Technical ESC and Flashing Hazards

[Herts Hillhopper]

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There is also a voltage regulator on the negative terminal of the battery but I don't think this affects things significantly other than the stop-start.

The unit on the battery is a voltage monitor, not regulator. Yes, it’s used by the stopstart system to assess voltage, but I have a hunch it also influences the voltage output of the ‘intelligent’ alternator (the output voltage of which varies considerably depending on speed, engine load, and electrical demand)

 

[alamar]

Standing for 5 days; does your car have Blue & Me (that has stopped working?) B&M fails "on" so leaves a drain on the battery even when car is locked. ESC and other warnings are sometimes associated with low battery volts. So, if B&M unit down then battery discharges with no use, warning lights go away when battery is recovered (charged). B&M unit must be disconnected under the passenger seat (on Right Hand Drive cars - maybe drivers on LHD???) to prevent this drain. Mileage indicator (odometer) flashes when car turned on is an indicator of failure.

There is also a voltage regulator on the negative terminal of the battery but I don't think this affects things significantly other than the stop-start.

Tested B&M and it is working without problems. I have a 1.2 petrol 2012 plate so no start-stop system installed. Any other ideas?
I also sent a pm to the OP and he said they fix the ESC problem at the MOT by plugging in something that was unplugged but he does not know what was it. What could that be?

 

[roverp480]

My 18 month old 21 plate Panda 4x4 had only 4800 miles on it when I purchased it used from Fiat Dealer and the battery was shot , presumably lots of short journey or little use. It had only 65% capacity left so was changed under warranty. A number of computer related issues due to low voltage on cranking although it started easily . Have you actually had the battery tested under load.

 

[alamar]

Yes I tested the battery under load and it was fine but as suggested by a garage I changed it anyway with the brand new Varta Silver Dynamic C30 battery as it was 4.5 years old. The ESC light is still present. The latest error code is U1701-86. I searched some Italian Fiat forums and this code can lead to anything related to communication with ECU. A nightmare error code as some forum users described it as it can be something as little as damaged wire or expensive as busted ABS unit. I already spent a lot of money on three different garages and no solution yet so guess I will need to search for a specialist car electrician to solve this before MOT in October.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Ideally you need to find a specialist who can read the specific Fiat error codes - generic codes are less helpful. If they find ABS faults they should be able to identify which sensor is at fault (eg a specific wheel) - they are easy to damage when changing brake discs.

 

[alamar]

Yes, brake discs and pads were replaced 10 months ago but the ESC light first started to appear ocasionally two months ago. After a few weeks it was ON constantly. The garage replaced brake light switch, steering column switch and a couple of other small parts on the brakes. Everything was OK for a couple of test drives and driving home 50km from the garage. After car has been standing for 5 days the ESC light was back ON. Replaced perfectly fine battery with brand new as suggested and the ESC warning light just stays ON. I also suspect there is a problem with one ABS sensor or maybe main unit but the mechanic at Fiat garage is confident ABS light should also be ON if any problems with ABS.

 

[alamar]

After a couple of months driving with ESC light constantly ON and spending €700 for various parts and new battery the car just died yesterday. Went to a garage and it was this little bugger (earth-engine connection). After replacing the car started like a charm and the ESC light miraculously went OFF. Figure that out. Pure luck, costed me €10 plus €20 for 15 minutes of work. Damn...

MTA MTA -EARTH CONNECTION 320 MM - ENGINE (Qty for Packaging 1 ) 2508670 8010266075447

mgpoint.it

 

[Panda IIs]

After a couple of months driving with ESC light constantly ON and spending €700 for various parts and new battery the car just died yesterday. Went to a garage and it was this little bugger (earth-engine connection). After replacing the car started like a charm and the ESC light miraculously went OFF. Figure that out. Pure luck, costed me €10 plus €20 for 15 minutes of work. Damn...

MTA MTA -EARTH CONNECTION 320 MM - ENGINE (Qty for Packaging 1 ) 2508670 8010266075447

mgpoint.it

Thanks for the update; so the various contributions on here were on the right track - a voltage issue? Just a high resistance in the return circuit?

 

[FiatMatt94]

Thanks for the update; so the various contributions on here were on the right track - a voltage issue? Just a high resistance in the return circuit?

If it helps I had the ESC & hill hold unavailable issue recently, after some investigating it turned out to be the earth strap which goes from the top of the gearbox to the body, the strap is very exposed with no outer sleeve on it, my car is only 5 years old & the cable was rotten so I went to Euro Car Parts & got another earth cable for less than £10 & problem was solved

 

[roverp480]

I have just been looking at a YouTube clip from US. with very similar issues . A 3 year old car had been to main dealer due to various error messaged & Electric power steering issues. GM dealer had quoted over $3000 for ecu's etc plus $2000 fitting to repair ., and $800 diagnostics charge . Local garage did proper diagnostics going back to basics such as voltages at the various ECU's which dropped by 5 or 6 volts when steering operated ( big current draw) and found a badly corroded earth strap to frame , which broke in his hand when pulled , $14 for new strap cured it