DSC Sensor Problem

A

Al B

New member
Hi All
I have a 2006 Z4 2.5 roadster. - had the dreaded yellow lights come up. Took it to BMW for diagnostic and they said it was the DSC Sensor under the driver's set which was faulty and they also said this area was very wet and they thought the fault was due to the damp. The sponge foam bonded to the underside of the carpet is saturated.

The kind guys at BMW wanted to charge me >£1,000- to trace the source of water and fit the new part. I spoke to a couple of independents asking if the DSC sensor might work again if dried out - both said it was quite possible and suggested try this first as no loss otherwise.

So, car is in the garage at home, driver seat is out and have located the DSC unit under the carpet.

First, dumb question - how do I disconnect the connector lead? - looks like it has a locking mechanism but struggling to work out how to release it?

Z4 2006 DSC Sensor.jpg

Second dumb question - extract from a bmw manual I found says this is a 'vibration sensitive component' and to 'implement screw connections correctly otherwise there may be a malfunction in the DSC'. Can anyone translate this into plain english for me?

View attachment 1

Third question - has anyone tried drying these out and has it worked? Any good ideas on what to do or not to do in drying them out.

Fourth question - source of water - the whole of the sponge foam to the underside of the carpet is quite wet and can squeeze running water from it. I have read about the plastic sheet behind the internal door face coming unstuck and allowing water in, but not sure of any other potential sources. Any guidance on where else to look much appreciated.

Any help on these very much appreciated.

Regards

Al
 

Attachments

  • DSC sensor extract manual.JPG
    DSC sensor extract manual.JPG
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Can't help u with sensor problems mate but I'm interested to know where u got hold of that manual?
 
id guess it means, dont shake the unit about or drop it

and make sure when its put back in its screwed to correct torque setting, so it doesnt come loose or you dont thread the holes

if you could open the unit and let it dry out and put it back together, but going on the emphasis on its delicate might not work
 
I've just had to replace that sensor on my car. The warning light I had was just a yellow handbrake one, what does your dash show exactly?

The sensor cluster failing on mine didn't cause the traction and stability control to turn off in error, it just stopped the hill start assist function from working. BMW want around £450 for the part so I waited until I could source one off a car being broken. In the end I only had to pay £55 but they normally go for closer to £100.

To remove the clip there are two bits you need to push in and then pull it off. It's the same as most plugs but I recall it was a bit fiddly. Mine failed without being wet and it's a fairly well sealed unit so could just have died.

As for the water I'd try the door seal first as nothing else obviously could lead water into that area.
 
Hi,if the water is sitting on the bottom door seal and then running down onto the carpet after it has rained,this would point to door membrane its not a big job and can be resealed for the cost of a tube of silicone,my wet carpet was the membrane.
When you take the door card off you should see a water mark at base if door where the membrane has failed if its not blatant. :thumbsup:
 
Many thanks for these comments. I did manage to work out how to get the connector off, simple when you realise!!
Yellow light was triangle with exclamation mark in middle and and curved arrow around it.
Useful info thanks on what breakers might charge for used part, I may well go down that route if I do need to replace.
I agree the unit is well sealed so not overly optimistic now that drying it out will resolve the issue.

With the source of damp, if it is from the door should I expect pools of water on top of the carpet? The upper carpet surface was never visibly wet and we never had too much internal condensation. Seems to be the foam beneath that's soaked not the carpet surface.
Thanks for the help so far.
 
as for the dampness also check the large grommets in the bulkhead. In the enginebay under the master brake cylinder (so under the round black assist servo) there might also be a large grommet in that bulkhead where through a wiring loom goes (not sure how this is on rhd cars, but its there on lhd cars). Such things can leak too.
And also check and clean the area under the cowl top grille. A lot of leaves can gather there and clog a lot of stuff.
Thats quite a bit of work as you have to remove the wiperarms (for that you need a small puller like this or this (or similar)) and then remove some screws and you can take off that cowl grille. If you do that, you can maybe lubricate the ball joint/plastic socket from the wiper arm mechanism with some axle grease as that is also a common wear point
 
Al B said:
Many thanks for these comments. I did manage to work out how to get the connector off, simple when you realise!!
Yellow light was triangle with exclamation mark in middle and and curved arrow around it.
Useful info thanks on what breakers might charge for used part, I may well go down that route if I do need to replace.
I agree the unit is well sealed so not overly optimistic now that drying it out will resolve the issue.

With the source of damp, if it is from the door should I expect pools of water on top of the carpet? The upper carpet surface was never visibly wet and we never had too much internal condensation. Seems to be the foam beneath that's soaked not the carpet surface.
Thanks for the help so far.
Click to expand...
The water in mine I caught the fault early so never really got a soaked area ,the water was just dripping off the seal down the outside edge of the carpet so you wouldn't really see a soaked carpet until all the padding underneath had soaked through.
As said above this could be a different issue however it doesn't take long or any skill to remove the door card to check fir a leak in the membrane.
Good luck :thumbsup:
 
had the same fault in mine and a wet carpet, DSC fix was easy and cheap though thankfully, although did take the wrong seat out first time (doh!)

I hadn't worked out how it got wet so good to see suggestions here.
 
Hi. Just an update on this post.
Propped up and dried out the carpet. Few gaps to bottom of foam inner door seal so sealed these up. Took out front rain skirt below windscreen and cleaned out drains to each side. Dried the sensor over several days but still no good when fitted so replaced with new sensor when I popped in and that cleared the D.SC. fault.

BUT...... After the car having sat on the drive this week, bit on rain Tuesday and Wednesday but then dry. We have hardly been out in the car but checked this evening and aargh....the foam under the carpet near the front bulkhead drivers side is soaking wet again. Top of carpet is bone dry, so somehow water is getting in at the front and running down behind the carpet. Carpet now propped up again and electric heater on.

Anyone any fresh ideas on source of water??
 
Any idea if a sensor on a coupe might be under the passenger seat? The fault code is flagging up as ABS pump but I did have issues with a leaky front screen and my passenger side was wet, so i'm wondering if there is anything there that could be causing me an issue.
 
Ilogik said:
Any idea if a sensor on a coupe might be under the passenger seat? The fault code is flagging up as ABS pump but I did have issues with a leaky front screen and my passenger side was wet, so i'm wondering if there is anything there that could be causing me an issue.
Click to expand...

Interesting thread though as ive just got this problem now.
does anyone have the part number? if not dont worry I will sort it out seems easy fix
 
What codes were you getting? Want to make sure I have the right ones. For £50 I might see if I can find one as you mention.
 
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