Hi All! Had my M3 scanned after I changed all (4) ABS wheel speed sensors and ABS light on: The following codes appeared on the scanner tool: 5DF0 = Pump Unit Failure 5DF1 - Pump Unit Plug Faulty The ABS lights came on a few months ago when I rolled over the speed bumps where I lived: when the front wheels went over at the same time. They when leaving, the front wheels went over the speed bump first: then would go out. Then eventually they continuously would all stay on. Remember I changed all (4) ABS wheel speed sensors: no change. Questions: 1). Where is the ABS Pump unit located? 2). Could it be that I simply only have a loose plug at the ABS Unit?(remember the speed bump example......) 3). Where is the ABS Unit relay(s) located? 4). Where are the fuses located? Thank You! John M. Coates, Jr. BMW CCA Member #106598 2008 E92 BMW M3 Coupe 12/2007 Production Date 112,456 miles currently
From the looks of the diagram here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=WD93-USA-12-2007-E92-BMW-M3&diagId=34_1486 It would appear to be on the driver's side of the car under the hood, lower than the vacuum booster, & not all that far away from the driver's side front wheel arch - perhaps closer to the vacuum booster rather than in front of the wheel well. If you visually follow the brake lines off the master cylinder coming out of the vacuum booster, they'll go to the ABS pump. I think E9x's have fuses & relays in a variety of places, Charlson will have a better answer - I'd assume the main fusebox is in the engine compartment though - the owner's manual should have that info; I _think_ owner's manual for late model bimmers can be downloaded as .pdf's somewhere off the BMWUSA.com website. Since that fault says loose plug, sounds plausible to me, but Charlson will have a more informed comment on that too.
The dsc should be next to the master cylinder if I recall the M3 correctly. Normally those faults indicate the hydrounit or the DSC control unit have failed. The bumps loosed a connection in the module/ hydrounit causing the faults. The fuses are located behind the glove box just open the access panel on the inside of the glovebox to get to the fuse boxes.
Thank You: MGarrison & charlson89 for your excellent advice! I will start my journey tomorrow and the plan is to check for a loose harness connection at the ABS pump and go from there. Cheers! John M. Coates, Jr. BMW CCA Member #106598
Hello All! Well, here is the latest on the ABS pump. I reseated the wiring harness connector and no go. ABS/brake lights on the dash still on. So, did some searching and found on an M3 blog a place called: Module Master 2006 South Main Street Moscow, ID 83843 (888)892-0764 Apparently, there is a design flaw on the ABS internal circuitry and since my scan codes were: 5DF0 = Pump Unit Faulty 5DF1 = Pump Unit Plug Faulty They said that they can rebuild my faulty unit to even better than OEM spec and guarantee it for 5 years for $250. They know which components have a history of failure and upgrade them. Why can't BMW do this at the factory before releasing our cars from QA? I had to include the hydraulic unit too so basically the entire ABS unit as unbolted and removed from the car has to go to them. Their website is very informative and the FAQ section answers pretty much every question that I had. Turn around time is normally 1 to 2 days once they get it(depending on current work load). Stay tuned and I will update everyone hopefully on my success with Module Master! I read each and every feedback comment and all were positive. Could be a reasonable alternative to $2,400+ at the dealership or $400 for good used one off of eBay(which if an OEM unit has the design flaw thus a ticking time bomb headed for failure). Cheers to All! John M. Coates, Jr. BMW CCA Member #106598
Hello All! Well, I received my completely rebuilt ABS pump module back from Module Masters up in Idaho Tuesday evening. It was packaged very well for the return trip to San Diego and had no damage. The total including shipping was $270. I mounted the ABS pump module back in the M3 in about 10 minutes after work last night. Now need to bleed the air from the system. Question: I have a power bleeder for the brakes but how do I properly bleed the air from the ABS pump module? I don't have a scanner to activate the pump motor like on YouTube either. Can't I simply bleed the calipers in succession like always then use the pressure from the power bleeder to crack the (6) fittings on the ABS manifold to release the air? Should I not do that and crank the engine to run the car and crack the fittings as mentioned to release the air? Please advise. As always, many thanks! Sincerely, John M. Coates, Jr. BMWCCA Member #106598
The best way is to use a scanner to run the pump and vibrate the solenoids to get the air out. The poor mans way to bleed is to use the power bleeder first then drive the vehicle and activate the abs doing hard stops and then doing another brake flush until the pedal feels normal. CAUTION though before you drive there will be air in the lines and the brakes will not work as well so be very very careful driving.
Hello Everyone! I'm back on the road! Thanks Again to charlson89 for your excellent advice! I used my power bleeder to flush out the existing brake fluid and used my second to last liter can of ATE Super Blue(no longer for sale....sad, long story). I then started the engine and pumped the brake pedal several times and I could hear the ABS pump motor start running. I then topped off the brake fluid level and went out to drive the M3......keeping in mind that there would be some air in the system as charlson89 said. I went only a short distance....maybe 50 feet and all of the ABS warning lights went off(all four of them + icon)! I was happy but cautious. I drove the car for a solid hour and even shut it off at the grocery store and Home Depot. No more ABS lights period! I will bleed the brakes one more time with the power bleeder to make sure I remove any air in the system then call it good! I highly recommend Module Masters up in Moscow, Idaho to rebuilt your ABS pump unit when you get the ABS warning lights. High mileage cars like mine(112,355) it is not if but when. For $250 to rebuild the Ate ABS pump unit better than OEM and guarantee it for 5 years is a super deal vs paying $2,400+ from the dealership + labor/tax on top of that! I am 100% totally satisfied. I did all the work myself. Pump takes only 30 minutes to remove and 15 minutes to reinstall then 1 hour to jack up remove wheels to bleed with power bleeder. Take Care! Sincerely, John M. Coates, Jr. BMW Member #106598 San Diego, CA
Probably would be a good idea to brake hard enough to activate the abs system several times to cycle the solenoids which should push any remaining air out of the abs pump before your final bleed. If you have an isolated low-traffic street/road you can get to on a rainy day, you could get the the abs going more times and at slower speeds, the wetter the road, the better (short of so much water you hydroplane off the road!). Obviously doing unexplained emergency stops is best done with no one around, especially behind you. 2-4 full-on hard stops probably adequate, point is to get multiple cyclings of the abs pump. Glad to hear you got it resolved w/ an affordable option, I'm sure many will find the info helpful!
