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Yaw rate sensor - Question on diagnostic and replacement

140K views 96 replies 19 participants last post by  Eflo46wagon 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Recently the DSC and Brake lamp (yellow - when parking brake is pulled it changes to red) has lit up on my 2001 325cic.

When scanned via PASoft 1.4 the following error codes were pulled:

5E3C [24124] Yaw rate sensor not plausible
5E38 [24120] Yaw rate sensor electrical faulty

I tried to clear the error codes via PASoft to no avail. Is there another tried-and-true method that I can try to reset the light to see if it was a fluke? I am asking because nothing unusual happened before the DSC+Brakes lit up, and the drivability now is the same as before (besides the fact that DSC is now disabled).

If not, I guess the worst case scenario would be pulling up the driver's seat to replace the sensor. After extensive research on the forum and the web, it seems that the yaw rate sensor is called differently at different places (speed sensor, rotation rate sensor, yaw rate sensor, just to name a few). However, I have narrowed it down to 2 possible part numbers:

37146781405 - ~$88
http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/37146781405/ES242427/

34526754289 - $440
http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/34526754289/ES63112/

Were there any fellow members on E46 who had this issue before and replaced the part themselves? If so, would you kindly help by identifying the correct part that should be replaced? Also, were there any additional programming required after replacing the sensor?

Thank you very much for your help!
 
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#5 ·
I have the same problem. DSC and brake light (orange) turned on by itself at less than 40mph speed in a straight line, heard braking noise as if DSC engaged like in an uncontrolled maneuver. Fault code detected 5E38 Rotation Rate Sensor.

So, I believe it's the Acceleration Sensor aka Yaw sensor which would be this link:

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-325i-M54_2.5l/ES592/ES242427/

Can anyone else confirm it is this part? It's apparently under the driver's seat. Thanks!
 
#19 ·
In your case, I wonder if the 5E19 and 5E26 caused the yaw sensor to give a faulty error codes due to the fact it was receiving incorrect information from the power supply sensors. Maybe your original yaw sensor is still good. Perhaps reset and clear the codes and see if the same codes (5E19 and 5E26) come back.

ECS Tunning is out of the yaw sensor. I will need to search for an alternate supplier.
 
#28 ·
Does anyone know of a way to test the yaw sensor? I have the same problem, my stability control kicks on after driving for some time however My abs light is not on, I only get the Orange center indicator and the orange brake light and I have no abs light, the codes I have are

5D90 Wheel Speed Sensor Position Front Left
5E58 DSC Switch (most likely on because i deactivate the DSC)
5E4F Continuous Control
5E3C Rotation Rate Sensor Signal
5E38 Rotation Rate Sensor Circuit

I replaced the 2 front wheel speed sensors and just today reset the code so I will see if the problem comes back or not. Anyone?
 
#32 · (Edited)
So i got everything out and got to the sensor, visually it looks fine. Wanted to do a quick diagnosis so i reseat the connection, plugged up the computer and the error is still present. Decided to check the sensor values and here is what I'm coming up with:



The sensor consistently reads extremely low. It is looking more and more like a bad sensor, i just hate the horror stories of those that have replaced it and the error came back. This was at a standstill, while driving it began hovering around -60 to -80

What should I be looking for if i go at it with a multimeter?
 
#34 ·
Here you go;
The sensor has a three pin connector with the following connections:
• 5V reference
• Signal
• Ground
The sensor receives a reference voltage of 5V from the MK60 control unit and provides a
signal output of approximately 0.25 to 4.65V depending on the amount and direction of
yaw. If the sensor is defective a constant voltage will be sent to the MK60.
 
#35 ·
Here you go;
The sensor has a three pin connector with the following connections:
• 5V reference
• Signal
• Ground
The sensor receives a reference voltage of 5V from the MK60 control unit and provides a signal output of approximately 0.25 to 4.65V depending on the amount and direction of yaw. If the sensor is defective a constant voltage will be sent to the MK60.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Anyone find anything on this yet? I've got some pin out for the dsc module both the mk20 and mk60, I'm not really sure what I have, according to some manuals I've read mk60 was only used from sept 01 on and have a 47 pin connector(MK20 has 43 pins), and last time I checked I could of sworn I check it out and I did have the 47 pin connector and my vehicle build is 4/01 so I need to verify this.

I will also be testing some wiring for possible shorts and testing some components as well, I really hope I don't have to replace nothing to expensive.
 
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