Hey boys, so I went to my friendly neighbourhood Nissan dealer, asking what they charge to investigate my ABS, TCS, SLIP lights that are all on.
I was informed that the issue is likely an ignition coil, that there is apparantly a bulletin out on this, and that it's a commom issue.
I searched, searched, searched, found a lot of dead links but got no info on how to even check coils, any TSB that stated this, or any threads referencing it.
So my question is,,, is there any truth to this?? Is it reasonable to even think it?? I'm pretty sceptical on this one... and as I said, haven't found this symptom on the site so far...

Any insight gents??

Thanks,
Matt

 

If you don't have the code for a faulty coil, then I highly doubt what they told you is fact. Have your local auto parts store pull all your codes (pending and triggered) to see if you truly have a bad coil(s).

 

When I had this issue of the ABS, TCS, SLIP lights all coming on at the same time it was first my battery was old and failing which I replaced and then shortly after that they came back on again and it turned out to be a bad alternator only putting out 6 volts hardly enough to get the car started. So you may want to check that the charging system is working correctly.

 

It is true - most common reason for those lights to be on is a bad coil. Unfortunately this is not the only reason. Does the car run rough? If it does then it's definitely a coil and you can find out which one by disconnecting them one at a time. The bad one will not make engine run worse as it hadn't been working anyway.

 

Thanks for the replies,, to Nismopc --> Only SES code is for Idle air system, I had the code pulled before I bought the car, cleared the code, it has come back on since then (about 130 miles of driving). Is there any way to check the ABS/Trac system codes other than Nissan's Consult??
Ghost 54 ---> Thanks, I will check that further, just to make sure the charging sys is up to snuff. But I have no low battery power symptoms what-so-ever right now.
Max 5gen ---> I have no symptoms of loss of a cylinder, no rough idle or vibration, no apparent loss of power. Only thing Ive noticed is the tranny seems to have a hard time 'keeping up' and getting the car going... but I'm not used to a 5th gen, or an automatic so it's tough to say if this is abnormal.

FYI car only has 88,000km on it (roughly 55,000 miles).

So what else can I check for here? I will try to unplug coils just for the sake of checking, as well as checking the charging system, Ill post those results shortly.
I also need to get my throttle body cleaned I will do that today.

 

Sounds to me like one of your wheel speed/abs sensors has failed. Those codes would be readable in either the antilock brakes menu or possibly the transmission menu of your scantool.

I'm leaning towards one of the fronts, as it would also contribute to the slip and tcs lights being on. Check your SES again just for confirmation, but given that your car is running well, I'm leaning towards one of your front abs sensors going out. Focus on that system.

 

Ill see if I can borrow the neighbours scan tool today, I haven't got one yet... haven't needed one till this car. Hopefully I can do some ABS diagnosis with it! I didn't think you could, thanks!

 

The Snap-On Scantool we use here has 4 accessible menus for my car: Engine, Transmission (both auto and manual), Airbag, and Anti-Lock Brakes.

I can only assume any console calling itself a "scantool" or the like, should be able to access and troubleshoot ANY system the car has that can generate codes. Being handicapped to merely the SES light doesn't make much sense.....

 

Ok sorry for the very late reply, it's been a hectic week.

Here's the results
1. Did swap some coils, no difference. Not a big surprise as the engine was running well
2. Checked charging, battery and connections, all fine
3. Checked codes, only had the Idle system code, cleaned TB and it's been gone for a week.
4. Could not check ABS codes with the scantool I had... I have been trying to leave the car battery off long enough for it to reset, but apparently 10 hours is not enough,, this one may have to wait a while, unless there is some way to reset them without a computer that I'm unaware of?
I did inspect the wheel bearings, wiring, etc at the wheel ends, I did not see any obious signs of damage.. I didn't check resistances or anything no time... Resistance should be between 900 Ohms and 1150 Ohms right???

 

Well it sucks that you couldn't access your ABS system with that scantool, but here's something I forgot to mention:

Try removing and cleaning your ABS/wheel speed sensors, they'll get gunk and rotor material built up on the magnets over time, which degrades the signal strength. Whichever one's throwing the code might not be dead so much as just dirty. I'd advise spraying 'em liberally with some Twister/Kroil/WD-40 or the like, the day before you plan on removing/cleaning them, they can really get stuck in there.

 

^^Thanks for that tip, I'm hoping to lift er up and pull all the wheels this weekend if I can weasel in the time. If so I'll be sure to clean/inspect the sensors a little closer.

Any other ideas boys?? The christmas tree that is my dash is a little irritating. Especially embarassing to passengers as well.