Suspension ECU Failure ???

2948 Views 34 Replies 6 Participants Last post by OleBah, 14 d ago

finnerty

Discussion Starter · 7 mo ago

My car is a 2008 GranTurismo Auto w/ Skyhook Suspension.

Went for a nice drive the other day --- about 45 minutes, just easy cruising around and was not driving the car hard at all. When I turned onto my street to head home, only going about 25mph, all of the sudden the car started bouncing / bucking at all four corners ---- felt like all 4 shocks were out at the same time. “Check Suspension” message and Suspension icon light immediately came on.

So, after I limped it into the garage, I got out my scan tool to see what errors were present, and I retrieved the following 4 (active) codes from the Suspension ECU ----

C1201 Right front solenoid valve – Minimum threshold exceeded

C1202 Left front solenoid valve – Minimum threshold exceeded

C1203 Right rear solenoid valve – Minimum threshold exceeded

C1204 Left rear solenoid valve – Minimum threshold exceeded

So, these are all basically the same issue affecting all 4 shocks, which tells me right away, it’s a system wide problem, not a shock problem (no way they could all fail simultaneously).
I’m guessing that “minimum threshold exceeded” means some sort of electrical power fault ---- low voltage, low current, etc. ?

I’ve already had the battery checked thinking it might be weak, but it’s not ---- perfectly good static voltage and dynamic load delivery specs. So, it’s definitely not a battery issue. I’ve also checked the relevant fuses --- they are good.

From what I’ve heard, the Skyhook ECUs do have a history of failing, so I am assuming that is the problem here. But, of course, I hope it might be something else (simpler / cheaper). So, before I go drop a bunch of $$$ on a new ECU, does anyone here have any ideas of what else the problem could be that I should check out first --- wiring short / open circuit, etc. ???

Thanks in advance for your help, folks.

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Raei ba7ar

· #2 · 6 mo ago

Hi
I agree with u it is imposipole that all shocks are having a problem.
It must be something else and most probably very simple but what could it be?
I have a similar but much less in one shock error C1203 and still looking for someone to help.

finnerty

Discussion Starter · #3 · 6 mo ago

Yeah, actually your problem sounds like it COULD be related to just the one corner (Right Rear) --- maybe even the shock itself ? They are known to fail.

Trouble is that the C120* codes really are not the "cause" of the fault(s), rather they reflect what the ECU automatically does in response --- which is to lock down the shock actuator valve(s) in response to a failure to "protect" the car (a kind of "limp home" mode) until the problem is fixed ---- and most scan tools can't isolate / determine whether that fault is an error of one or more of the skyhook sensors (acceleration, speed, or yaw) or the shock(s) failing itself.

And, of course a simple wiring problem (a ground short, loose connector, or an open circuit) could also trigger the ECU to lock down and throw the C120* codes.

At least that is how I understand how the system works, anyway --- I could be wrong ? I'm still sorting through everything systematically on my car to try to figure out the problem. My nearest Maser Dealership or Independent Pro is 350 miles away, so I'm kind of my own to DIY it. I'll post what I find out, when I do.

Does anyone know if specific codes also exist and get set for individual component failures --- such as a bad acceleration sensor, etc ???

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Raei ba7ar

· #4 · 6 mo ago

finnerty said:
Yeah, actually your problem sounds like it COULD be related to just the one corner (Right Rear) --- maybe even the shock itself ? They are known to fail. Trouble is that the C120* codes really are not the "cause" of the fault(s), rather they reflect what the ECU automatically does in response --- which is to lock down the shock actuator valve(s) in response to a failure to "protect" the car (a kind of "limp home" mode) until the problem is fixed ---- and most scan tools can't isolate / determine whether that fault is an error of one or more of the skyhook sensors (acceleration, speed, or yaw) or the shock(s) failing itself. And, of course a simple wiring problem (a ground short, loose connector, or an open circuit) could also trigger the ECU to lock down and throw the C120* codes. At least that is how I understand how the system works, anyway --- I could be wrong ? I'm still sorting through everything systematically on my car to try to figure out the problem. My nearest Maser Dealership or Independent Pro is 350 miles away, so I'm kind of my own to DIY it. I'll post what I find out, when I do. Does anyone know if specific codes also exist and get set for individual component failures --- such as a bad acceleration sensor, etc ???

