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ABS Light on 2009 BMW 328XI - How Do I Fix?

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KodyWallice

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  • #1
I was driving down the road this afternoon, going about 30MPH, when all of the sudden, a bunch of dash lights came on. The most pronounced error light is the ABS 4X4 and the others are BRAKE, ABS, Service Engine Soon, and a triangle with an exclamation mark inside it, with a circular arrow around it. I'll show you a picture of the dash lights below. The car seems to drive fine. Does anyone know what these lights mean? What's wrong with my car? Do I need to look into something?

2009-bmw-328xi-abs-dash-lights.jpg
 
LukeLewis

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  • #2
I see that you have the "lack of power" speed triangle (triangle warning light) illuminated on your dash. This generally means that one of your car's ABS sensors has gone bad. Either that, or your car's drive shaft ring (the areas where your ABS sensors pick up from) has got gunk in it or has rusted or has become corroded. If you feel that the car has lost some power and you're out driving around, you can push the DTC button above your hazard light button to turn off the traction control. This should restore the power so you can get where you're going. Remember, you don't just press the button and let go. You will need to press and hold the button for a few seconds.

The issue here is that there are four ABS wheel sensors; one for each wheel. To find which one has gone bad (if that's the issue), you'll need a code reader. Some code readers will need a "live view" option to tell you which one isn't like the others. So a good code reader is necessary.
 
CraigHardy

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  • #3
Those ABS lights can mean a few different things. It can be the computer giving you problems, a bad ABS pump, or the wheel sensors. The first two are expensive to fix, while the third isn't really, if you do the job yourself. You can buy speed sensors on RockAuto.com. They range in price from $10-$100, with the average price being around $30.

In regards to how you should spend your money; you can buy a code reader for around $100 on Amazon to find out what's going on. If it is an individual wheel sensor that's gone bad, you will need to spend another $30. That's $130 in total, plus tax. Another option would be to purchase four speed sensors for $120 and just replace them all, but that would be a gamble. You'd save money on the code reader though. If you could go to the auto parts store to get a free code reading, that would be best. That was you'd save the money for one of those devices.
 
Phoenix1

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  • #4
Just a word of warning - when you plug the BMW code reader in to your car and there actually is a bad ABS wheel sensor, you're going to see a slew of codes come up. They'll range from D355, D356, D357, and more. You'll probably see that more than one of the wheel speed sensors have failed and then the car isn't receiving transmissions from them. So many errors will lead you to believe that the computer is bad. Or at the very least, that it's got problems. The trick is to keep the code reader plugged into the car and then take the car for a drive. When you do this, you should be able to see live data coming in from each individual wheel speed sensor. While driving, you might see that all of the sensors are fine. Look closely though because some code readers tell you not only the speed of the wheel, but the direction it's turning as well. It's this second area of concern you should focus on. Look for the sensor that's not like the others and you'll find which one has gone bad. If you see that the direction the wheel is not turning isn't available for one sensor, then that's the culprit.
 
KodyWallice

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  • #5

Autophix 7810: Diagnosing ABS System 2009 BMW 328XI​

I recently purchased the Autophix 7810 diagnostic code reader from Amazon to try to diagnose what's wrong with my BMW's ABS system. You can read all about how my ABS error light came on in my car here. I already sort of knew what was wrong. I watched some videos and did a bit of reading and deduced that one of my ABS wheel speed sensors was no longer operating as it should. I had the choice of buying four new wheel speed sensors and winging it (replacing them all) or buying a code reader to find out exactly which one was bad. I was talked into buying the code reader by my lady. She liked the idea of checking out what any codes that happen to pop up mean. I agreed, so I bought the reader. The one I decided on is called the Autophix 7810. I just used it and was told what was wrong with the car in about 30 seconds. To me, that was kind of fast. I guess that's a good thing, but still, I wish it felt like I got my money's worth a little bit more. Oh well.

I just went through the diagnostic process and took pictures each step of the way. I thought I'd post them here, just in case anyone else has had their ABS system dash lights come on in their BMW. Mine is a 2009 BMW 328XI, FYI.

I'll go through the entire process, from plugging the code reader into the car all the way to finding out what the error is.

