Freelander Abs light on ! opinions please

Hello all as you can see I'm a new member so hi there.

I recently purchased a 1999 freelander xdi with a few faults on it vcu seizing and what not. however there is one fault that is proving to be harder to diagnose than I first thought.

The speedo is inop and is not clocking up any miles and the abs Amber warning is always active. I figure the speedo takes a pickup from the abs so if I fix that I reckon the speedo will come back to life.

Now, I've checked all my fuses and also checked my wheel speed sensors resistances and can see they are picking up on ac setting with multimeter so I don't think it's them. I found o.s.f sensor partially broken but that didn't cure it. So then I found hill decsent wiring broken under fairer repaired it and no cure again.

I've done a forum search and found all these posts on the three amigos and that except my hd and tc lights never light up not with ignition on or at initial start up (is it test mode ) and this concerns me as I thought any abs faults what render hd and tc inop and bring the lights on ?
Removed dash and bulbs are ok so it's not them.

Tried to had faults read but couldn't get in abs ecu so maybe ecu dead any thoughts please ????
Thanks Andy

hmmm, faults read? using t4 testbook? seems odd, no codes, don't think these ECU's are interchangeable, may be wrong. Although I have read when I had issues that providing a fault doesn't reoccur it will clear and warning lights clear after 40 successful restarts. had this with a abs fault on 2003 td4, went away never came back.

It wasn't that there were no codes there was no communication. 40 restates sounds like a crazy amount to clear the fault. Why do you think my hd and tc lights NEVER light up

dunno, have you checked the rear sensors too? they can effect the hdc,tc and abs.

Yeah checked all four sensors my fault just doesn't match any forum searches

seen plenty of issues where it turned out to be abs sensor either wheel or brake light switch etc, maybe the ecu is at fault. Hippo and other experts will be along soon hopefully. keep this updated though, I'd be incinlined to test the dash lights again, after checking the rest.

I did consider brake light switch they do work but not until you press the pedal right down like end of it's travel but I thought the hd and tc lights would be on to if brake switch wad at fault.

being a landy its not always that simple!!! end of travel doesn't sound right for a start, could be linked.

In my experience sorting out one problem, tends to either fix or create another!!

My td4 went for 2 yrs only ever starting on the third turnover. never before and never 4th. then with out realising it stopped doing it!!!

I want to think it's the brake switch I'm going to check the ecu supplies and earths but I might buy a switch anyone else know of abs without hill descent and tc and why they dont light up on ignition

well fitted new brake light switch just on a whim and its not that. After checking it out more and having things in pieces i have checked all the powers and earths to the abs ecu and is OK. the abs ecu is putting out a voltage to keep the TC and HDC lights out (as if there is no fault , which is the bit I cant understand.

The lights do not come on at all even on ignition, don't flash, light up or anything ever. has nobody ever had anything like this before????

The TC light does not go off until the speedo reads 5 MPH (? ish) so if you cure the speedo you should cure the TC light, maybe the 3 amigos as well.

BigRog said:

The TC light does not go off until the speedo reads 5 MPH (? ish) so if you cure the speedo you should cure the TC light, maybe the 3 amigos as well.

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Above very true. Does it have the G sensor down by the handbrake - if faulty this trips ABS warning. I don't think all FL's have this sensor!!

I don't have the three amigos that's my point. I never had hill decsent. Warning activation or traction control lights not at all not ever. Not with ignition on never only abs all the time. I've ordered an ecu now to see whether I have a problem there.

And in fault codes it says abs ecu unplugged brings on all 4 lamps and this does not that's why I'm thinking possible ecu fault

Fix speedo - fix ABS warning, this has some logic to it!

DD3 said:

Fix speedo - fix ABS warning, this has some logic to it!

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Could be the solution to freelander problem I'd never heard of before

And I don't see many of those these days

I never had hill decsent. Warning activation or traction control lights not at all not ever.

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Don't think its unheard of for people to disable the dash bulbs to hide a fault for an MOT.

Fix the abs will sort the speedo and it's not bulbs

Freelaner said:

Could be the solution to freelander problem I'd never heard of before

And I don't see many of those these days

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Just thinking out loud, does the speedo reaching 5mph trip the ABS light out - or is that too simple??

Did you sort this issue out as I have a similar fault green hdc on at ignition switch on but goes out. No abs , tc or amber hdc at all. Checked bulbs , fuses and relay all ok .