BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
ABS/DSC/ASC REPAIR
The E38's produced after 1997 can suffer from ABS failure that bungs up fault lights for
ABS, ASC and Brake Warning, the lights are all orange (warning) rather than red
(failure). This is due to the failure of the Bosche control unit that is strapped to the ABS
pump. The fault usually shows itself when the car has got hot, all is OK one second, the
next all three lights glow orange and your ABS and ASC will stop working. The fault only
goes away when the car has cooled down.
Although it may look like the 'black box' is pretty simple with just a bunch of solonoids....
...it isn't, and contains twin processors and valve-drivers construced as a hybrid circuit
on a ceramic substrate. This clever stuff lives under the outer cover and is covered by a
soft compound that can be easily removed. Repair of this circuit is impossible unless one
of the gold wires has fallen off, and even then it requires a lot of patience:
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
If you use CarSoft diagnostics you may get a 'wheel sensor failure' but you will find that
replacement of the wheel sensor makes no difference.
You really have two choices.....get a 'repair kit' from BMW (Part number 34526769862 -
£450) which consists of the 'black box' and when fitted get BMW to recode the ABS
controller to match the car (another £30 - £50). Or you can get a replacement from FAB
or another breaker (usually £50 upwards and you get the ABS pump strapped to it).
If you get a replacement from a breaker it is essential that it comes from the exact year
and model as your car. As long as you can manage this you will NOT need to have the
unit recoded. Even if you get the same part-number this does not mean that it will not
need recoding. The reason for this is that (for instance) a '98 735i uses an ASC actuator
whereas a '98 740i doesn't (being fly-by-wire). Both cars have the same part number on
the Bosche controller. If the 735i controller was fitted to a 740i it will need recoding
because the controller cannot 'find' the missing ASC actuator.......CarSoft will return an
'ASC valve' failure.
So, enough blurb, this is how to sort it. Disconnect the battery otherwise you will need
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
CarSoft to reset any fault codes. Remove the pipe that leads to the airfilter housing:
Then remove the top of the airfilter housing and the pipework to the MAF, all held on
with clips:
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
Stick a broad-bladed screwdriver in the end of the ABS connector and carefully slide out
the connector lock:
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
The connector can now be lifted out of the way. Use a Torx 20 driver to remove the six
Torx bolts that secure the controller to the ABS pump:
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
I found it quite easy to get to all six bolts as my driver was articulated, if you do not
have an articulated driver then remove the lower part of the filter housing. The bolt
marked above can be removed and a couple of jubilee clips hold the lower housing to the
large diameter pipework to get easier access.
Once all six bolts are removed the controller can be pulled carefully away from the pump:
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
...and replacement of the new part is just a reverse of this process. In the picture above
you can see that one of the brake pipes slightly interferes with the controller, push this
away from the controller when fitting the new controller. Do not force the controller in
place, you must align all the coils with the valve bodies and then allow it to slide into
position.
As long as the replacement part came from the correct car then there should be no fault
lights present. If you do get an ASC warning then the controller will need recoding by
BMW or someone who has the capabilities (CarSoft cannot be used to recode).
All done, time for a cup of tea.......
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BMW E38 ABS DSC Brake Failure Repair 735i 740i 750i
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