Strange one - anyone have an idea?

[M@r]{]

Missus calls on the way to work today, stuck in the snow. I go out to rescue in the Z3 Anyway get her unstuck, wave her happily off as she drives into the distance.....then I get stuck Anyway after about 30 mins of rocking backwards and forwards etc I finally get going, but....... my ABS and traction control lights have come on???? Checked for any ECU faults and there are none. Left the car for an hour or so, tried again still no luck.

So any ideas why getting stuck in the snow could do this? My thought is a sensor somewhere has got water/snowed up, hence why I left it to defrost on the drive. But still got the problem (although it wouldn't have dried off, just defrosted possibly)

Other question, is there a hard reset I can try? Ie maybe the sensor has water ingress and needs resetting?

Any help would be really appreciated, I'm really pissed off as I'm in the process of selling the car so could really do without lights on the dash!!

[muppet]

Dirt in the ABS sensors can do that, a jet wash in at the brakes could clear it.

If you were out in the snow why was your traction control on. if in the snow turn it off and life become a lot easier... Honest

[M@r]{]

It was off, just when I come to turn it off it wouldn't, also noticed the ABS light on.

But thanks for the advice on the jetwash, I'll give it a go in Sunday (apparently its supposed to be sunny and above freezing )

[M@r]{]

Ok removed all four ABS sensors, gave them a clean, disconnected the battery for 15mins and........... lights are still on

The only thing left to try is to take it for a drive, I've heard that can help reset it all?? If that doesn't work I've obviously got a faulty sensor. Bit of a coincidence that it became faulty just as I was stuck in the snow

So failing this is off to an Indy to get them to run diagnostics to identify which sensor has gone down

[g8jka]

Normally when you take the car out for a drive once you hit 15mph the light should go off providing the fault is gone, not just when the ignition is switched back on.

Take it up the road and see if it goes out when you hit 15mph

[M@r]{]

Arh good, that gives me some hope. I've sent the missus off to the doctors in the car so hopefully she'll come back with a light free dash

[M@r]{]

Wha-hoo. She arrives back after a 5 mile round trip and all the lights have cleared Must have just been a dirty sensor, not surprising after the amount of crap I kicked up trying to get it unstuck from the snow/mud

[g8jka]

Happens in mine quite often, comes on and next time I take it out for a drive it clears at 15mph and will stay off for a few months then. Just a dirty sensor

[Z3C]

This is quite common on all modern cars. The ABS/ESP system is not "taught" to recognize a situation when the car is stuck in snow. So when you're spinning the wheels excessively with traction control on, the systen eventually starts to assume that its faulty and shuts down completely. It may take quite a while for it to recognize again that everything is OK.

Another thing that can set this off is a locked wheel stuck by a frozen handrake (very familiar situation for all of us here up north ) When you are dragging the wheel around trying to get it unlocked, the system againg doesn't understand whats happenig and eventually shuts down.

So technically this is a minor issue but actually it can make your car very dangerous! This is because drivers are not used to drive without driving aids these days. So when the systems shut down completely, which usually happens during winter, you are completely unprepared. Espesially absence of the ABS is treacherous. After all, when have you driven a car without ABS the last time? Still remember how to brake during cornering?

[M@r]{]

Ok that makes sense. And at least mine have now been out and had a clean so if they ever do fail they'll be easy to remove.

As for driving without them it would be like home from home for me, years of Lotus ownership and you learn to live without driver aids. Not just TC and ABS, don't even have power steering or assisted brakes. Proper drivers car

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[gookah]

After all, when have you driven a car without ABS the last time? Still remember how to brake during cornering?

I drive one daily, a peugeot 206, its not that uncommon

[Robert T]

I drive one without servo assisted brakes, never mind ABS or power steering!

Cheers R.

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[gookah]

I drive one without servo assisted brakes, never mind ABS or power steering!

Cheers R.

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You have certainly let the maintenance slip on the Z Robert... Get them fixed or it will drive like the frog.