turbomoose Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 It was posted not too long ago that it's possible to fix your ABS module yourself. The hard part is opening the module to get to the faulty solder points. So, after two weeks of constantly glowing ABS and TRACS OFF lights, and an intermittently functioning speedometer, I decided it was time to remove my ABS module and send it to Victor for repair. After I had the module in hand, I thought, I'm going to do it myself! Now, I knew it was possible to completely ruin my module. And I knew I'd have to find another ABS/TRACS module to replace mine if I did ruin mine. I'm very comfortable working with printed circuit boards, opening sealed modules, and I'm very good with soldering. I'm just letting you all know that if you do try to repair yours, you may ruin it.So, onto opening of the module case. I used a new blade in my utility knife, and within 10 minutes I had cleanly opened the case. Not difficult at all. Soft black silicone is all that seals the case. There are also 4 friction washers that hold the cover to module. There was a thin latex like coating on the printed circuit board, but this is easily removed with a stiff bristle toothbrush. I only removed the latex stuff from the solder points in question. I re-soldered every terminal point. There were no signs of solder cracks at all. (By terminal points I mean terminal pins connecting the wire harness to the module PCB. Also from the PCB, to the coil windings for the solenoids on the outside of the module.) I re-installed the module, drove down the block and watched my speedometer work again and my ABS and TRACS OFF lights turned off. I did not re-seal the module case with silicone thinking I may have to do more soldering. I am going to remove it tomorrow, take some pics, and then reseal and re-install. I'll take pics of the whole process.And now some horribly blurry 1.3 megapixel camera phone pics of my '97 T5 with 152K on the clock. I'll use my real digital camera on the ABS pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmsee Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Holy shit that seat is MINT Original? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_P Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Holy shit that seat is MINT Original?Mine didn't look that good when I bought it Nice looking T5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'93 Dave Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 ^^agree that interior is freken mint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPTDoh Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 I cannot even put into words how jealous I am of the Texas climate.Phenomenal interior Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oreo931 Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 WOW. That car is in PRISTINE shape for 152k. Is it a 1 owner? Damn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbomoose Posted December 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Thanks guys! And yes, the interior is all original. My car was owned by an older couple before I bought it. An all Volvo family, just like mine now. They traded it in on an S80 T6 in 2002. I saw it on the lot and bought it as the original owners were signing the papers on their S80. I had been without a car for weeks and was test driving cars. My previous car was a '97 Passat GLX VR6. It was pristine, but extremely unreliable. The Volvo has truly been the best car I've ever owned, and I've owned quite a few cars. An '89 Accord SE-i, a '91 Acura Integra GS 4door, 2 Jettas 2 Passats, and my first car, an '87 Mazda 626 GT turbo Hatchback, which I loved, but was stolen.And it's chilly here in Texas! It's 27 right now. The day after Thanksgiving we were the second in the nation with the greatest amount of snow fall. I'm from northern California, so this is really nice weather. Thanks again gang!I'm the 2nd owner. 1st owner lives about 10 minutes away. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteT5 Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 What part of TX? Western I'm guessing by the "mountains" in the back.I simply can't believe those seats are original. They had to have been re-covered or something by the PO. The color is off too.The Texas Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbomoose Posted December 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Nope, they're 100% original. The original owners were in their 60's and 70's. All they did was maintenance. And I wouldn't have had them recovered. I hate that stuff. If it's not OEM, and I mean VOLVO, it's not going in my car. I'd have just bought some new seat covers from the dealer if they were worn, which is what I need to do for my back seat, thanks to my dogs claws. I'm super anal about my cars detail. The only thing not original about my car is the steering wheel. The horn contacts got screwed up, and I couldnt find any leather steering wheels that were in decent shape. So I got one from a GLT. I'm still on the search for a clean leather steering wheel. Here's pics of my previous two Passats. The white Passat was a '94 GLX VR6. The Black was the '97. Both all original interior. And yes, west Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geevs Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Wow 10 minutes with a utility knife makes it look too easy. I tried to open mine using a razor blade mounted on a gasket scraper. This tool was easy to cut deeply into the recesss around the edges of the case. But there seems to be more silicone inside of the case that cannot be reached by the blade.Did you try to pry the case open at one point after you've run the blade around the edges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbomoose Posted December 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 I used a putty knife after I went around the edges with the utility knife, I just set it in the seam, and pried evenly. It slowly released. I forgot to mention that the PO had the module replaced. Inside the case was a date stamp, '99. They had a repair under warranty in 2000. I thought it was pretty crappy that it failed again. :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geevs Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 What'd you use to pry it evenly? Screwdrivers feel like it would chip the plastic.So your module was previously opened for repair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbomoose Posted December 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 I set the module "base" in a vice. I had the module wrapped in non-slip rubber kitchen shelf liner. I used a regular putty knife and 'popped' off the cap portion of the module. Even steady pressure on the putty knife is all it took. No cracking. And no, it hadn't been previously opened. The module had been completely replaced in 2000 at the dealer under warranty. I believe there were several different types of sealant used over the years. Mine was soft black silicone. And my PCB was covered in soft latex like sealer which was easy to remove. I've read that some modules are sealed with strong epoxy and some PCB's are covered in clear epoxy, making repair soldering very difficult....And when I say vice, it's a spring loaded clamp type vice, not the screw tighten type vice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozark Lee Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Having done this one myself, the repair is much easier to make after the module has been repaired previously. The OEM sealer is gray and it is almost like putty. Even after you scrape it all out you have about a 0% chance of prying the top off of the module without breaking lip. I just went ahead and broke the lip all the way around the module base and then sealed it up real well with black 100% silicone sealant.If I do need to get back into the module it will be a breeze to get the cover off.Here is how I did mine:http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/chat/phpB...p?p=46827#46827...Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbomoose Posted December 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 And this is the thread that inspired me to repair my own module. Thanks Lee! You also saved me from having to make a DIY thread. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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