-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Error messages abound, parking brake stuck, and a 5000 lawn ornament. HELP!
- Thread starter geordi
- Start date
After you have reinstalled the handbrake motors and they are connected to the car, you also need to activate that function manually. I did shifted several times from P to D which after the new unit eventually started to operate as should.
“How does a module just "go bad" like that?”
Earlier today the mobile tech person replaced (at my specific request) the Electronic Parking Brake Module —due to (most of) the same problems annunciated above… how I arrived at this juncture is a longer story, which I will not take up space with here right now, but suffice it to say, to me, all signs pointed to a bad EPBM.
The fun part of the story is: upon the completion of the job the service person handed me the removed box. yay! Made my day.
This evening I took it apart, I dunno, just to see what I could see I guess, and man, what an exquisite piece of work: immaculately clean, no apparent defects (nothing scorched, crudded up, no signs of cracked solder, or dead insects)… on the face of it all was good.
But what did grab my attention was that, in this otherwise completely solid-state marvel of modern technology, were two small-as-a-sulphur-match-head little buttons: spring-loaded buttons, Active Players that are presumably either electromagnetically pulled-in to engage, or relieved with current removed, to return to some relaxed state of disengagement.
That, in a nutshell, might just be the answer to the question of “How does a module “just go bad” like that?”: moving parts. Any time there is a spring-loaded switch, there exists the very item that just might give out — or intermittently start to give out.
My car is a 2012 S-Model. Over these twelve years, how many thousands of times —or tens of thousands of times— has that parking brake been exercised: set & released: how many cycles of that? Things do wear out, after all.
I don't know if the installation this new box today will fix my intermittently-occurring, seemingly like-themed problems, but I am optimistic: the discovery of these two spring-actuated (or electromagnetically-held) switched and/or relay’d items, gives me hope.
Cool, thanks!
Those switches are not used when installed on the vehicle. Likely, they are normally open (inactive) switches used with the 2x7 headers to reset/ program the microcontrollers the first time. Or possibly inputs for a module self test routine. That said, if contamination/ corrosion built up inside the switch somehow it could theoretically activate and impact operation (but that's unlikely).
Apologies for the duplicate photos… this is my first day on the forum and I’m finding my way.
I will note also that the five silver canisters on the circuit board I believe are capacitors, and capacitors are (in my limited experience) known items prone to deterioration or failure, with age.
Those two white buttons (at either end of that little cityscape of copper columns) at first struck me as potentially as offering manually-actualized Reset-like possibilities, but there was no way that was the intent, as the plastic shell housing this whole thing was nestled in clearly was designed as a one-way assembly, with six cleats holding it securely in place. It was a bear to get apart.
If one gets this far into it don't be tempted to fiddle with anything, just replace the box, is what I’m saying. I don't pretend have any idea whatsoever what (if anything) might have actually been the culprit here (although now, I’m really more liking the capacitors as the perps): I’m just observing, and acting as a reporter of what I see.
Time will tell if this box replacement solves my problems (brakes sometimes not releasing for a bit, spurious untrue messages appearing all at once and then vanishing, and most disturbing, an occasional —at extreme low speeds (i.e. at a creep, and only in reverse, when parking— phantom engaging of braking, like I had tapped the brake pedal). Three separate work-visits to the dealer shop did not produce a lasting fix, so finally I just called the shots on yesterday's specifically-targeted job request.
The quality of in-depth knowledge and wisdom about the car found at the dealer shop these days isn't what it used to be, in my experience. Don't get me wrong, they are okay, but they used to be way better.
I will note also that the five silver canisters on the circuit board I believe are capacitors, and capacitors are (in my limited experience) known items prone to deterioration or failure, with age.
Those two white buttons (at either end of that little cityscape of copper columns) at first struck me as potentially as offering manually-actualized Reset-like possibilities, but there was no way that was the intent, as the plastic shell housing this whole thing was nestled in clearly was designed as a one-way assembly, with six cleats holding it securely in place. It was a bear to get apart.
If one gets this far into it don't be tempted to fiddle with anything, just replace the box, is what I’m saying. I don't pretend have any idea whatsoever what (if anything) might have actually been the culprit here (although now, I’m really more liking the capacitors as the perps): I’m just observing, and acting as a reporter of what I see.
Time will tell if this box replacement solves my problems (brakes sometimes not releasing for a bit, spurious untrue messages appearing all at once and then vanishing, and most disturbing, an occasional —at extreme low speeds (i.e. at a creep, and only in reverse, when parking— phantom engaging of braking, like I had tapped the brake pedal). Three separate work-visits to the dealer shop did not produce a lasting fix, so finally I just called the shots on yesterday's specifically-targeted job request.
The quality of in-depth knowledge and wisdom about the car found at the dealer shop these days isn't what it used to be, in my experience. Don't get me wrong, they are okay, but they used to be way better.
NewbyMaybe
Newby1Kenowby
NewbyMaybe
Newby1Kenowby
Module damaged due to an epb pad being stuck or dragging due to corrosion and the circuit being overloaded?
Similar threads
