Volvo S70-V70 Abs Module
Having a problem with Abs and Traction control is not a rarity on a V70/S70 Volvo. It is a common and expensive problem caused mostly by the Abs Module. The right way to fix this is to get a new one put in. It does not come cheap though, it’s over $400 for a new one and around $200 to rebuilt it .
Is there a way to go around it? Yes, there is(sometimes). I tried this”unorthodox repair” on a 1998 V70 and it worked. Actually it’s still working 13 months later. It’s cheap and it required 15min of my time. Abs Module is located on the left side of engine compartment under the fuse box. Good news is…you don’t have to remove it at all.
The whole idea consist on putting some space between Abs pump and the Module. It can be done with almost everything: wood, cardboard, plastic. In my case I used a scrap piece of plastic.
Take the spacer and push it between the pump and the module. Make sure it stays tight and won’t fall while driving.
There we go..no Abs and Tracks light anymore and it’s working fine.
I tried this method on 3 different Volvo’s with the same problem and it worked fine on 2 of them. No guaranties though but you lose nothing by trying it anyway.
Comments (218)
I have 3 questions: (1) do you have to reset the codes for the ABS light to go off, and (2) once light is off, are ABS brakes fully engaged again, and (3) how does spacing between pump and module keep light from coming on?
Surely, in some way or another, this is just a quick fix for the ABS light, not the module itself.
1. No you don’t
2. Yes
3. Bad connection
Thank you for your response…..
Just did this to sons 98 s70 worked like a charm…
Seems too good to be true, same issue with abs and traction control lights on my 2000 c70 t5, was debaiting sending module for repair, is this an issue with c70 as well? do u think it will work?
Sure it will work in c70 just fine.
This sounds 2 good 2b true – the Volvo dealer charge about 1800 dollars to replace the ABS unit. I have a couple of questions before trying your solution – why does it take 15 minutes (what you describe sounds like 1 minute, or have I missed something?) and isn’t there a risk of whatever you insert melting/burning?
I just tried it on a 99 XC70 worked fine. `Used a teak wood shim.
If the ABS system has to replaced. Does it need to be reprogrammed??
Do you think this will work on an S 60 as well??
tried it and did not work! bummer!
is there a waiting period or are results immediate?
98 v70 with tracs
i tried again and it worked!
I tried it on my 2000 S70 and it worked fine.
This is what I know: The black connector which plugs into the ABS module is actualy pluged onto the circuit board of the module. The circuit board is where the problem lies, connections between the plug and the circuit board are made with what are called cold solder joints. These joints over time, break and lose connetion, which in turn cause the ABS light to come on. By placing a shim between the plug and the ABS pump body you are actually bending the circuit board and reconnecting the broken joints which, in turn shut off the ABS light.
NOTE; The ABS light will turn off after the car is driven over 14 MPH. However in some cases the CHECK ENGINE light will also come on depending which solder connections have failed. In this case, a scanner must be used to erace the codes and reset the CHECK ENGINE light. Also, at the top of this page it is stated that the proper way to fix this problem is to replace the module with a new one. An alternative is to remove the module and send it away to be repaired, good as new, for under 100 dollars! Just look up Volvo ABS module repair on the Internet.
Thanks Rick for taking the time and explain in details the problem.
Thanks for the Information.
It works also in V70 2005 module. Confirmed!
Worked great on my 1998 S70!! Used a wooden paint stirrer as recommended by a friend. Wish all my Volvo repairs were this easy. Thanks..
Worked great on my 1998 V70 Wagon! Used a thin plastic piece, jammed it in like in the picture. Both ABS and Tracs On lights disappeared after driving in parking lot! Pulled in to a parking spot, disconnected battery, waited 15 min and turned on the engine and the Engine light disappeared as well!!! Can’t believe my local stealer wanted $1800 to repair it.
Check Engine light came back on after about 40 miles…
Engine light has nothing to do with that. You might have a faulty oxygen sensor (bank 1 i guess)
I just bought a 1998 S70 t5, the abs light and trac lights were on and wouldn’t go away, i had my mechanic try this and it worked!!!! lights are off and the trac button in the car actually works now, saved me from getting a brand new abs and spending a ton of money, THANK YOU!!!
Hello people this fix might turn off the light(sensor), however you should be aware that the problem stems from the module itself and the spacer is just a fix where you are sweeping the issue under the rug. I fix ABS modules for the V70 and S70 modules for $200 I remove/repair/reinstall the module with warranty. I’m located in Toronto.
Ciao 🙂
Why pay $200 when they can fix it for free.
2000 S70, worked great!
Followed the instructions and it did the trick. Instead of coming off at least once a day, it’s been gone for a week now. To test, I did some hard braking and the ABS started pumping as it is supposed to do. Therefore, this (plausible) fix is an acceptable alternative to replacing the unit. Thanks for the money-saving tip!
Took 15 seconds…including opening and closing the hood.:-)
Its worked for my 2000 s70, you saved me a lot of money, i wish you had a donate button but anyway i will clink on the banners on the top so you can get some money from advertising.
If the Check Engine Light is “On”, and you try this modification, how can one turn the Check Engine Light “Off”?
Check engine light has nothing to do with ABS module, you might have another problem with your car.
Awesome fix! A cedar shim did it for my 1998 v70! @fish I had the check engine light show up too eventually. I did a reset with volvo fcr and a dealextreme odbii. The service light will only turn off if you’re abs module is “fixed”. But like Car Instructions said… we may have other problems with our cars (all my service light’s are still off for about 400k later).
I must be missing something, I cannot get anything in between my module and the pump. Do you loosen up the bolts to get it in between? Let me see if I am doing this right. There is a module bolted to the bottom of the pump and then there is another small black box mounted to the side of the pump, I am suppose to put the shim between the pump and module and as far as I can see there is no way to do this without loosening the bolts. Can anyone help me out here? Thanks
I just tried it on my 1998 S70 GLT and it worked great. I tried it first with a wood shim and it keep slipping, so I used a piece of plastic that was shaped like a wedge and it worked great. And now my speedometer is working great too. Thanks for the tip
[…] I found this web site that shows a way to get the ABS light off and keep it off. I hope it helps someone else out. I tried it and it works, I used a piece of plastic that was in a wedge shape and it worked like a charm. Good luck Volvo S70-V70 Abs Module repair | Car Instructions […]
@Dustin: the pic shows the location pretty clearly I think:
https://carinstructions.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/volvo-abs-module1.jpg
don’t need to loosen anything that would kinda defeat the purpose… try a shim, it’s angular design makes it ideal for tight spaces.
We have a 1999 V70 wagon and recently the ABS light has been going on and off when ever it wanted to. Not only was this dangerous if it meant the ABS system was not working, everytime the light lite up, the cruise control stopped working! And I have to have the cruise!
So after putting up with this for some time now and finding out that the dealer wanted the worth of the car to repair it, I went online and found this page, studied the photos, found a slim piece of plastic and…IT WORKS! Thank you so much!
@Dustin: My module had no space either. I took a screwdriver and very gently pried the module just far enough (talking millimeters here) to slip the shim in and now it has a very tight fit so it won’t fall out. The shim doesn’t have to be thick, just enough to wedge the module onto it’s plugs and off the pump.
NOW, if CarInstructions could come up with a cheap fix for the same car’s ETM!!!
my abs light stays lite for 08 s70. My tack light is off. will it work in those cases ?
Thanks for the info. Just tried on my recently purchased 1997 v70 T5 IT WORKED for me too ! took about 15sec to fix
is there any way the you can show with pictures, where exactly the piece goes, because if you say between the abs module and the abs pump, then i have to lose the screws, am i right? i hope i get a response from you, thank you.
beto:
Last night I read these articles and went out to my 98 S70 and pushed two wood clothes pin sections between the pump and housing without loosening anything. I started the car backed out of the driveway and heard a clunk like a relay shifting and the dash ABS and TRACS lights went out the car is working just fine.
The besttttttttttttt, dealer asked me $900 i spent $0 only because of your article, you need a donate button. I click the ads if it helps.
The technician who services my 1997 S70 ( I am in the UK) has resoldered the ABS module three times now in three years. The last repair just failed again after fifteen months. I tried this fix with a square piece of plastic about 2m thick. Just wedged it as per the instructions. I started up, ABS and TRACS lights were still on, reached 14 mph and the two warning lights went out and they have’nt come back on! This is so good and easy I can still hardly believe it. Thank you very much Car Instructions!
I tried several different wedge shaped scraps of various materials and could not get this trick to work.
I agree with some of the folks that have questioned the details about how to do this. The picture IS quite clear, however, the described location of “between the module and the pump” is not correct! The picture shows the wedge between the pump and the wire CONNECTOR, not the module itself.
Anyway this did not work for me unfortunately after many attempts. I think the people that have posted suggesting all this does is re-establish a proper connection between the ABS module and it’s wire connectors are correct. This is not going to help at all if the problem is not that simple….which must be the case for me 🙁
A follow-up to my previous post:
After using a much larger wedge than what people on this thread have been describing they used, this trick DID result in the ABS and TRACS lights turning off.
For others considering this fix, note (in addition to what I pointed out in the previous post) that you must actually drive the car some after trying this to see if it has worked.
Does anyone know a reasonable way to test if the ABS/TRACS system is actually working after doing this hack? Preferably a way that does not involve actually contriving a dicey braking situation?
Thanks again to the original author of this.
To update my last post. The 2.5mm plastic shim I used was not enough to maintain the fix. The warning lights came on all the time after about 24 hours. I then used a 5mm piece of plastic, a shim like before, not a wedge shape, and this has been much more effective for the last 2 weeks. Not perfect however because occasionally, about once every 3 days the lights will come on, but
always go out again on restarting the engine and reaching 14 mph. I guess my ABS module is pretty bad and really needs more soldering, but in the meantime it is holding out most of the time due to this way of fixing it. I may try increasing the thickness of the shim again, I will update with the results when I do.
