When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
Originally Posted by sushistrip
According to previous owner almost all ABC components were replaced, save for valve blocks which were most likely rebuilt. Could be horse **** though. Since the pulsation dampener is cheap and easy to replace I will probably just do it to rule it out.
😂🤣😅 Pics (and papers) or it didn't happen. We'll see what happens with a new one, then you'll know how to treat the rest of his claims.
Finally had a code show up which I'm guessing is a root cause: C0137 - Fault in CAN communication with the component 'N51/2 (Active Body Control (ABC) Module)'.
Unfortunately that could be caused by any number of things. However, I also have these two codes:
N1100 - No signal is received from the right side speed sensors.
N1101 - No signal is received from the left side speed sensors.
These are not from the ESP or ABC module, though. They are from the 'TELE AID, E-call or cellular telephone-Telematic system(K-wire)' module.
I ordered two speed sensors for the front, so we'll see if that does anything. Next steps are to pull the ESP/ABC modules and check wires/contacts.
'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
Have you tried disconnecting the battery overnight and reconnecting it, making sure it's fully charged? I'm wondering if that's one of those "MB things" that will clear itself. I've been surprised the silly electronic things that get resolved by disconnecting the battery overnight. Of course you'll have to reconnect it on the 1/2 or full hour to get the clock right (ask me how I know).
I've also heard of the tele-aid / alarm system causing a draw that drains the battery just enough to cause all manner of electronic gremlins. Disconnecting the battery overnight also lets you check its strength and condition.
The part of this that I cannot make sense of is the problem popping up while you were driving the car, at which point the alternator should have been charging the battery. Of course the battery could have been poor enough upon sale to you that it still weakened as you were driving.
ABC modules are plentiful and cheap on eBay, so having one for testing purposes isn't a horrible idea. But I don't hear much of them going bad, so I'm more suspect of the battery strength at this point. I don't hear much of bad wheel sensors either, but I suppose it's possible.
So the voltage I'm showing on my Autel is 11.99-12.11 while doing various diagnostics, car is not running and ignition is on. Now, that's coming through the ODBII port, so I'll test it at the terminals and see what it says. I did have disconnecting the battery on my list, so I will give that a shot tonight. Luckily this is not my only car, so I can do whatever manner of diagnostic to it and not have to worry about driving it.
On another note, my vibration at 1400rpm only seems to be present on a cold start. I was incorrect on the idle, it looks to be sitting normally around 600rpm after the car warms up. There is a subtle idle shake, although MUCH less now that the mounts are all fresh. It makes me wonder if I have a tiny vac leak or the TB needs to be cleaned. Sparkplugs are new, and I saw basically zero change in driving behavior after changing them. The car performs great at WOT, pulls nicely. So whatever the issue is I think it's minor.
Just pulled every fuse and relay in the boxes under the hood, all are fine. The boxes are immaculate, no evidence of corrosion or moisture ingest. The connections on the ESP and ABC modules are an absolute beast, so I'm not going to try and pull those just yet.
I did notice some odd things about the sensor values with the car off. I've already verified the speed sensors are working, so the codes being thrown are super weird.
Last edited by sushistrip; 01-23-2023 at 08:45 PM.
I forgot to mention another symptom with the steering, which is it won't return to center when maneuvering at low speeds. Makes me think there is indeed an issue with the speed sensors.
The battery that was in it was going bad, also was not AGM, so corrected that with a new battery. Also replaced both front speed sensors. Zero change in symptoms.
'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
Originally Posted by sushistrip
Just did an ABC fluid flush. Sucked out what was in the reservoir first, which was disgusting, and refilled. Replaced filter and ran the rodeo on my Autel to warm up the fluid. Pressure would fluctuate between 180-190bar, which I believe is normal? Ran a line from the return line to a bucket and poured about 12L of fluid while the rodeo ran, happens very quick btw.
It's so hard to tell, but I think the suspension feel is better? Steering is still stupid stiff. Some turns I have to use two hands. Nothing like if the power steering wasn't working at all, but definitely not correct. What's weird is the steering effort is stiffer that faster I'm going when trying to turn. For instance, backing out of a parking space isn't that bad, but turning through a light at speed is very stiff.
All I've done on the power steering side is check the dipstick, which looked clean. However, I've a sneaking suspicion that the fluid in the power steering side is maybe just not the right fluid. So I might suck out what's in there and put pentosin in, start the car, lock to lock a few times, suck out fluid, refill, repeat.
The shop also said there's some play in the front wheel bearings, as well as control arms, which could be contributing to my steering problems.
Did you ever get to that PS fluid and filter? Also, are you sure you have consistent power to the ABC module? Did you pick up a spare module for testing? Those steps would be next for me.
maw
EDIT… NVM, I just saw your other thread about the eBay tandem pump… SMDH
Did you ever get to that PS fluid and filter? Also, are you sure you have consistent power to the ABC module? Did you pick up a spare module for testing? Those steps would be next for me.
maw
EDIT… NVM, I just saw your other thread about the eBay tandem pump… SMDH
Idk how I would test power to the module, it should also throw a code if it sees voltage spikes/dips. If the ESP module is showing a code that it can't communicate with the ABC module then that tells me its an internal problem with the ABC module, but potentially a problem with the CAN bus.
All tandem pumps are remanufactured. I called the dealer and they want ~$400 for one. There might be a "fresh" one sitting out there somewhere, but if someone is asking $1k-$2k for one as if it is new it's probably a scam. They use one souce for them, starts with an L, can't remember.
The ABC side of the pump is fine, it passed a rodeo just fine, pressure never dropped below 185 bar. The steering side could be bad, but if there were pressure issues on that side it should throw a code. Also if it just wasn't able to pressurize, the steering would be incredibly stiff in park and it's not.
