ABS module, if it is the same type part # as the original broken module on the car.

Also, see: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2412825-Confirmed-method-of-coding-ABS-module

Thank you for the link.

Op found a rebuilt abs module in the junkyard car, can you believe it!

[E0339]

A heat shield would lower the temp and make them last longer……..right Jason???????
Get it fitted and send me some pics.

That would be a very fun project!

[Chedley]

On later E39 540i models (2001-2003), the ABS module is located in well cleared locations with good air flow to cool it off a bit. So the heat shield thing is really un-necessary and may well be detrimental.

[E0339]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220617/038760e1b8a60ca3d0a4ba3a4e9aa022.jpg

This is exciting.

Later on, when I have more time, I'd like to dive into the one where the diagnostics line isn't working and make some great pictures for everyone, and see what else I can learn by having a disposable abs module. The bonus of having this as a disposable abs module is that it's fully repaired. So we get to see what that looks like, I can do different multimeter measurements, and etc.

[JimLev]

On later E39 540i models (2001-2003), the ABS module is located in well cleared locations with good air flow to cool it off a bit. So the heat shield thing is really un-necessary and may well be detrimental.

You have any documentation to back that up?

705479

.

705480

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Lol, So… somehow, the V8’s exhaust manifold doesn’t put that much heat out, like the i6’s do??? What physics binary planet is this Chedster character out of?

[ross1]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220617/038760e1b8a60ca3d0a4ba3a4e9aa022.jpg

This is exciting.

Later on, when I have more time, I'd like to dive into the one where the diagnostics line isn't working and make some great pictures for everyone, and see what else I can learn by having a disposable abs module. The bonus of having this as a disposable abs module is that it's fully repaired. So we get to see what that looks like, I can do different multimeter measurements, and etc.
The troublesome bits are on the opposite side.

[E0339]

The troublesome bits are on the opposite side.

I know

[GiantClam]

Sent mine out to Georgia...week later I plugged it back in...works fine a year later

[E0339]

Sent mine out to Georgia...week later I plugged it back in...works fine a year later

Thanks for the share!

[Jason5driver]

Sent mine out to Georgia...week later I plugged it back in...works fine a year later
What's in Georgia ?

[1933beer]

We have a 2000 528i we first replaced the sensors then sent our module off for repair through a ebay repair place in florida. It came back and didnt do anything. The company returned an email and asked for codes. P0500 didnt work for them they said we needed to talk the the unit get its codes and suggested a reader to do that. I got the reader and it fails to communicate with the reader. I ssent a reply to the tech. Question as i tried to communicate on my 97z3 and it failed to communicate as well. Do I need to plug into the round port that is by the abs unit? There work is warranteed so if we cant get it to work i can send it back. he did tell me what was wrong with the unit and that they replaced common parts that go bad anyway.

[E0339]

We have a 2000 528i we first replaced the sensors then sent our module off for repair through a ebay repair place in florida. It came back and didnt do anything. The company returned an email and asked for codes. P0500 didnt work for them they said we needed to talk the the unit get its codes and suggested a reader to do that. I got the reader and it fails to communicate with the reader. I ssent a reply to the tech. Question as i tried to communicate on my 97z3 and it failed to communicate as well. Do I need to plug into the round port that is by the abs unit? There work is warranteed so if we cant get it to work i can send it back. he did tell me what was wrong with the unit and that they replaced common parts that go bad anyway.

The TLDR to your question is yes, you have to use the 20 pin connector. Unless you do the below.

I would recommend following this video (https://youtu.be/kWKcWBMESDQ) to send ABS data to your OBD-II connector so you can forget about the 20 pin connector entirely.

Explanation of this whole thing is below:

707348

The highlighted (blue) cable is connected to the 20 pin connector. That's the round port. That highlighted cable goes to your ABS (and other things). The data from the highlighted cable is not sent to the OBD-II port. That's why you can't connect. What the video above explains is how to send the data from the highlighted cable to pin 17. Data from pin 17 is sent to the OBD-II connector as shown on the diagram. This is why you can scan engine codes at the moment.

