03 LS Sport - ETC Failsafe mode

03LSSport

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Hi Guys, new to the forum and LS ownership! Found a smoking deal ($400!) on a 03 LS Sport w/ 91k miles and jumped on it. Put a battery in it and it fired right up. Drove the car home to change all fluids (apparently car had been sitting a few months) and after a few miles the dash lit up like a christmas tree and the display shows ETC Failsafe mode, check transmission, check advance-trac, service parking brake, etc. I lose the speedometer completely and transmission shifts rough as well. However, the car still drives ok (minus the hard shifting) and will still cruise down the highway at normal speeds.

I read around online and seems the COPs are a common issue on these so I changed all 8. Car runs great but still get the ETC failsafe mode and all symptoms after a few miles of driving, or when car is hot. Doesn't seem to do it immediately when cold.

I put an Innova 3130 scan tool on it and get 3 codes consistently: P0108, P2106, and U1039. I'm thinking this points to the ABS module, or at least to a sensor/connection in the ABS system. I checked voltage and ground resistance at the module connector, and everything looked great. No harness damage or anything like that.

Anyone have any ideas? Thinking a dealer-level scan tool may give me more insight into any codes the ABS module may be storing, not positive that my scan tool is able to pull those.

Thanks!
 
New battery? Vented (though other than safety it wouldn't matter)? Correct battery (CCW)?
 
You have at least three (transmission, data bus/ABS module, and MAP/EGR/vacuum lines) unrelated problems going on. You'll have to attack them one by one.
 
New battery? Vented (though other than safety it wouldn't matter)? Correct battery (CCW)?

To get the car home I swapped in a new Autozone gold battery out of my mustang. Once I was home, I put the original battery on the trickle charger and gave it a day or two and then checked the charge. Seemed to be holding steady at ~13V. Put it back in the car and have been using it since then. Just went out and checked it and its at 12.9V (car off) and 14.7V (car running). It's an Interstate battery with a CCA of 650. Doesn't appear to be the vented type tho, so I suspect its not the OEM one.
 
You have at least three (transmission, data bus/ABS module, and MAP/EGR/vacuum lines) unrelated problems going on. You'll have to attack them one by one.

Thanks! I was thinking that the P0108 code might be caused by the EGR. I cleaned the MAF with no change. Would you recommend cleaning the EGR assembly as well?

Am I right in thinking that there are at least 2 types of ETC failsafe modes? Because I am not experiencing some of the more extreme versions of the mode (10mph, 2000rpm, etc). The car will still drive fairly normally, although the transmission shifts are definitely more firm. Basically that either (or both) the ECM and ABS modules could set the ETC failsafe mode bit?
 
You need the correct battery for safety!
14.7V is a little too high if your meter is accurate. Note that too high charging voltage is one of the specific issues that causes the battery to vent hydrogen. Hydrogen in the cabin (trunk vents to the cabin) is really bad.
Cleaning the EGR won't help with this problem. If the vacuum tubes to the EGR are good (it's likely that they are cracked), then a new EGR assembly is needed. Note that so far it seems that only Motorcraft ones actually work.
There are more than two ETC failsafe modes. Two of the mild ones are caused by lack of speed data from the ABS, or by issues with the MAF. PCM is the correct term for ECM on the LS. The PCM sets all the ETC failsafe modes, but it can be because of bad data from other modules, like the ABS.
 
You need the correct battery for safety!
14.7V is a little too high if your meter is accurate. Note that too high charging voltage is one of the specific issues that causes the battery to vent hydrogen. Hydrogen in the cabin (trunk vents to the cabin) is really bad.
Cleaning the EGR won't help with this problem. If the vacuum tubes to the EGR are good (it's likely that they are cracked), then a new EGR assembly is needed. Note that so far it seems that only Motorcraft ones actually work.
There are more than two ETC failsafe modes. Two of the mild ones are caused by lack of speed data from the ABS, or by issues with the MAF. PCM is the correct term for ECM on the LS. The PCM sets all the ETC failsafe modes, but it can be because of bad data from other modules, like the ABS.

Ah gotcha. You mean having a car full of hydrogen is a bad thing?!! :p I'll definitely be replacing it in the near future.

Any recommendations on which scan tool would be the best to use? I'm thinking of using FORScan and a VCM2 adapter...

Seeing as I lose the speedometer completely, would you think this indicates one of the rear ABS sensors? I'm thinking that the speedometer is an average of both those signals? My scan tool does have the live data function, and when i lose the speedometer i can still read the vehicle speed on the scan tool (although I don't know which particular sensor the scan tool is getting the speed data from).
 
I think (could be wrong) that you have to lose two wheel sensors to lose the speedometer.
U1039 implies that you have a fault with the ABS module or the data bus, not wheel speed sensors. Note that there have been problems with the wiring bundle at the front right of the car. Usually, you can't see any problems without unwrapping the harness there.
 
I did a quick overlook of the wiring harness right at the ABS module connector, but didn't unwrap it back very far. I'll pull it back farther and see if there's any sign of a short or damage. I'll also check the bus connection pins on the connector and see what resistance is to ground. I think I saw a tech article on how to do that on one of the forums. I'm really hoping it's not the ABS module itself....I think those are more than I paid for the car! :)
 
Alright guys, quick update here. I finally got my VCM 2 adapter so I can pull all the module codes using Forscan. I cleared all DTC'se first, as you can imagine there was quite a number of them! I then pulled all the new DTC's with the car OFF, and got 2: B2736, and C1998. I then started the car and let it idle. The only light on at that point was the Advanc-Trac light flashing (I was expecting that from the C1998 code). I read the DTC's again, same 2 as before as well as a pending P0108 code. I then drove the car around the block, and after a few hundred yards the ABS, Parking Brake MIL's come on, with the display showing ETC failsafe mode. All the same symptoms as before. I pulled the codes when I got back, and had a number of them: Multiple modules have a U1041 fault, the IC and MC have a U1123 fault, and the ABS module has 5 additional faults. The 5 new ones are: C1145, C1155, C1165, C1175, and B1342.

I have taken the tape off the wiring harness at the ABS module connector and verified that the wiring is intact and not damaged.

What do you guys think??
 
Alright guys, quick update here. I finally got my VCM 2 adapter so I can pull all the module codes using Forscan. I cleared all DTC'se first, as you can imagine there was quite a number of them! I then pulled all the new DTC's with the car OFF, and got 2: B2736, and C1998. I then started the car and let it idle. The only light on at that point was the Advanc-Trac light flashing (I was expecting that from the C1998 code). I read the DTC's again, same 2 as before as well as a pending P0108 code. I then drove the car around the block, and after a few hundred yards the ABS, Parking Brake MIL's come on, with the display showing ETC failsafe mode. All the same symptoms as before. I pulled the codes when I got back, and had a number of them: Multiple modules have a U1041 fault, the IC and MC have a U1123 fault, and the ABS module has 5 additional faults. The 5 new ones are: C1145, C1155, C1165, C1175, and B1342.

I have taken the tape off the wiring harness at the ABS module connector and verified that the wiring is intact and not damaged.

What do you guys think??
 
B1342 tends to point to the ABS module itself as being the problem. It could also be why you are getting six of the other codes.

B2736 is concerning. If you can monitor sensors in real-time, then look at the three pedal position sensors at the same time. Watch them while you smoothly press and release the gas pedal. Key on (run), but the engine does not have to be running. Two of the sensors count up, while the other one counts down. The two that count up do have have to match in absolute reading, but should in a relative way.
 
That is correct, APP1 starts at 3.99mV, APP2 starts at 1.52mV, and APP3 starts at 1.0mV. When the pedal is pressed APP1 starts to decrease ending with 0.81mV with pedal at WOT. APP2 & APP3 both start to increase when pedal is pressed, ending with 3.95mV and 3.41mV respectively at WOT. Both APP2 & APP3 exhibit similar voltage curves, while APP1 is inverted but still proportional.
 
Just a quick question, since it is the ABS module that is showing the B2736 fault, wouldn't that indicate an issue with the brake pedal and not the accelerator pedal?
 
Just a quick question, since it is the ABS module that is showing the B2736 fault, wouldn't that indicate an issue with the brake pedal and not the accelerator pedal?

No.

You are assuming that you have only one problem. I am assuming that you have at least two, independent problems. It could well be that the ABS problem is the only one you really need to deal with and that the reported gas pedal issue will never recur. I don't know.

If you really verified the wiring at the front corner was good, then it looks like you need a new ABS module (electronic module, not the mechanical one). I don't see what this would have to do with the brake pedal. Are you having problems with the brake pedal that you haven't talked about?
 
Yep the wiring looks great up there. I guess I was under the assumption that since it was the ABS module reporting the B2736, that it would correspond to the braking system, or rather the brake pedal itself. Here is the fault code and trouble-shooting guide from Forscan:

===ABS DTC B2736===
Code: B2736 - Pedal Travel Sensor Circuit Fault

Module: Anti-Lock Brake / Traction Control Module

And no, the brake pedal seems fine, and brakes feel great.
 
I'm hoping joegr or another LS guru can help me out here: I've been looking at ABS modules for sale online, and seem to run into a possible issue. My ABS module in the car is part #3W4T-2C219-CF, while most modules that I've seen for sale have been of the 3W4T-2C219-BF variety. Does anyone know if the -CF modules can be replaced with the -BF type?
 
If you just have traction control, and not AdvanceTrac, then that one should be correct. If you are ordering new, then you will probably get 5W4Z-2C219-AA. Given the up to ten times difference in price, I would tried used.
 
If you just have traction control, and not AdvanceTrac, then that one should be correct. If you are ordering new, then you will probably get 5W4Z-2C219-AA. Given the up to ten times difference in price, I would tried used.
Thanks! This may sound highly stupid, but how do I tell if the car has AdvanceTrac or not?
 
Thanks! This may sound highly stupid, but how do I tell if the car has AdvanceTrac or not?

When you first turn the key to run, which of these two symbols lights up?

AdvanceTrac
AdvanceTrac.jpg


Traction Control

traction.jpg
 
I'd just like to say that I really appreciate your help with this. If you're ever in the southern California area, drinks on me!!
 
AdvanceTrac! The car definitely has the advancetrac lights.

Then you should have 3W4Z-2C219-EA in there right now. It has been replaced by 4W4Z-2C219-AA, which is being replaced by 5W4Z-2C219-BA.
You'll need a scan tool that can trigger the AdvanceTrac calibration procedure.
 
What is the production date of your LS? You can run you VIN here: Vehicle Lookup to find out. You can also use that to verify that you have AdvanceTrac (IVD).
 
Then you should have 3W4Z-2C219-EA in there right now. It has been replaced by 4W4Z-2C219-AA, which is being replaced by 5W4Z-2C219-BA.
You'll need a scan tool that can trigger the AdvanceTrac calibration procedure.
What is the production date of your LS? You can run you VIN here: Vehicle Lookup to find out. You can also use that to verify that you have AdvanceTrac (IVD).
Production date is 11/02 from the door tag.
 

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