I have C1203 code rear tight solenoids valve minimum threshold reached, i did the following but no use 1-Switched the rear shocks 2-Replaced the rear right shok. 3-Dismantled and reinstalled all acclerstion switches. This is my personal experience and still no solution and still have C1203 code

Raei ba7ar

· #5 · 6 mo ago

Raei ba7ar said:
I have C1203 code rear tight solenoids valve minimum threshold reached, i did the following but no use 1-Switched the rear shocks 2-Replaced the rear right shok. 3-Dismantled and reinstalled all acclerstion switches. This is my personal experience and still no solution and still have C1203 code

The last thing left is the SUSPENSIONS CONTROL UNIT part # 290747 not yet replaced, and unfortunately it is not cheap to do the try and error guess work

finnerty

Discussion Starter · #6 · 6 mo ago

Raei ba7ar said:
The last thing left is the SUSPENSIONS CONTROL UNIT part # 290747 not yet replaced, and unfortunately it is not cheap to do the try and error guess work

Yes, it does seem like you've ruled out the shocks and the sensors as being the problem.

In my opinion, the only possibilities left are a fault/short in the wiring that goes to your Right Rear shock (or sensor) or the ECU itself gone bad. Unfortunately, like you say, replacing the ECU is quite expensive. And, they do also have a history of failing on these cars, and on the Q-Portes as well

.

One last thing you might try before you swap out the ECU is giving your car the "Italian tune-up" ---- disconnect the battery for a few minutes to re-set the ECU and clear the stored errors, then run the car for a couple of drive cycles. It may seem silly, but sometimes it does work to fix the issue if it was just some temporary "glitch" in the system ---- and not an actual hard failure.

I'm about to do the same thing with my car myself. So, I wish good luck to you with yours !

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Raei ba7ar

· #7 · 6 mo ago

"Italian tune-up" I liked it
I did more than that i did reset to the error code by the OPD scanner but this code is undeletable, the shock icon is the only thing that TEMPRARY disappears from the car dashboard then pops up again

.
Now i am taking the matter as a personal issue, it dose not make any sense that the Italians make cars with such carelessness and leave us in such a big miss, these cars are not cheap also the parts, at least we should be given the proper technical support, search the internet and you will be shocked with the number of error codes without solutions.
TOO BAD
Let us share our experience together. we might reach into solutions.

today Morocco vs France, whom

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you support?

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Raei ba7ar

· #8 · 6 mo ago

Raei ba7ar said:
"Italian tune-up" I liked it
I did more than that i did reset to the error code by the OPD scanner but this code is undeletable, the shock icon is the only thing that TEMPRARY disappears from the car dashboard then pops up again .
Now i am taking the matter as a personal issue, it dose not make any sense that the Italians make cars with such carelessness and leave us in such a big miss, these cars are not cheap also the parts, at least we should be given the proper technical support, search the internet and you will be shocked with the number of error codes without solutions.
TOO BAD
Let us share our experience together. we might reach into solutions.

today Morocco vs France, whom View attachment 146823 you support?

finnerty said:
Yes, it does seem like you've ruled out the shocks and the sensors as being the problem.

In my opinion, the only possibilities left are a fault/short in the wiring that goes to your Right Rear shock (or sensor) or the ECU itself gone bad. Unfortunately, like you say, replacing the ECU is quite expensive. And, they do also have a history of failing on these cars, and on the Q-Portes as well .

One last thing you might try before you swap out the ECU is giving your car the "Italian tune-up" ---- disconnect the battery for a few minutes to re-set the ECU and clear the stored errors, then run the car for a couple of drive cycles. It may seem silly, but sometimes it does work to fix the issue if it was just some temporary "glitch" in the system ---- and not an actual hard failure.

I'm about to do the same thing with my car myself. So, I wish good luck to you with yours !

How to repair OR what to do to the "" fault/short in the wiring that goes to your Right Rear shock ""

OleBah

· #9 · 6 mo ago

Personal experience on 2014 GTS with fault code C01203 and suspension light on and permanently in stiffer sport mode suspension setting .... Ended up with a new Rear damper unit and swapped this around in the two positions after repeatedly clearing codes which did not solve the issue. I bought a new suspension ECU and hey presto it all works fine with the old damper. Yes battery was new, connectors cleaned and wiring connectors all checked before going down this route. Net result I have a brand new damper unit but a working car.
If I could I would have borrowed a known working ECU at the start of the process to reduce costs. I am sure that any mechanic worth their money would have done that first IF a unit was available. I have also tried to repair the suspension ECU (actually 2 of them) at a specialist repair outfit in Italy and they were unable to do so. They tried replacing the two Capacitors in the units but this did not work and the testing rig for a repair is not available ... obsolete!
Bottom line cost of one damper unit $1000, ECU $1000 so IF I were a betting man I would go down the ECU route. They are "plug in and play" and from a manufacturing point of view a disposable. I got the two parts from Scuderia and Eurospares in the UK.

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finnerty

Discussion Starter · #10 · 6 mo ago (Edited)

Raei ba7ar said:
How to repair OR what to do to the "" fault/short in the wiring that goes to your Right Rear shock ""

Just inspect all the wiring and connectors that you can trace and see --- look for cuts / damage / burnt out spots. You can also use an Ohm Meter to check from connector to connector in the harness to detect any loss of continuity.

BTW, I notice you are using an Autel scanner --- which model do you have ?

I ask because I also have an Autel MX808 scanner that I use on my car and it seems to be able delete all codes.

Have you updated yours with Autel's latest software version for Maserati ? They just released it not too long ago, and it is much more capable than the earlier version. That might help the delete issue for you.

Although, sometimes when codes are in "active" status, they cannot be deleted until the cause is fixed. Also there are codes in some of the car systems that Maserati deemed "critical" ----- these are usually related to issues that involve braking, safety, and emissions systems. I don't know if that would include the suspension ---- but maybe it could ???

In that case, those codes (in the critical systems) can only be deleted (by reset) with the factory SD scan tool at an authorized Maserati Service Center.

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Raei ba7ar

· #11 · 6 mo ago

finnerty said:
Just inspect all the wiring and connectors that you can trace and see --- look for cuts / damage / burnt out spots. You can also use an Ohm Meter to check from connector to connector in the harness to detect any loss of continuity.

BTW, I notice you are using an Autel scanner --- which model do you have ?

I ask because I also have an Autel MX808 scanner that I use on my car and it seems to be able delete all codes.

Have you updated yours with Autel's latest software version for Maserati ? They just released it not too long ago, and it is much more capable than the earlier version. That might help the delete issue for you.

Although, sometimes when codes are in "active" status, they cannot be deleted until the cause is fixed. Also there are codes in some of the car systems that Maserati deemed "critical" ----- these are usually related to issues that involve braking, safety, and emissions systems. I don't know if that would include the suspension ---- but maybe it could ???

In that case, those codes (in the critical systems) can only be deleted (by reset) with the factory SD scan tool at an authorized Maserati Service Center.

I have Autel maxsys elite i can do everything like maserati service centers, i am doing everything possible to solve my car problem and share my experience with everybody

finnerty said:
Just inspect all the wiring and connectors that you can trace and see --- look for cuts / damage / burnt out spots. You can also use an Ohm Meter to check from connector to connector in the harness to detect any loss of continuity.

BTW, I notice you are using an Autel scanner --- which model do you have ?

I ask because I also have an Autel MX808 scanner that I use on my car and it seems to be able delete all codes.

Have you updated yours with Autel's latest software version for Maserati ? They just released it not too long ago, and it is much more capable than the earlier version. That might help the delete issue for you.

Although, sometimes when codes are in "active" status, they cannot be deleted until the cause is fixed. Also there are codes in some of the car systems that Maserati deemed "critical" ----- these are usually related to issues that involve braking, safety, and emissions systems. I don't know if that would include the suspension ---- but maybe it could ???

In that case, those codes (in the critical systems) can only be deleted (by reset) with the factory SD scan tool at an authorized Maserati Service Center.

New thing happened this morning the shock icon disappeared but check engine appeared then, later on the opposite the shock icon appeared and check engine disappeared!!!

Speedometer Trip computer Odometer Car Tachometer

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finnerty

Discussion Starter · #12 · 6 mo ago

Raei ba7ar said:
...

New thing happened this morning the shock icon disappeared but check engine appeared then, later on the opposite the shock icon appeared and check engine disappeared!!!

That is strange --- I have no explanation for that one !!

Did you get any new codes set related to the Engine / Powertrain systems ?

finnerty

Discussion Starter · #13 · 6 mo ago

OleBah said:
Personal experience on 2014 GTS with fault code C01203 and suspension light on and permanently in stiffer sport mode suspension setting .... Ended up with a new Rear damper unit and swapped this around in the two positions after repeatedly clearing codes which did not solve the issue. I bought a new suspension ECU and hey presto it all works fine with the old damper. Yes battery was new, connectors cleaned and wiring connectors all checked before going down this route. Net result I have a brand new damper unit but a working car.
If I could I would have borrowed a known working ECU at the start of the process to reduce costs. I am sure that any mechanic worth their money would have done that first IF a unit was available. I have also tried to repair the suspension ECU (actually 2 of them) at a specialist repair outfit in Italy and they were unable to do so. They tried replacing the two Capacitors in the units but this did not work and the testing rig for a repair is not available ... obsolete!
Bottom line cost of one damper unit $1000, ECU $1000 so IF I were a betting man I would go down the ECU route. They are "plug in and play" and from a manufacturing point of view a disposable. I got the two parts from Scuderia and Eurospares in the UK.