Should the wheel/tire be difficult to turn by hand with the car in the air? I was changing front speed sensors last night and was trying to get a better angle on the bolt by turning the knuckle and it was stiff as a board. I'm starting to wonder if the speed proportional solenoid is bad...
Last edited by sushistrip; 01-29-2023 at 12:07 PM.
Just saw this post and will admit I haven't read it thoroughly so this post may be useless. I see in the first post you had an ESP/ABS code.
Years ago in my '08 S65 I started the car and ESP/ABS and Park Assist warning lights were on. What was really strange was the steering felt like it was slightly less assisted. Not sure how it was related to the problem but it was. Dealer said they found an internal fault (invoice states fault codes 5905 & 5906) in the control unit and replaced.
Just saw this post and will admit I haven't read it thoroughly so this post may be useless. I see in the first post you had an ESP/ABS code.
Years ago in my '08 S65 I started the car and ESP/ABS and Park Assist warning lights were on. What was really strange was the steering felt like it was slightly less assisted. Not sure how it was related to the problem but it was. Dealer said they found an internal fault (invoice states fault codes 5905 & 5906) in the control unit and replaced.
Randy
Appreciate the input. At this point I'm just gonna have to start replacing stuff. There's never been a light on the dash to point me in any direction unfortunately. I've ordered an ABC module off ebay, so we'll see if that makes a difference.
Replaced the ABC control module, copied coding from my old module, zero change.
I think next step is to replace the ESP module. Luckily these modules are fairly cheap on ebay, $50-$100ea., and if my problem is a module it's pretty unlikely that someone else's module shares the same issue.
The fact that I had a CAN fault tells me this problem is going to be extremely tricky to track down, but so it goes. I'll update when I've done more.
Ran an active test of the Y10(Speed-sensitive Power Steering (SPS/PML) Solenoid. At full steering assist the solenoid shows around 900mA, and steering is quite soft. Least steering assist it shows around 400mA and is very difficult to turn the wheel. I drove the car with the test running, but without activating/deactivating the solenoid which seems to disable the speed sensitivity and runs it at full pressure assist. This was a good test because it rules out the steering rack or solenoid as the problem. After doing this and exiting the diagnostics the SPS seemed to behave a bit better, it was much softer around the parking lot but firmed up at speed. I'm still suspecting an electrical issue somewhere though.
Ran a dynamic test of the suspension. This test has you hold rpms at 3,000 while it sporadically activates each strut to simulate real driving conditions. Pressure during this test dropped to around 145 bar at it's lowest point, which from what I've read is normal even on a brand new pump. Running the test didn't result in any change in behavior while driving, however I'm confident that the hydraulic components are in good shape after the test.
'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
I agree with your tests but I'm not sure it rules out the solenoid. I agree your hydraulics are likely fine. It seems the solenoid could be failing (on its way out) but running the test powers it enough so that it just runs at full assist. Out of ideas, I might replace that solenoid, but I've lived that problem before on other cars. Solenoids can just be tricky sometimes.
I agree with your tests but I'm not sure it rules out the solenoid. I agree your hydraulics are likely fine. It seems the solenoid could be failing (on its way out) but running the test powers it enough so that it just runs at full assist. Out of ideas, I might replace that solenoid, but I've lived that problem before on other cars. Solenoids can just be tricky sometimes.
maw
Fair point. Unfortunately that solenoid is ~$300, which is a bit steep for something that might just be fine. I suppose I could try a new one, if there's no change, return it.
As for the ride, I'm going to try playing with the coding on this new ABC module and see if there are something that might force it to have a softer dampening profile. Been reading some Airmatic vs ABC posts and a lot of people comment that the ABC system is a lot firmer, but maybe they unknowingly had an issue? My main complaint is the harsh rebound on the highway, it's stiffer than my RS7 with DRC.
Would be sweet if someone in the Kansas City area had an ABC car that I could compare with.
'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
Harsh ride = fluid + dampers. So far I see you've replaced fluid. Have the dampers ("spheres" "accumulators") been done?
Steering = the mystery here.
maw
EDIT... NVM, I see you have receipts with part numbers. Has anyone looked at them to determine if they're in fact replacements? It could be that the car is just firmer than you expect, but with uncertain service history it's tough to tell.
Electronics are still a factor for suspension. If you put it in sport mode it's suppose to firm everything up. Pressing the sport button doesn't do anything because the ride is already firm. If an accumulator was blown it wouldn't pass a rodeo + dynamic test.
Small update. Replaced steering rack (finally received one that isn't broken from Maval, ridiculous), and replaced the ABC pump for good measure. Zero change in suspension and steering feel, so that was a fun $1,500 experiment, but at least I can rule those two components out. Next steps would be to do an initial coding on the ABC and ESP modules, ensuring they are reset properly. After that I'll be replacing all the sensors in the system one by one, keeping in mind I haven't had a single code indicating an issue with any of these.
One thing I finally noticed is that on first start and take off the suspension is decently supple and the steering reasonably soft, that is until you get the car over a certain speed. At that point it seems to default to a stiff setting for both the suspension and steering until you shut the car off for a period of time.
I've read in various other posts that the modules in these cars can be finicky and can get stuck in a certain locked or mod mode when you put a scanner on them. Can anyone shed some light on this?
Is there anyone that can share their SPS solenoid values when doing an active test? When active it is ~450mA and when off it is ~770mA (lower the amps the stiffer the steering), however when first opening the SPS active test function it's showing ~950mA.
01-22-2023, 03:48 PM
