Technical Abs,asr,esp Fault!!!

[Deckchair5]

Try an easy one first. Find your ABS electrical connector for each wheel, they're pretty easy to find and close to each wheel,

Here's a rear one
disconnect, use contact cleaner, reconnect and see what happens

 

[australicus]

Thank you Deckchair5,
I did just as you suggested. It worked. No more beeping sounds and ABS/ESP signal lights.

 

[Deckchair5]

Excellent! Nice to hear it worked. Well done

 

[RichardH]

Re: abs, esp, asr fault

Solution!

New battery did it for me.

My Stilo JTD115 MW, 2003, has had this "ESP, ASR failure" from day 3, sometimes "Loose connection" and so on, but only in the morning after a cold wet night, especially in roundabouts.
When the engine was restarted, the problem did not reappear that day.

After reading about the topic on this forum, and others, i tried some of the solutions under warranty, even changing the steering angle sensor in the steering weel, but after a while the error reappeared.

I didn't try a new battery, because i felt that it was to new, so it could not be the cause.
Well, - wrong was i! Last week, after 4 years "rebooting" the car every morning, i felt that it maybe was time to visit some experts on batteries.

They concluded instantly that the original battery was too small for a diesel engine that size, and they would never fit a battery that size in a car like that.

The original battery was 60 Ah - 380 A starting capacity.

The new battery, they recommended is 74 Ah - 680 A starting capacity.

Now i can not provoke the error to appear, no matter what i do!
- even in roundabouts...

My feeling is, that this is an obvious error from the factory, and it is apalling that FIAT has been so unhelpful on this matter!

4 YEARS! FIAT
- Did i mention that the expenses of course were covered by me! The car is out of warranty, even though the error appeared from day 3!
I don't bother going to courd for this, but i think i would have a good case...

 

[Deckchair5]

Re: abs, esp, asr fault

Hmmm. I don't know,. There are lots of JTDs with that size battery without problems and you have had loose connection warnings.

Imagine your battery is like a domestic water header tank, storing energy in a similar way. You have a "loose connection" ie a leak, maybe on the input or maybe on the output from the water tank so you're constantly losing water somewhere, especially noticeable overnight. Someone keeps telling you they can hear dripping water in the night
You go to have your shower in the morning "Where's the pressure? Bloody useless shower!" Low water pressure = Low battery voltage= ASR, ESP warnings

So you fit a much bigger header water tank. Problem solved.
Lovely showering now in the mornings" "Just feel that! What a difference"
But unless you've cured the leak in fitting the new tank, the leak might still be there in the form of a bad connection, maybe bad earth line. Are you with me?

There was also the possibility there was a dead cell, maybe a warped plate in the old battery-the equivilent of a severed head from a dead body in the water tank restricting its capacity

You may have cured it and i really hope you have but personally I'd feel happier after checking battery static current drain, bad earth connections etc.

Bigger and new battery is always good though, so it's a sound investment especially on a diesel.

 

[RichardH]

Re: abs, esp, asr fault

You could be right. It did help me though.
I just referred to the battery repair-mans opinion, i'm no specialist on this myself.
There are other Stilos driving around out there with this issue, and not all of them are diesels. And as You say, a lot of diesels without the problem.

I am still annoyed with FIAT on this matter, they could be more helpfull.
It is mindblowing that no one has found the exact cause to this problem, especially FIAT themselves, maybe they also have forgotten the Stilo and just have written off theese customers, as they don't expect to see them again anyway?
Too bad though, i personally think that in every other matters it is a quite reliable car, and it is better or at least as well build as the competitors from PSA, Ford Opel/Vauxhall and so on...

I will report here, if the problem reappears!

 

[Deckchair5]

Re: abs, esp, asr fault

You look like you're kind of keen on Fiats too with that list

I think an expert on electrics i.e. an auto electricians would be a better visit rather than "an expert on batteries"

The trouble with Fiat garages is too many models, too many varients, too much choice (oh wait a minute - that's a good thing) but techs have to be Jack of all Trades, experts at everything

To keep the good, all round techs on they have to give people the likes of T1, NumanR and Dannyboy £100K plus salaries and we're paying their wages

 

[RichardH]

Re: abs, esp, asr fault

Well, the problem reappeared, but only 3-4 times since october.
So i could live with it now, but I got a good price for the stilo and traded it in for a new bravo.

 

[shaun1610]

stilo as 4 speedo , sensors , ( one on each wheel ) ,, check them ,, as for ARS ,, I checked everything , bought everything ,, ( IT WAS THE EXHAUST ) it had a small leek ,, ( I went to garage , cause it was blowing , ) not load ,, in fact nobody else could here it ,, but I could wen I was driving ,, so had middle box changed ?? , ( NO MORE ARS ) did not expect fault to be sorted out ) , just changed exhaust , cause it was bugging me ,, went back to garage , and told them , they said , most properly , was losing amisisons , that can cause , ars problems