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Service Advancetrac PROBLEM SOLVED

23K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  JBert 
#1 ·
Thank you so much Kraig1957 for providing the clues I needed to find this issue!

I have been going nuts over an intermittent "Service Advancetrac" issue for years. Sometimes on a particular road track, my dash would light up with "SERVICE ADVANCETRAC" and all of the traction control, advancetrac, and ABS-related warning lights would come on. Also when that happens, it seemed the advancetrac system would come back on, even though I had previously turned it full off. (This causes some bad results on road track where you want to drive the car yourself without "help" from the computer.)

I posted about this in various forums and FB groups, and was told that it was a known issue with these cars on the track; and the cure was to replace the ABS module with a FR500S race module; but this would defeat the Advancetrac System completely and there would be a warning light on the dash; which would make my car fail Massachusetts' annual safety inspection -- not a good solution for me.

I have seen a few other people post about this issue, and I always relayed the information above. Somewhere along the way, Kraig1957 (and maybe one other person, I don't remember) posted that they had the issue, and it was caused by the ABS/advancetrac sensor wire hitting the exhaust, melting the wire loom and insulation, and shorting out. I looked under the car but all looked good for what I could see, without the car up on a lift.

Finally last night, I got the car up on jack stands high enough to really get under there and follow the wire -- and found the issue!

Sure enough, the wiring harness was melted; apparently from intermittent contact with the exhaust. I was thrown off by the fact that the problem only showed itself on the road track, so I thought it was somehow caused by that. Apparently, only on the track were the cornering forces high enough to make the wire hit the exhaust.

Photos attached -- way up under the car, above the area where the exhaust loops up and over the axle on the driver side, is the spot where the wire loom was melted.
 

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#4 ·
thanks, yeah me too! I only wish I had done it sooner.

Does the harness go from a wheel sensor.
Yes, it is the harness that contains the wires that come from the wheel speed sensors -- which I believe are used for everything that is wheel-speed related, including ABS, Traction Control, and Stability Control (aka "advancetrac"). I followed the wire from the left rear wheel speed sensor to find this spot.

The wire from the wheel speed sensor merges in to a harness with other wires, before the point where the wire loom and insulation is melted. I am not sure what else is in there, so far it has only shown itself as this "service advancetrac" thing.
 
#5 ·
I'm glad you found the issue. It can happen on both the driver and passenger side. If it happens again, and you don't see the same wire harness melted, check the wire harness on the other side, it will break loose and do the same thing.
 
#6 ·
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Please detail how you repaired the issue, and any modifications made to prevent further occurrences.

Thanks for posting this information. It will undoubtedly help countless readers. I haven’t had this issue, but would like to to see what preventative measures people come up with.
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#7 ·
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Please detail how you repaired the issue, and any modifications made to prevent further occurrences.

Thanks for posting this information. It will undoubtedly help countless readers. I haven’t had this issue, but would like to to see what preventative measures people come up with.
.

I purchased a 2010 GT in July 2009. On my drive home from the dealer the issue happened. I drove back to the dealer, they gave me a ride home. After a several days and many calls by the dealer to Ford engineering they found the problem as a driver side wire harness from the rear wheel was making contact with the exhaust and was grounding out. The repair was to re-secure, re-insulate and water proof the harness.


A year later the car started doing the same thing. I took it in and I'm told by the service manager the mechanic couldn't see anything wrong with their previous repair. The mechanic tried to blame my CB radio. I told the service mgr. to get the mechanic out where I could talk to him. He came to the front and I told him to check the passenger side for a melted harness. He did and they found and made the same type of repair.



I traded in the S197 in 2016 for an S550 GT and the Service Advance Track never recurred after both sides had been repaired.
 
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#8 ·
On my car, I did a real crude repair for now and I think I might take it to a dealer to have the harness replaced later -- I wrapped some electrical tape between the bare wires as best I could; wrapped the whole thing with duct tape since it was too difficult to wrap it with electrical tape; then used some zip-ties to hold it up where it could not hit the exhaust any more. It is real difficult to work up there because there are things in the way and I can't get both hands in there at the same time.

Interesting to note, the wire did not hit the exhaust under normal conditions; there was about an inch of space between the wire and the exhaust. I guess it only hit under extreme cornering, or if I hit a bump just right.

On my car the other side (passenger) looks very secure, did not look like it could fall down and hit the exhaust, but I'll know where to look if it happens again.
 
#11 ·
On my car, I did a real crude repair for now and I think I might take it to a dealer to have the harness replaced later -- I wrapped some electrical tape between the bare wires as best I could; wrapped the whole thing with duct tape since it was too difficult to wrap it with electrical tape; then used some zip-ties to hold it up where it could not hit the exhaust any more. It is real difficult to work up there because there are things in the way and I can't get both hands in there at the same time.

Interesting to note, the wire did not hit the exhaust under normal conditions; there was about an inch of space between the wire and the exhaust. I guess it only hit under extreme cornering, or if I hit a bump just right.

On my car the other side (passenger) looks very secure, did not look like it could fall down and hit the exhaust, but I'll know where to look if it happens again.

For water proofing, you might consider removing the duct tape and and using some waterproof liquid electrical tape.
 
#9 ·
Whether you repair or replace the wires I recommend placing heat shield sheathing or heat proof tape designed for high temps on the harness where its located near the exhaust.

The upfitter that installed my SC kit used thermal tape wherever wire harnesses come near exhaust components, front to back.
 
#10 ·
^ thanks for the suggestion, I'll look for some of that stuff
 
#12 ·
yeah, probably just about anything would be better than duct tape, LOL . . . . but it is such an awkward place to work, I am not sure I could even paint up there!
 
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