Focus - ABS & ESP lights on

Big Chris · 30 Dec 2010 at 10:31

This might seem like a fairly obvious question, just wanted a bit of advice though.

The ESP light on my '99 Mk1 Focus comes on when the wheels momentarily lose traction, but this is only ever for very short periods of time. Given the recent snow & ice, this has happened more frequently.

However, having driven it the other day in some pretty deep snow, both the ABS and the ESP light are now illuminated permanently. The handbook tells me to take it to a garage asap, which I'm going to do obviously, but what do you guys think has actually happened here?

Has the snow mangled something expensive, or is there a sensor or something that might have failed here?

Saytan · 30 Dec 2010 at 10:48

probably an ABS wheel sensor.

Big Chris · 30 Dec 2010 at 11:25

Would that make the ESP light come on too? Are we talking mega-bucks to fix or is it relatively easy?

Janesy B · 30 Dec 2010 at 11:31

Big Chris said:
Would that make the ESP light come on too? Are we talking mega-bucks to fix or is it relatively easy?

It would use the sensor to detect loss of grip on acceleration as it would detect slip when braking?

Saytan · 30 Dec 2010 at 11:32

the ESP system on those focuses uses the ABS wheel sensors to monitor wheel speed, so it's entirely possible.

shouldnt be megabucks...

Janesy B · 30 Dec 2010 at 11:33

ECP have the sensors for £50 each, an hours labour to fit?

Big Chris · 30 Dec 2010 at 11:34

Ok cheers, as you can probably tell I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to cars.

B@Th*nG · 30 Dec 2010 at 11:43

before you take it into the garage, seeing as this has happened just AFTER a shed load of ice, snow and other such crap on the road you should clean the sensor.

Take the front wheels off (mine only has ABS on the front anyway) and you'll be able to fairly easily find the ABS sensor on the wheel hub. It'll likely use a hex bolt fitting so just unscrew, pull out and clean it with a wipe of some wd40. Also make sure that the ABS ring (a notched ring of metal surrounding the wheel hub) isn't caked in something.

Shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes a side.

B@

Big Chris · 30 Dec 2010 at 11:51

B@Th*nG said:
before you take it into the garage, seeing as this has happened just AFTER a shed load of ice, snow and other such crap on the road you should clean the sensor.

Take the front wheels off (mine only has ABS on the front anyway) and you'll be able to fairly easily find the ABS sensor on the wheel hub. It'll likely use a hex bolt fitting so just unscrew, pull out and clean it with a wipe of some wd40. Also make sure that the ABS ring (a notched ring of metal surrounding the wheel hub) isn't caked in something.

Shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes a side.

B@

Cheers, I'll give that go this avo.

Howard · 30 Dec 2010 at 12:03

How 'permanently'? It happened with my friend's ST170 after we got it stuck in a carpark and spent half an hour trying to extract it (eventually with success), after a bit of driving, the lights went out. We assumed the sensors had just got a bit clogged with snow.

Big Chris · 30 Dec 2010 at 12:45

Howard said:
How 'permanently'?

Both lights have been on constantly for 3 or 4 days now. I figured they might go out once the snow melts and it warms up a bit, but not so far.

Gonna try cleaning the sensor first and take it from there.

acharris · 30 Dec 2010 at 23:43

Sounds like a sensor has gone should be a easy fix. Maybe an idea to see if a local auto electrician does code reading as a code should be stored in the system saying which wheel sensor is causing a problem if nothing is jumping out as faulty when you clean the sensors.

Also you probably know this but when the lights are on the ABS and ESP aint activated so if you hit the brakes then you will most likely lock up as the system will revert back to a basic braking system without ABS same for wheelspin as well.

Tute · 30 Dec 2010 at 23:51

My Leon did this and it needed a new ECU. Not trying to worry you or anything.

BigglesPiP · 31 Dec 2010 at 00:28

My Alfa did this on the M58 after a really long period of using the ASR, maybe makes it think it's broken. Ignition off and on sorted mine. I bet if you drive round like Howard suggests it's fine. Or the pump has failed.

squerble · 31 Dec 2010 at 00:33

My Focus (mk2) did this after driving in the snow for a few hours desperate to get home. Also the odometer and trip meter turned into dashes (----) and showed an E200 fault code for the dash. Checked the next day, the whole brake assemblies on the front were caked in snow/ice. Once it melted and I drove the car both lights disappeared after a few hundred yards and has been fine since.

daveydave · 31 Dec 2010 at 12:08

Saytan said:
probably an ABS wheel sensor.

This - I had it on my ST, very cheap and easy job.

MrMoonX · 31 Dec 2010 at 18:16

better hope its not the abs pump, those things are mega bucks on the newer focus, not sure about mk1