TC, ABS, and BRAKE lights came on

[Paul1017]

During my commute tonight, about 2-3 minutes after starting the car, the TC, ABS, and BRAKE warning lights came on.

 

 

The Nav screen also kept restarting during the drive, about every 5 minutes. The headlights would intermittently get dim then brighten up again, not necessarily at the same time as the Nav screen reboots.

 

 

No issues with driving that I could tell, and no issues with the stereo or AC systems.

 

 

Car only has suspension mods, axle back exhaust, and a high flow air filter, which have been on for a while now.

 

 

Fluid levels are all good. ABS fuse is good.

 

 

 

Appreciate any ideas and help!

[relative4]

I would start by cleaning the battery terminals.

[Paul1017]

Was able to pull an ABS C0052 error code. 'Motor System Malfunction', though I don't really know what that means

[Paul1017]

Cleaned the battery terminals. Turns out the negative side terminal is also a bit too small somehow.

 

 

Went for a drive after, and the warning lights are gone and no more flickering of the Nav screen or headlights.

 

 

However, I reread the codes, and now there are three for ABS-- C0071, C0052, and C0042.

[apexi]

I wonder if you've got this black plastic piece inside the negative terminal that limits how tight it can go. Not the best picture attached, but only one I can find. I had to remove that years ago to get the negative terminal to fit aftermarket batteries tightly.

 

One of those codes seems to be from low voltage, I wonder if they're all just from things going wonky due to low battery voltage.

[JmP6889928]

Motor system malfunction could be the ABS controller itself. If you have intermittent voltage, it could make it read on again/off again and remember, this controller is designed to pulse the system. I would put a solid load test on the battery first, and if it passes, do a very slow recharge, remove the black spacer apexi shows, tighten everything down after a thorough cleaning and then try again.

[Paul1017]

I did have that plastic spacer. Took it off this morning.

 

 

 

Warning lights are gone, and everything seems back to normal, but the codes are still there when I read them in the dash. OBDII reader doesn't find any codes. Does the internal reader take some time to reset? The car didn't complete a drive cycle yet since unplugging the battery

[gimpydingo]

The codes will be there for 3 cycles I believe, someone correct me if I am wrong. You can always do the battery reset again.

[Paul1017]

Thanks for the help. Warning lights seem to be staying away, but codes are still in the system. I'll check again in a week or so and report back.

[JmP6889928]

You'll need someone with a GeniSYS or Snap-On scanner to go in and clear the codes. Find a competent local garage and pay them a few bucks to go in and remove the codes and then drive it for a week or two and check again. A regular code reader won't have access to any of the drivetrain codes.