This is the OBD access panel. I pulled this off to access the plug.

obd-access-panel.jpg

This is the OBD port.

bmw-obd-port.jpg

And this is the Autophix 7810 code reader itself.

autophix-7810.jpg

This is the Autophix code reader plugged into the BMW OBD port.

code-reader-plugged-into-bmw-obd-port.jpg

Whether you have the key in the ignition or not, once the plug is plugged into the port, the unit will turn on. There are no batteries necessary for the code reader. This is the first screen.

autophix-7810-code-reader-home-screen.jpg

Since I'm diagnosing a BMW, I chose the For BMW option and pressed the Enter button. After pressing that button, I was presented with the Instruction screen.

autophix-7810-instruction-screen.jpg

Next, I used the arrow buttons to navigate to the For BMW Series Diagnose option and then I pressed Enter. For each step of this process, I navigated to where I needed to go and then when I wanted to go to the next step, I'd press the Enter button. To back up a step, I'd press the Exit button.

autophix-7810-for-bmw-diagnose.jpg

After that, I chose the For 3 Series option. I did this because the car is a 328XI.

autophix-7810-for-3-series.jpg

Then I navigated to the E90/E91/E92/E93 (2004-2013) option. I didn't know what chassis the car had, so I had to look it up online. It's sort of a pain. BMW has all sorts of chassis codes. This is where I found mine:

https://store.activeautowerke.com/pages/bmw-chassis-codes-chart

autophix-7810-e90-e91-e92.jpg

On the Select Function Screen, I chose Basic Functions.

autophix-7810-select-function.jpg

Then, on the Select Menu screen, I chose System Scan.

autophix-7810-select-menu.jpg

Once the Enter button is pressed, the code reader begins scanning the system. Here's a shot during that process. You can see the percentage completed in the upper right corner.

autophix-7810-scanning.jpg

The lines in red are problems.

This is the Select System Diagnose screen. It list all of areas that are okay as well as the areas that need to be looked into. I think all of these red areas are related to the one issue my car is facing.

autophix-7810-select-system-diagnose.jpg

To start out, I navigated to the EGS Transmission Control option and pressed Enter.

autophix-7810-egs-transmission-control.jpg

This brought me to the Select Function screen. I chose the Read Fault Codes option.

autophix-7810-select-function (1).jpg

Well look what we have here. It says: 581A Signal Error, Wheel Speed, Front Left, From DSC. I'm guessing that's the ABS wheel speed sensor.

autophix-7810-581a-signal-error-front-left-wheel.jpg

Next I checked the VGT Transfer Case error.

autophix-7810-vgt-transfer-case.jpg

I'm not sure that gave me an actual error, so I checked the SC Dynamic Stability Control error.

autophix-7810-sc-dynamic-stability-control.jpg

And that error read 5E27 Wheel Speed, Plausibility, Front Left.

autophix-7810-5e27-wheel-speed-plausibility-front-left.jpg

I don't know. I'm guessing the front left ABS wheel speed sensor is bad. I ordered one from Rock Auto for around $27. It's the Hella speed sensor with a part number of 012806101. I'll get it in about a week and install it. Then, I'll check back here with my report. Hopefully the dash lights will turn off.
 
KodyWallice

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  • #6

What's the Best BMW Code Reader Scan Tool?​

My ABS dash light recently came on in my 2009 BMW 328XI and I have concluded that I need to buy a code reader for BMW vehicles. I've never purchased one of these before, so I have no idea what I'm doing. Should I get one that's made specifically for BMWs or do they make ones that can be used for all different types of cars? What are the good brands? Are some better than the others? From what people are saying in my original post, one of my ABS wheel speed sensors may have gone bad or may be malfunctioning. I need to know, first, if this really is the problem and second, if it is, which wheel speed sensor has gone bad. I watched a few videos on YouTube and have read the responses to my post and from what I gather, only some code readers will tell you which sensor is malfunctioning while the car is sitting still. With others, the car will need to be driving. I would rather have my car parked and idling while I'm testing the system, so that's the kind of code reader I want to get. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
LukeLewis

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  • #7
I have heard that the AUTOPHIX 7810 and the AUTOPHIX 7910 are both good. The 7810 costs about $88 right now on Amazon and the 7910 cost about $129. I believe both are good tools with the 7910 having more features. Thinks like injector codes and the like. For your uses with the ABS wheel sensor, I think the less expensive 7810 model will work just fine. I am not 100% sure if it will tell you exactly which wheel sensor you will need to replace though. Check out these links for more information:

AUTOPHIX 7810 - https://amzn.to/3hfLdPp
AUTOPHIX 7910 - https://amzn.to/3hiQ5mG

While the code readers claim to work for BMW vehicles, there's a good chance that they'll also work for other makes and models as well.

Another good scanner is the Autel Maxilink ML619. This one is going for around $99 on Amazon right now and it should have no problem indicating which wheel speed sensor is bad.

Autel Maxilink ML619 - https://amzn.to/3A8zz1l

The manufacturer claims it will work with many different makes of vehicles, including GM, Ford, Chrysler, Volvo, VW, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, Nissan,Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Renault, Land rover, Jaguar. So this may be worth looking into.

