DSC button does nothing ...light is NOT on... can't turn DSC off
 

Just like the title says.... I am trying to turn off traction control, but when I press the DSC button nothing happens. I checked the 30a fuse for DSC and it looks fine. Now FYI, the ABS light is on and I haven't opened that can of worms yet, but if it's possible the 2 issues may be related perhaps I'll be doing some ABS troubleshooting sooner than later. I've spent 3 days searching for info on this before posting, but it appears I may be the only one ever to WANT his DSC light on and can't make it happen. Any ideas of where to start ???

ABS and DSC are intimately linked, they use the same sensors. I would expect they break together too, so start there.


But, depending on what's wrong with ABS, your DSC may be off already.

As stated above, the DSC and the ABS work together. Diagnosing and fixing the ABS fault should cause the DSC to function normally. Keep us updated with the current stored ABS code or codes.

I just ordered the icarsoft code reader so i can read abs codes. I do have a question that i havent been able to find any info on... I drove a BMW for 6 years prior to gettring my 8 and the wheel speed sensors on the BMW'S cause havoc with the abs system. The one good thing was that each wheel sensor controlled something different so by the symptoms you were having you could tell which sensor was at fault. For example...if your speedometer went out, it was the front driver's wheel speed sensor. If you lost cruise control it was the rear driver's side. The front passenger controlled transmission shifting and i forget what the rear passenger was, but who cares.... So my question is, is the 8 set up this way by chance ??? Is there one particular wheel sensor that provides info for the DSC ? Also, do you have to replace the entire front hub to replace the sensor ?

Lol what, that's some bizarre engineering. By definition, DSC needs to know what all wheels are doing, even on that BMW. I would be surprised if the 8's sensors had individual control over car functions.

I've never really had to replace the sensors, but the rear ones look easy, there's one bolt holding the sensor it in the hub.

All four wheels have tone wheels built into the hubs and all four have hall effect sensors to pickup the tone wheel.

All four sensors are fed into the ABS/DSC module (along with the yaw sensor and steering angle sensor data). If you buy a WiFi/Bluetooth OBD dongle, the OBD Fusion app, and pay for the car make or make/model/year specific data, you can read each wheel speed sensor separately. It's all CAN data so if you know the CAN PID (which I don't) you can read the individual wheel speed data that way.

Keep in mind that the ABS system also controls F/R brake bias. If ABS is malfunctioning, you'll have an exciting time in an emergency braking situation (ask any trackrat who have had a failed wheel speed sensor: it will lock up the fronts hella early and the rears will do very little). https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-racing-...ailure-268666/

German engineering for you. Newer BMW's even use fiber optics for the data networks.

It's easy to replace the sensor but it's usually the hub (with its integrated tone wheel) that's failed. The hubs are... less easy.

Front hubs are not that hard of a job. The only potential challenge is from the rust welding the brake to the hub. Grab a hammer, some WD40, ear muffs and elbow grease and you will be fine.

Rear wheel bearings are a different story, though.

And no you don't need to replace the entire hub for the sensor. Like Loki said, it's just one bolt.

But it's not usually the sensor that fails. I mean it does, but (at least in motorsports situations) the tone ring in hub fails more often.

the front sensor is also one bolt. I never heard of an ABS ring failing on the rear for the RX8. On the front the bearing is more likely to go bad before the ABS ring as well. Imo, not a likely cause. It’s usually the sensor wire getting damaged that results in the sensor failing ime. Like someone not taking the sensor loose during suspension work and straining the wiring etc.

I would tend to suspect the electronics module on the ABS controller first, which is a more likely problem for an older S1 than the ABS rings. Not sure why you guys are focusing on that. Regardless, you really need to see what the actual code is first before going off on a wild goose chase.

So i got the obd fusion app and bought the add on for my car. Now what's the trick for reading abs codes ? I did the full diagnostics and only got my 3 repeat offenders (random misfire, small vacuum leak and very small vacuum leak codes), but nothing regarding the abs. With my abs light being on I'd think there certainly must be a code stored right ? Or am I just not doing something right ? I cannot find anything online to help, so I hoping perhaps one of you are familiar enough with the app and can point me in the right direction.

Also, just a thought....The guy i bought the car from had just bought it from the origional owner, rebuilt the engine, installed a mid-pipe, put a carbon fiber hood and coilovers on the car in preparation of making it into a drift car. He then found out his wife was pregnant and was pressured into selling the car (lucky me). My question is, since he was building a drift car, is there something intentional he could have done to "turn off" the abs/dsc ? I mean , having a functioning traction control would surely defeat the purpose of trying to drift would it not ???

I'm curious to see how this turns out because my dsc switch doesn't seem to do anything either and this is a stock rx8 that I just bought. I'm trying to get my switch to work as well.

I wouldn’t hold your breath