[spugnut]

Hi everybody,

now - I appreciate that it's not the most auspicious way to charge onto a forum to sign up and start shouting 'Haylp!' straight away, for which I apologise, but on the other hand... Haylp!

My Vel Satis 2.0T used to be a thing of beauty, but there's a few things that have gone ping recently and I wondered if anyone could cast some light on the issues.

Firstly, my speedo's stopped working - the lack of speed data has obviously stopped the trip computer, but also disabled the ABS and power steering for saftey. I can only assume the same root cause is behind the problem I've also been having with the auto parking brake occasionally refusing to unset. Does anyone know where the sensor is located?

Secondly, I've got an intermittent starting problem. Most of the time the engine catches on the third turn, but just occasionally it refuses to start until the battery has been taken off and charged - even though the battery had enough juice to crank for three minutes until flattening. Could this be related to the legendary spark pack issues I've heard about?

Sorry to squeeze so much into one post - any help would be gratefully received.

 

[leroy]

Hi there and welcome to Renault Forums, sorry to hear of your problems but I'm sure one of the tech guys will give advice soon (now F1 is over).
Regards Leroy

 

[ottoman]

Hello & Welcome to the Forums Spugnut.

You seem to have big problems there with your electronics, I have posted a link below for you to peruse, I'm sure a member will be able to assist with your post shortly.

We have a number of VelSatis owners on the Forum

http://www.renaultforums.co.uk/other-models/18766-vel-satis-club-all-things-vel.html?highlight=things+Vel+satis

Regards

Ottoman

 

[chris m]

Welcome to the forum. You are in the right area with the first problem although it will be an ABS sensor that has failed and the speedo and power steering are linked in to the ABS.

Second problem ensure the starter contacts are clean and tight, if still no joy check the TDC sensor is clean.

 

[spugnut]

Many thanks for the quick reply Chris, will give the TDC sensor a wipe and once over in the morning and let you know the results. Life would be a lot easier if I knew a way of reading off the fault codes on the Vel Satis without using the harness (I've got one that should work, but a friend's got it on long term loan!)

As to the ABS speed sensors, where are they located - and are they easy to replace?

 

[spugnut]

Right, got her started. Cheers Chris - rep inbound.

As you suggested, it was the TDC sensor - although all I did was give it a little tweak. (At least, I assume it was the TDC sensor - it was in the right place and the car started when I fiddled with it!). Took a couple of photos, partly because I'm not sure that the connector is sound, but I'll post those up later. Thanks again for that.

Now that I'm rolling again though, it's brought me back to the ABS problem. Actually having some spare time for once, I managed to search these forums and find out where the ABS sensors and rings are located. Thing is, my ABS system is disabled from the moment the engine starts rather than after rolling - would that suggest an open circuit to one of the sensors (just a loose connection?). I'd just like to be clear what I'm looking for before I start jacking up two tonnes of car. (!)

 

[chris m]

I think it will be a problem with one of the front sensors, but not sure which. They are push in I think so one may be dislodged a little.

 

[spugnut]

Right - I've attatched two images of the connectors I fiddled with to get the engine started. They seemed pretty sound - but they're the only things I touched to get her going. Not sure about the firmness of the connector shown in image50.jpg but I didn't want to force it.

As to the ABS system, I've had all four corners off and I've checked what I assumed to be the ABS sensors and they all seem present and correct - I've included an image (image53.jpg) of one of them just to make sure I'm looking at the right thing. ABS warning light is still present from startup, so I'm not sure what to do next.

It's worth bearing in mind that I'm more used to A series Mini engines than all this mystical wiring..

 

[spugnut]

Ok, got my fault code reader back today and plugged her in to get my odbc-II goodness.

The only code present was a P500, vehicle speed sensor malfunction.. no mention of anything else. So - with my examination of what I assumed to be the ABS speed sensors drawing a blank, does anyone have any ideas what to try next?

 

[chris m]

I still think it points to an ABS sensor as i'm sure they are linked. Do you have a multimeter to take readings from the sensors

 

[spugnut]

Gotcha, just out of interest - the live data reading from the ODBCII interface shows the vehicle speed as 163mph - would that suggest a closed circuit / short in the speed sensors, or would it be further back than that?

Having said that, while the live data appears to be correct for MAP and temperatures, the engine rpm was shown as 123rpm without the engine turning.. puzzling.

I'll try and dig out my old meter - where would you suggest taking the readings?

 

[spugnut]

Now officially non-starter.

Engine cranks nicely (still got the service light up because I can't nail that ABS problem down). No other fault codes.

The only thing that is different that I can't recall hearing before is a loudish droning noise from somewhere to the left of the engine bay when I put the code key in..

Could someone please review my case in light of the proceeding? :rofl: