JS Automotive Solutions

Volvo V40 2016 not starting with steering lock faults
Culprit - faulty abs module
These modules fail internally and produce the fault code U3003-16.
When this occurs, the steering lock will no longer activate due to the missing vehicle speed signal, as it needs to know the vehicle is not moving to engage/disengage.
When the steering lock cannot function, the entire ignition/starting cycle cannot proceed. Dead car.
Similar symptoms can be witnessed on other Ford engineered vehicles with keyless start.

A second hand abs module was sourced and cloned with third party software, back to normal!

Flooded Ranger BCM.

This came out of a PX2 Ranger with a standard key start.
Totally dead on the bench.
We were supplied a PX3 Ranger keyless BCM.
Once plugged in, the car was dead and with 20+ BCM faults.

Steps taken ;
- Bench flashed BCM with a PX3 standard key file that was saved from a previous BCM clone job.
- Perform all keys lost procedure, program 2 keys
- Now with the security unlocked, perform module reprogramming in FJDS
- Update as built data
- Finally, parameter reset. Happy days!

The reasons for each step ;
- The first flash was necessary to get the ignition to work, which without, diagnostics and key programming would not work.
- Key programming was necessary as reprogramming is blocked without the security unlocked.
- Reprogramming the correct firmware cleared the nonsense faults, and allowed the asbuilt file to be compatible.
- Parameter reset to pair with the ECU!

2020 Kia Carnival with smart cruise control faults.

Initially this vehicle had no communication with the cruise control radar.
Unusually, the canbus wires had around 4-6 volts which seemed a little high, though it's not strange to see various voltages on newer Can FD systems.
Consulting a diagram on Kia's website, it would appear that these can lines are part of the main network.
But the main network was showing a healthy 2.5-3.5 volts, so whats the deal?

Digging further through the manuals, a diagram was found that actually explains that the radar is on an isolated network with the camera and collision prevention module. This is what we'd expect, especially with 'local canbus off' faults. The first diagram was flat out wrong.

With the correct information at hand, we were finally able to diagnose that the camera module was throwing off the canbus network. Very common to see these cameras cook in the Aussie heat. As it would happen, someone had already replaced the camera, and the old one was still in the glove box.
Plugged it in. Same result?

Looking at the live data, we could see the camera was reporting a module voltage around 9.5 volts.
The earth wire for the camera had 2.5 volts on it.
It's a miracle this thing can communicate with low input voltage and a wonky canbus.
We put 2 and 2 together, and swapped that earth pin with the can-lo wire at the camera connector, as it couldn't have been a coincidence. The wire that was supposedly can-lo was infact open circuit, so we bridged a nearby earth.
Boom, 12V in live data and communication restored to the cruise control radar!

My best guess is that the incorrect ceiling harness has been installed in this car at some point.

We've had a lot of bad transmissions lately — more than a few. Unfortunately, the second-hand replacements haven't been much better either, with about a 50/50 success rate.

This particular example is an Audi Q5, which I made clear from the start had a low chance of success. The gearbox in question was a DL501 Gen 2, which had mistakenly been replaced with a Gen 1 unit.

ODIS wanted nothing to do with it, so we set about manually copying the immobilizer information by editing the EEPROMs (CS/mac/pin). This produced mixed results. The immobilizer issue was resolved; however, the gearbox still would not communicate correctly with the engine, resulting in a P0614 – Incompatible Control Module fault.

We then explored the possibility of using different calibration versions, manually testing more than a dozen gearbox files listed for the 2.0 TDI. None of them worked.

Going the extra mile, we eventually located a downgraded ECM calibration after an extensive search. At last, we had a driving vehicle.

Unfortunately, the success didn't last. Once the gearbox reached operating temperature, clutch #2 began slipping. We attempted several calibration procedures, but all failed. As a final test, the gearbox was flashed back to its original calibration file, yet the clutch kiss-point learning procedure still failed.

After all of this effort, the replacement second-hand gearbox has proven to be faulty and will need to be returned.

When sourcing a replacement gearbox or mechatronics unit, pay close attention to the part numbers. If you're unsure, it's always worth making a phone call beforehand.

Just because a gearbox comes from a crash-damaged vehicle doesn't mean the damage was purely incidental.

This 2022 Toyota Yaris came in with a whole range of warning lights after being repaired as a repairable write-off. A number of components had been replaced, including the dashboard, airbag module, radar/camera system, and front bar.

Initial diagnosis showed communication faults for the yaw rate sensor and steering angle sensor. At first, the fault wasn’t obvious, as all modules were communicating normally with the scan tool.

Commonly, newer Toyotas require replacement modules to be registered online through Techstream using an ECU security key. After doing this, the yaw sensor faults went away, which made sense as it is integrated into the airbag module which was replaced.
The steering angle sensor fault is linked to these same symptoms, but this one turned out to be a separate issue. We could communicate with the steering angle sensor, and live data showed correct steering values, but the information wasn’t being transmitted to the rest of the vehicle. What gives?

Using Techstream’s CAN communication analysis and wiring diagrams, we traced the fault to a blown ignition fuse supplying the steering angle sensor. Two separate fuses power the steering angle sensor, permanent live and ignition.

After replacing the fuse, carrying out security synchronization, and completing a full ABS calibration/learn procedure, all warning lights and history (RoB) fault codes were cleared, and the vehicle was back to normal.

A repair like this would not have been possible without dealer-level tooling - something Toyotas don’t often require, but increasingly do on newer models.

Mercedes C200 (M271) in today with intermittent stalling and crankshaft sensor faults.

Vehicle was losing crank signal at random and logging P0335. Initial checks found slight oil contamination in the wiring harness, commonly caused by leaking camshaft actuators, so the ECU was opened for inspection.

The real culprit? Leaking capacitors inside the ECU. The electrolyte had started affecting nearby components, leading to intermittent signal loss. ECU repaired with replacement capacitors and board clean-up.

Repair completed fully mobile, on-site