ABS and ESP light on after car unused

Satanta

Hi,

I own a 2004 Peugeot 407, which has been off the road for about 1.5 years. I am getting it ready to go back into active service but there are two warning lights that wont go away. ABS and ESP fault. I think but I am not sure that the brakes also seem a bit soft (not sure if I am being paranoid about the warning lights, but I certaintly cant make the car skid).

Is this something that would/should go away with a few miles back on the clock? Or is it something that can be repaired with a bit of WD40 plrayed in and arround the calipers?

E39MSport

1.5 years is a long time for a car to be stationary.

I'd be checking all the fluid levels for a start. Change the engine oil.
Inspect the suspension bushings.
Check for flat spots on the tyres.
Fully charge the battery.

..... just to start.

Cheers,

Satanta

E39MSport wrote: »

1.5 years is a long time for a car to be stationary.

I'd be checking all the fluid levels for a start. Change the engine oil.
Inspect the suspension bushings.
Check for flat spots on the tyres.
Fully charge the battery.

..... just to start.

Cheers,

All done.... except for 4 brand new tyres. Side walls looked a wee bit perished :-(

Bogger77

could be moisture in the brake fluid, if you haven't replaced that, air bubbles if you have.

mathepac

Personally I'd go a bit further.

Brake / clutch fluid is hygroscopic (it attracts and absorbs water) so I'd drain the systems completely and refill with fresh fluid and bleed, checking the brake seals, caliper operations, brake pads, brake discs for pitting, handbrake cable for adjustment and corrosion. The ABS needs checking (including the pump, sensors and ECU) and you'll probably need to go to someone with an electronic diagnostic system to diagnose the exact cause of the lights on the dash (not a minor issue), fix the problem and reset the error code.

Spraying lubricant (WD40 or whatever) around the area of brakes is not to be recommended; even if it burns off the discs when they get hot, the brake-pad material will absorb it, with potentially catastrophic consequences. The only lubricant I use around brakes is copper-grease which is designed for use on braking components that need lubrication.

Power-steering fluid, oil, fuel, A/C refrigerant and coolant all have shelf lives and I would renew all, particularly coming in to winter, using new filters as appropriate, including air and cabin filters. If the car has been left resting on the wheels, particularly in sunlight, the chances are the tyres have begun to degrade and crack as well as being possibly flat-spotted as mentioned above.

A lot depends on how and where the car was stored and cared for while it was off the road; but I'd err on the side of caution.

MetzgerMeister

Do not spray WD-40 or similar around the brakes!

Row

Satanta wrote: »

Hi,

I own a 2004 Peugeot 407, which has been off the road for about 1.5 years. I am getting it ready to go back into active service but there are two warning lights that wont go away. ABS and ESP fault. I think but I am not sure that the brakes also seem a bit soft (not sure if I am being paranoid about the warning lights, but I certaintly cant make the car skid).

Is this something that would/should go away with a few miles back on the clock? Or is it something that can be repaired with a bit of WD40 plrayed in and arround the calipers?

9 times out of 10 an ABS and ESP fault on 407 is one or more faulty abs sensors....you need to get a diagnostic check to find out which sensor(s)
have failed.

Here is a guide on replacing the front abs sensor(s) on a 407....:)
http://www.407owners.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1184
and here is a guide on replacing the rear abs sensor(s)
http://www.407owners.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1417
To replace the rear sensors the fuel tank has to be dropped a few inches
to gain access to the sensor cable...:eek:

shamwari

Row wrote: »

9 times out of 10 an ABS and ESP fault on 407 is one or more faulty abs sensors....you need to get a diagnostic check to find out which sensor(s)
have failed.

Here is a guide on replacing the front abs sensor(s) on a 407....:)
http://www.407owners.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1184
and here is a guide on replacing the rear abs sensor(s)
http://www.407owners.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1417
To replace the rear sensors the fuel tank has to be dropped a few inches
to gain access to the sensor cable...:eek:

This assessment is 100% spot on

Vertakill

Something almost identical happened to my car.

Other suggestions were things like topping up the brake fluid, checking the pads weren't worn etc.

Also, if you just changed the tyres, it may have thrown your ABS/ESP off or maybe whoever fitted them damaged a speed sensor on your wheels.
I've heard of an ECU reset (which you should be able to do yourself) can sometimes do the trick if it was just the new tyres setting it off.

I'd try some of the easy/cheap solutions out first because changing something like the ABS Pump/Module or even the wheel/speed/abs sensors is going to be somewhat costly unless you do it yourself.