2015 Roadtrek SS Agile- Multiple alarms at once over the winter

[sdunn4]

Perhaps coincidentally, but after a big snowstorm this winter, we had 3 alarms on our dash- brake wear / blind spot inoperative / 3rd brake light. We have a 2015 Roadtrek SS Agile with 81,500 miles on it. We winterize the coach and hook up to shore power for the northeastern NY winter season; no driving. None of these alarms were on in the fall or during my frequent checks (to insure shore power was still on and to make sure no mice found their way inside…; several checks per week).

The 3rd brake light alarm cleared when I started the Sprinter but the others didn’t.

I checked the 5A fuse (spot 37 in the left side fuse panel, driver’s seat) that is listed as being for the front collision warning & blind spot monitor- fuse is good. I inspected the wires leading to the rear bumper sensors for blind spot detection and there’s nothing apparently chewed up or broken. I have not yet attempted to get at the sensors.

The brakes all were measured at 80,220 miles and had plenty of brake pad left; 10-12 mm. We drove around for a half hour and the brakes seem fine with no squeaking or anything amiss.

We have not had anything connected to the trailer wiring system.

The turn signal lights and brake lights work fine.

No other apparent alarms or issues that I can find; no apparent wires gnawed under the hood either.

I am planning to visit my local mechanic this week to see if he can read any clues from the OBD port but wanted to see if anyone else has dealt with this combination of error codes all at once.

Thanks for any help; I have searched Sprinter Source and Class B for any possible solutions but may have just missed something obvious!

Steve

 

[GeorgeRad]

Is it possible that power outage occurred and engine battery was discharged, it can take weeks or a month of parasitic loads to discharge the battery. Is the engine battery being charge while connected to shore power? Low voltage could trigger alarms, it never happened to my Sprinter, but…. Is your third brake light working? I would check of any fail codes are recorded, take a note and erased them and see if they come back? It is worthwhile to keep an OBD2 reader on hand with Sprinters, like this one for $15. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY1TS725?th=1 The OBD2 plug is near the hood release on the driver side.

 

[wmgeorge]

I don't know how Tecky you are but with a modern smart phone and I have an Apple 11 you can install an app that combined with a Bluetooth OBD reader you can see the Codes yourself and lots more. I use OBD Fusion as I purchased years ago it works fine but there may be better ones now.

 

[sdunn4]

Thanks for the helpful feedback! We’ve ordered the OBD2 reader and have plans to stop at our mechanic’s shop Thursday. The idea of possible power loss during the winter was something he raised as well. If I receive any additional information I will update the thread.

 

[sdunn4]

Thanks for the helpful feedback! We’ve ordered the OBD2 reader and have plans to stop at our mechanic’s shop Thursday. The idea of possible power loss during the winter was something he raised as well. If I receive any additional information I will update the thread.

Update: our mechanic read all the codes and found 2 hard faults that wouldn’t erase- brake wear and blind spot. He removed each wheel and checked each individual break wear sensor for continuity- all sensors are intact and brakes are at 10-12 mm.

The blind spot sensor(s) may have gotten wet with the extreme snow / ice / rain during a nearly 2-week period.

Our next step is to find where the brake wear circuitry is damaged (he feels confident that there’s a broken or gnawed-through wire somewhere), and also to drop the rear bumper for access to the blind spot sensors.

I just wanted to throw this out there in hopes anyone on this forum may have chased similar issues and may have some advice. All fuses are good, and the 2 hard codes come back after I accessed the vehicle battery under the driver’s side footwell to disconnect the negative battery lead for a few minutes.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[GeorgeRad]

I think this is common issue with Sprinters, (if I recall correctly Avanti from this forum had some problems with it). See this discussion, Lindenenginering posts are based on real data from his automotive shop in in Colorado were he services Sprinters - HELP with brake problems

 

[sdunn4]

George,

Thanks for the information and link. I did look through the posts but it didn’t seem pertinent to our issues; our brakes are actually in good shape and working well. There’s a fault in the wiring somewhere (we think!), and our mechanic is going to chase it out on his lift. It seems very coincidental that 3 faults appeared at the same time.