You can verify this by scanning for engine codes with the scanner you have through the OBD-II connector. You should be able to do this. And after following the video, you should be able to scan ABS codes, too.

[1933beer]

I wish i hadnt already ordered the cable i would just have done that mode. My cable will be here sunday so i can wait. I just hope it gets me to the fix.

[Chedley]

It will certainly point you to the root cause of the problem.
Scanning the ABS should have been the first step, before sending it for -- maybe non necessary ?-- repair.

[1933beer]

They did have to fix something the guy said. I had looked at other threads and since my son had already replaced the wheel sensors i didnt think anything was left. The car has 92k and in good shape otherwise.

[E0339]

They did have to fix something the guy said. I had looked at other threads and since my son had already replaced the wheel sensors i didnt think anything was left. The car has 92k and in good shape otherwise.

I had the same thinking with repairing mine. If it ain't broken it sure will be soon.

[1933beer]

I got to read the codes today with the adaptor. It says 3 of the 4 wheel sensors are not working. Right rear is working. Yet we have no speedometer. It was working intermitently before we replaced them. My son replaced the sensors that were heap not bmw. What has been peoples luck with that type?

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

The left rear speed sensor is what gets the speedo back.

[E0339]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220823/4cc909504db0feb242c99bb8ebab6c44.jpg


Got myself a collection

[Sam Son]

Bumping this one back up rather than starting a new thread...

Went the module masters route. Put the rebuilt unit in the car. Wiped out all the lights. Rolled the car a few feet out of the garage felt the abs pulsate through the brake pedal. Then all the lights came back on. Speedo and odo work now but no cruise control.

Only codes in the system are P0500 and P1624. 2 wheel speed sensors were replaced already

anyone have some insight into this? its a 2000 528iT. Supposedly for MY2000 P1624 can relate to a bad tstat? Is that accurate?

[Chedley]

P0500 is a bad speed sensor, and P1624 is a pedal or tstat issue.
Are these new error codes popping out after the ABS module repair ? They having nothing to do with the good or bad ABS.
Do you have a BMW specific scanner -- such as INPA-- to interrogate the ABS module ??

[E0339]

Ok. Update! (Before you continue reading, please take a look at the two posts above my comment here for questions that are being asked. I don't want this post to have people start missing the ones above)

Here's an overview of what happened:

- Sent my ABS Unit out to get repaired
- Received it back working, but the diagnostics line was knocked out. Shorted.
- Module Masters worked with me throughout the next month or two covering all expenses until I got a module that worked. We went through about 3 modules. We were just swapping modules. They sent me one out. I sent them back the one beforehand. Etc etc.
- They let me talk to the tech for an hour, and all the communication was very transparent. And they let me keep my original module without any questions.

I installed the latest one in my car, and the car's back to normal. No lights. ABS works. Braking feel is stellar. The latest one has damaged weather stripping, so I'm going to ask if I can get one with weather stripping that matches the module I sent them originally, but either than that, this journey seems to have concluded.

Throughout this process, I learned:
- Module Masters is a very, very professional company that takes care of their customers. I highly recommend working with them. To Sam Son's post: Don't hesitate to reach out to them and share what's going on, after you do your own diagnosis.
- I learned how to use NCSExpert and how to code the new ABS Modules to my car
- I learned how to re-calibrate the steering angle sensor

Detailed guides for coding the ABS Module and re-calibrating the steering angle sensor may be created from this.

Highly recommend working with Module Masters!

[7 Series]

Hey Bimmer fans. I am looking on EBAY for Module Masters and I cannot find them. Can anyone share a link please?

[crazy4trains]

They are KAPUT.

[Jason5driver]

https://modulemaster.com/pages/product-result?rq=my_car-truck~yr_2001~mk_bmw~md_525i