Good advice right there ---- I agree with everything you say.

Yes, the ECU is expensive, but it is VERY easy to replace it ---- right under the driver's floor panel and, as you say, totally plug-and-play swap.

Cost of new Skyhook shocks keep going up (if you can even find one anymore) ---- last time I checked they were about $1400US each !!!

The sensors are fairly cheap and easy to replace, but everything else in the system is very $$$. There's a reason why a lot of folks just switch over to after-market coil over set-ups (non-electronic). If I had one or more failed Skyhook shocks on my car, I wouldn't bother with replacing them with OE units either.

I'm okay with putting in a new ECU ---- so long as that is the only problem (failure) I have. My only real issue with that is, AFAIK, Maserati never revised / updated the original ECU unit ---- which, obviously, has a serious design flaw. So, if you do decide to replace it, you're still stuck with the very real possibility that the new one will crap out too

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Raei ba7ar

· #14 · 6 mo ago

finnerty said:
That is strange --- I have no explanation for that one !!

Did you get any new codes set related to the Engine / Powertrain systems ?

New code P0050

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2

OleBah

· #15 · 6 mo ago

finnerty said:
Good advice right there ---- I agree with everything you say.

Yes, the ECU is expensive, but it is VERY easy to replace it ---- right under the driver's floor panel and, as you say, totally plug-and-play swap.

Cost of new Skyhook shocks keep going up (if you can even find one anymore) ---- last time I checked they were about $1400US each !!!

The sensors are fairly cheap and easy to replace, but everything else in the system is very $$$. There's a reason why a lot of folks just switch over to after-market coil over set-ups (non-electronic). If I had one or more failed Skyhook shocks on my car, I wouldn't bother with replacing them with OE units either.

I'm okay with putting in a new ECU ---- so long as that is the only problem (failure) I have. My only real issue with that is, AFAIK, Maserati never revised / updated the original ECU unit ---- which, obviously, has a serious design flaw. So, if you do decide to replace it, you're still stuck with the very real possibility that the new one will crap out too

https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part/499754/maserati/285374/suspensions-control-unit.html

Note this is for my particular model and they have gone up in price since I bought mine 6 months ago.

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Catmanv2

· #16 · 6 mo ago

Looks to me that you have some wiring issues. Rodents perhaps

C

Raei ba7ar

· #17 · 6 mo ago

OleBah said:
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part/499754/maserati/285374/suspensions-control-unit.html

Note this is for my particular model and they have gone up in price since I bought mine 6 months ago.

View attachment 146859

R u in bahrain? I am in Al Khobar, would u plz share with me the name and contact # of the workshop that u r dealing with ? I will visit bahrain tomorrow

OleBah

· #18 · 6 mo ago

Raei ba7ar said:
R u in bahrain? I am in Al Khobar, would u plz share with me the name and contact # of the workshop that u r dealing with ? I will visit bahrain tomorrow

I have messaged you

Raei ba7ar

· #19 · 6 mo ago

Hi
Thanx i apreciate it, i contacted kamal by whatsup i will pass by him after the national day holiday

finnerty

Discussion Starter · #20 · 6 mo ago

Catmanv2 said:
Looks to me that you have some wiring issues. Rodents perhaps

C

I'm starting to lean that way too.

Multiple codes from multiple systems ---- and they are all electrical in basis.

At this point, I'd forget about the Suspension and focus on looking for generalized electrical problems ---- weak primary chassis ground points and / or wider spread wiring and connector issues (corrosion, for example).

@
Raei ba7ar

Do you know the complete history of your car ? For example, cars that spend a lot of their life in sea coastal areas can develop corrosion (from the salt air). And, as CatmanV2 suggests, if exposed, rodents can do a lot of damage by chewing the insulation off of wires.

Also, and I hate to even bring it up, but are you 100% certain that your car has never been caught in a flood area ? It does not take very much water to do a lot of damage to a car's electrical systems ---- and it often does not show up until years after

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