Update: I did figure it out and got my light off. The pics were hard to see on my computer but when I got to work I have a flat screen and the pics were clear as day and I could see what the red line was pointing at. This was a great fix and saved me a bundle. Thanks for the great tip.
[…] recently had a discussion on this same topic a month or so ago. Here is the link to help you out. Volvo S70-V70 Abs Module repair | Car Instructions Good […]
I just bought an old 98 V70 XC cross country. The abs and tracs off lights were on and the abs brakes didn’t work. I tried your fix and the lights went off and the brakes work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This fix saved me $1800!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I used a plastic shim. Worked perfectly.
Can I expect this to work on my 2002 v70XC? I’ve tried positioning the wedge several times – no luck. I’m wondering if I should give up.
Also, why is a rebuild of the 2002 abs module so much more expensive? $500 vs. $100??
Just picked up a 1998 S70. Personally, I couldn’t care less whether the ABS lights are on or off, but I needed them off in order to pass the safety inspection (I live in Canada). I used a scrap piece of particle board and it sure did the trick!
*Note: The ABS light did not go off immediately upon starup, I had to drive the car up the street and back and it went off.
Thank you, saved me $450 plus labour, i donated $12 if that helps. Thank you again.
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It worked!!! I used a wood shim that I had in my garage. I have previous sent out my abs module to midwest abs when I had this problem in the past. THey are a great outfit but I don’t need to use them with this trick unless the connection gets worse somehow and the shim-trick no longer works. I have only been driving for 2 days with the fix but the problem would show up several times a day in commute traffic so I know it’s working right now. Information like this keeps me from ever going to a dealer and paying their insane prices.
THANKS!!!
It worked for me too, im so happy with this easy fix, donated $4, you can get e beer its hot out there :). Thank you.
I just heard from a person who fixes ABS modules that this shouldn’t be done because the pins inside the module will crack from excess heat from placement of the shim. Has anyone had this problem?
Also, how long has this fix lasted for people?
I used a blown fuse I had laying around pushed it in and it worked!! Still might get an exchange unit eventually! But for now!!!
@Steve M. Is still working in my S70 a year after i used this trick. Never had a problem.
[…] Power steering and power locks I have a 1998 S70 GLT with the same problems with the locks but mine are the front locks, I have not tried to fix mine because it just isn't and issue with me. The power steering problem is the pump, mine also use to make noises but eventually died, I just had to replace it. One very common problem with these S70's is the ABS module which will also effect your speedometer. There are several options to fixing this, I am including a link to a site that explains the problem. Good luck Link – Volvo S70-V70 Abs Module repair | Car Instructions […]
From Barcelona (Spain)… Thanks!!!
V70 2.4T 1999… Now ABS lights off.
It actually worked on my 98 V 70 XC the end of a plastic spoon. Almost too good to be true.
Unbelievable
Worked like a charm, and after a year of dealing with this issue not wanting to spend upwards of $800 to fix this on a 13 year old car
Kudos
Much appreciated
Very easy fix, thank you for sharing this secret, donated $20
Mel, AUS
my car has the same problem.. except that from time to time my speedometer gos to ) odometer shows dashes and my BRAKE light appears. None of the is permanent. The “piece of metal” trick will work?
Just tried it in my 2000 Volvo S70. I inserted a metro card (thick). ABS light did not come on. I am about to head out for a 3hr trip. Time will tell. Thanks for the tips. I like the way people are cooperative but also skeptical on this site.
1998 S70 T5 – worked like a charm! Plastic shimmy, 14mph and lights are gone! Thank you kindly!
Regards,
D
Thank you so very much! It worked on my 1999 S70 as well. I will try to come back and donate when I can. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
**** THANK YOU soooooo much!!!
This really does work!
MY 98 V70 AWD HAS 232,000 miles on it … this ABS light issue was another fix I thought I was going to have put $$ into. With this solution I can keep on driving without lamenting!!!
Again thanks!
Love to help 🙂
confirmed to work on a swiss s80 – volvo wanted to replace module and pump…
So… it worked!
I need to get my emissions checked, and here in MD they wont even check the car in the ABS light is on… so this is a nice short term, fix. Thanks!
I drive a ’98 V70.
No comment refers to a V70 2002 . Will it work ie placing a shim.
2000 c70 conv – CONFIRMED.
While my ABS light is still on, the brake light turned off immediately. My speedometer and odometer work now. I drove to and from work and it worked like a charm (usually, it flips in between break light/labored acceleration/no speedometer) at least half a dozen times.
People are not joking when they say it literally takes 15 seconds. It makes perfect sense that it’s a bad connection issue, and that tiny wedge allows for proper contact. Thanks so much!!!
2000 S70, all lights are on…speedometer goes to 0, dashes too, but the car also doesn’t seem to go into Drive when this happens, I step on gas and it barely moves at first then goes after a few seconds…..???? Is this problems tied into ABS Module problem as well?