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ETS Light flashes on when hitting bumps

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
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subzerocarfanatic
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ETS Light flashes on when hitting bumps

Post by subzerocarfanatic »

I got all the OEM Volvo Coils & Volvo plugs installed, replaced the coil wiring harness with a good used one I had to splice in,the old one had breaks and exposed wire in a few spots. I replaced the Turbo solenoid valve, the MAP Sensor, went ahead and replaced the ECT sensor even though it was new, with an OEM Volvo one, all the parts used were OEM Volvo. Man the C70 idles and runs SO much better! I still have the ETS (ETM) Dash light coming on when I hit a pot hole or rough spots in the road,it's frustrating because the car runs so well.I have not had it on a long drive yet for a true test ( longer than 15 minutes).
If you remember, before I was having a loud audible clicking noise coming from the main relay (the blue one in front corner of main fuse box) that is related to the ETM as well as other things. I managed to get that to cease by pulling the fuse box itself loose from the black plastic housing it sits in and just going over all the connections on the back side of the fuse box where all the wires come in to plug in to the relays, nothing is obviously crimped,broken etc so i put it all back together and the ticking noise stopped but now the intermittent ETS light coming on when hitting a bump, i drove over a cattle guard they have at the bottom of the on ramp to I-25 and the ETS light did more than blink on for a split second, it stayed on a couple seconds,long enough to make the car stall, then i re-started the car and drove it home ( this happened 2 weeks ago before replacing coils,plugs wiring harness etc. Any ideas anyone, I personally think it is related somehow to the main relay which is tied to the ETM.
We have put so much money in this car at this point I can't quit though i want to some times.
On a side not, I replaced the ETM with a used one over 6 months ago that was built by Xemodex,it was built by them in 2013 I think.

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Post by subzerocarfanatic »

I guess this is something i'm going to have to maybe contact Xemodex about because i'm stumped aside from tracing wires and checking main fuse box. I guess this is something no one has ever had any experience with happening to them since no one has any ideas.Wish me luck everyone. )

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Post by abscate »

It certainly sounds like a broken electrical contact either in the connector or internal to the unit

If you bought it from Xmodex, it has a lifetime warranty, so send that back for eval, with a detailed history document.
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Post by subzerocarfanatic »

abscate wrote: 17 Jul 2020, 04:57 It certainly sounds like a broken electrical contact either in the connector or internal to the unit

If you bought it from Xmodex, it has a lifetime warranty, so send that back for eval, with a detailed history document.
Actually it was a used unit that was built by them in 2013 that I bought off a guy on eBay.

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Post by subzerocarfanatic »

abscate wrote: 17 Jul 2020, 04:57 It certainly sounds like a broken electrical contact either in the connector or internal to the unit

If you bought it from Xmodex, it has a lifetime warranty, so send that back for eval, with a detailed history document.
What confuses me is that the ETM passes the test On the Vida Dice when i run the test on it, the 2 potentiometers are in sync almost perfect with each other, but I guess that has nothing to do with if the ETM harness has a short or the wiring harness from the Blue ETM related relay in the main fuse box mounted on shock tower possibly having a break or bad connection though I have looked at the back side of the main relay/fuse box where the wires plug in as best i can without literally pulling it out all the way which is a major undertaking because the section of the wiring harness that leads up to the fuse box is massive and in the wiring conduit housing all that would have to be pulled out to have enough slack in the wires so the fuse box can be pulled out of it's housing to access the back side of it, what a nightmare.
I do not have a Volvo dealership closer than 230 miles away in Albuquerque and I have no way to get the car there if i even considered that option.
I have put a lot of money in this car and do not want to sell it as me and my wife both love the car nut it's becoming to be too much, this has been going on, the different issues for over 7 months off and on, drive a bit then find and fix more issues.I know it will be worth it in the end,just not sure if it's worth all the headaches at this point if i can't resolve the ETM short and no one has a solution and i spoke with the Volvo technician yesterday and some things he suggested I have already done.

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Post by 2000c70hpt »

Try putting vida on it and wiggle the wires going to the etm if you haven't already. It's obviously a short somewhere if this happens only over bumps. I25? Sounds like you're in Colorado?
2000 C70 hpt with 140k
2008 xc90 t6 non turbo with 170k

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Post by abscate »

2000c70hpt wrote: 17 Jul 2020, 20:39 Try putting vida on it and wiggle the wires going to the etm if you haven't already. It's obviously a short somewhere if this happens only over bumps. I25? Sounds like you're in Colorado?

Land of eNchantMent, I think.

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Post by 2000c70hpt »

True that
2000 C70 hpt with 140k
2008 xc90 t6 non turbo with 170k

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Post by subzerocarfanatic »

2000c70hpt wrote: 17 Jul 2020, 20:39 Try putting vida on it and wiggle the wires going to the etm if you haven't already. It's obviously a short somewhere if this happens only over bumps. I25? Sounds like you're in Colorado?
That is a very good idea, thanks! I will try it. When i started having the issue with ETS dash light coming on, when I got home to run the DICE on it, it would not even communicate with it so I messed around with the wires from main fuse box relay #1 the blue one in immediate front right corner then the ETS light went off and DICE started communicating again after that and installing the new coils and coil wiring harness.

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subzerocarfanatic
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Post by subzerocarfanatic »

2000c70hpt wrote: 17 Jul 2020, 20:39 Try putting vida on it and wiggle the wires going to the etm if you haven't already. It's obviously a short somewhere if this happens only over bumps. I25? Sounds like you're in Colorado?
I live in Raton NM, 5 minutes from southern Colorado border,it's the furthest town north in NM, right on Co. border, about 6700 feet Elevation.

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