Puzzling warning - Xsara HDI

[Nutcase]

Hi Guys

Wonder if anyone can help with this.

For a while now I've been getting regular but intermittent warnings whilst driving along (exclamation mark plus brake symbol flashing on for a second or two). Can happen several times during a journey, and doesn't seem to be linked to any particular conditions such as braking, accelerating, steering, etc. No other symptoms evident, brakes work fine and are visually fine (something I check on a very regular basis!)

Now, when I had the car in to a Cit independant recently to try and pinpoint the reason for its 'limp home mode' (yet another electrovalve had bitten the dust!), he noted another fault code which I'm guessing is the likely culprit for the asforementioned random warnings. He gave me the printout, and it reads as follows:


Read faults.......BMF
Fault code.........intermittent fault Transponder identifier not received
.........................HTZ -

Fault code.........intermittent fault Vehicle longitudinal acceleration
.........................information value received incorrect
.........................Remote
.........................L9X -

I'm guessing it is either a duff sensor somewhere or a dodgy connector or wiring to it. Does anyone have any clue as to where this sensor might be located, what it looks like, and specifically what it is for? The car doesn't have any fancy stability control sytems, and the only things I could think of were that it might be linked to either the ABS system or possibly the airbag system, but the fault code printout lists both of these systems and states 'no faults saved or found', and no other warning symbols appear.

Any advice or help would be much appreciated!

The car is a Xsara 2.0HDI 2001 (MkII)

Thanks
Greg

[AndersDK]

An ABS sensor would not set this type of fault code.
note that the first fault code reads "Transponder identifier not received" meneing the centrel computer did never receive the location address of the responsible transponder device. An ABS sensor is not by itself a transponder, but its controlling ECU is a transponder.

The second fault code appears meaningless.

I'd say you have a problem with damp connectors somewhere.
Could very well be a hairpulling exercise trying to track down the problem originator

[wheeler]

Read faults.......BMF
Fault code.........intermittent fault Transponder identifier not received

The transponder fault is usualy due to the key being turned in the ignition too fast, nothing to worry about.
I think you might find that the fault you have may be due to a faulty brake fluid level sensor. its not available seperately you must replace the complete resivor.

[Nutcase]

Thanks Anders and Wheeler,

I feel a bit more reassured that whatever it is, its probably not too critical. I was just a bit concerned at the 'vehicle longitudinal acceleration' reference as I couldn't think of anything this might relate to on my car other than perhaps the airbag (or maybe seatbelt pretensioners?) system, although I would have thought the separate ABS warning would light up if that was the case.

A poor connection or damaged wire sounds the likely cause, just wondered if anyone had any pointers on where to start looking! (I'll have a look at the brake fluid reservoir as a start).

A thought has just occurred to me, that when I was replacing the turbo unit a couple of years ago and disconnected the main ECU, there was a small amount of yellowish gunge around the base of one of the ECU pins and the pin was corroding away! No idea what the stuff was or from whence it came. I managed to clean the gunge out and gave it a few rinsings with WD40 which should have halted the corrosion, but I remember that the pin was significantly weakened and didn't fill me with confidence that it would withstand too much more stress - I thought about trying to repair it but could not see any easy way of doing so short of desoldering the whole block of pins (about 40 or so) from the circuit board and replacing with one from a scrap ECU! Is there any info available which identifies what the individual ECU pins relate to, as that may prove relevant to my current problem (and would be useful to know in any case what the damaged pin is, for future reference)?

Thanks,
Greg

[AndersDK]

WD-40 is a huge marketing success.

To such an extent that people are using this stuff for purposses its not really suited for. Please use the special stuff "contact cleaner" for electric connectors and switches when trying to free up a problem here. Then stuff the connector pins with good old 100% guaranteed waterfree Vaseline. Its the best you can do, providing the connector pins still have physical (electrical) contact.