You might also want to look into getting a Carly reader, but those may require a phone and a subscription. If you're a hobbyist and don't want to form a long lasting relationship with something like this, you might be better off with a different reader.
 
KodyWallice

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  • #9

How to Replace an ABS Wheel Speed Sensor: 2009 BMW 328XI​

After watching a video on YouTube yesterday, I decided to pull the two front tires off of my car. The guy in the video said that sometimes the ABS wheel speed sensors can get dirty and that alone would stop them from working. I wanted to see how dirty mine were, clean them, replace them, and then see if anything changed. So that's what I did. If they were just dirty, I'd save a few bucks by not having to buy a new one. To make a long story short, although the two front sensors were dirty, I replaced them and nothing happened. The lights on my dash didn't turn off. Oh well, it was worth a try. I wanted to post a few photos here though that would show the process or removing one of these sensors. It's a very easy job. By the way, if you want to read about the rest of this saga, you can check out the above posts.

Okay, to start off, I jacked up the car and took the driver's side wheel off. That's the side the code reader told me what bad.

bmw-lifted-floor-jack.jpg

This is where the ABS wheel speed sensor bolts to the hub.

bmw-wheel-sensor-attached-to-hub.jpg

I didn't get a chance to see the size of the allen key for the bolt, but it's nothing fancy. The bolts aren't very tight either.

abs-wheel-speed-sensor-bolt.jpg allen-wrench-bolt.jpg

I took the bolt out and then had to lightly tap the end of a flat screwdriver behind the sensor to loosen it up. The sensor seat sits right up against the hub and the sensor slides straight out. It takes a bit of wiggling to get the sensor out of the hole.

This is what the sensor for my car looks like. It's a 2009 BMW 328XI.

2009-bmw-328xi-abs-wheel-speed-sensor.jpg abs-wheel-speed-sensor.jpg

I cleaned this side and then did the same to the other side. Since cleaning them made no difference, I ordered a new part. When I get it, I'll update this thread with the rest of the installation.
 
KodyWallice

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  • #10
I received the replacement part this afternoon. I bought a Hella brand (part number: 012806101) from RockAuto.com for around $27. After tax and shipping, the total costs was around $32. That's not bad. I've seen this part on some auto parts websites for over $120. The most expensive brand on Rock Auto was a Bosch at about $47. The auto parts stores must be smoking something.

Anyway, I just went out and replaced the part. Again, I took some photos that I'll show below. The time to replace the speed sensor was about 15 minutes, from start to finish, and that includes jacking the car up, taking the tire off, and all that. It's an easy job if you know which sensor to fix. That's why I bought the code reader. The best part was, after I put the key in the ignition and started the car, the error lights immediately turned off. I didn't even have to drive the car. I was very please to see that. So either the sensor really was bad or there was a bad connection in the wires somewhere. I don't know and I don't care.

So overall, the entire job cost about $130. Most of that expense comes from the code reader. If I sell the car, I can include that in the price or I can sell the reader on Ebay if I ever get rid of the car. At least I can recoup some of the costs.

The "Service Engine Soon" light is still on though. I checked the oil level and it was a quart low. I'll need to actually plug the code reader back in to clear the codes. I added some oil and the light stayed on, so I'm guessing that just comes on every so often. I'll also plug the reader back in, just to see if there are any more error codes I should be aware of. I like that little piece of electronics. It's good to own.

Anyway, here are some photos of the sensor replacement from this afternoon.

This is the Hella ABS wheel speed sensor in its packaging.

hella-abs-wheel-speed-sensor.jpg

This is the blue electrical connection. To open the plastic housing, I flipped the two clips up on the bottom and it opened right up. Then, to pull the plug apart, I pushed one clip and and gave both sides a yank.

abs-wheel-speed-sensor-electrical-connector.jpg

This is the old malfunctioning ABS wheel speed sensor for the 2009 BMW 328XI.

malfunctioning-bmw-abs-wheel-speed-sensor.jpg
abs-wheel-speed-sensor-magnet.jpg

This is the Hella ABS wheel speed sensor out of the packaging. Part #012806101.

hella-abs-wheel-speed-sensor-012806101.jpg

There are only a few connections to pull the sensor off and put it back on. First, pull the plug apart. Then, pull the rubber grommets out from their metal holders. Finally, unbolt the actual sensor from the spindle.

speed-sensor-rubber-grommets.jpg
wheel-speed-sensor-rubber-frame-attachment.jpg

After pushing the rubber grommets into their frame attachments, I plugged the new unit in and bolted it back up.

replaced-wheel-speed-sensor-plug.jpg
replaced-bmw-wheel-speed-sensor.jpg

If you have any questions, please ask down below. Thanks.
 
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