FORD Focus mk3 1.6 tdci 130k miles

Random issue when driving above 60+ mph.

When the car is under load (going up a hill etc) or accelerating normal or heavy, the TC light flashes, cuts power and the speedo wobbles back and forth -/+5 mph from the true speed.

It started intermittent I'd just catch it out of the corner of my eye, but now it's almost constant. 

The car accelerates as normal under 60mph which makes me think its not clutch slip. 

No warning lights are on and I have no noticeable knocks or bangs coming from anywhere. 

I had the wheels rotated and new tyres on the front - the deflate assist has been set for the new pressures etc and the car had been driving normally for the last 200ish miles. 

Any thoughts or suggestions I can poke and prod this weekend?

ABS/wheel speed sensor maybe? the sensor cable/plug may have been disturbed while the wheels were being rotated.

ABS wheel sensor when it happened on a previous car of mine 

I’ve also noticed a tick tick tick sort of noise that increases with the speed of the car. I can only hear it inside with windows up, it’s too load outside to hear when driving. 

The ticking noise might be a wheel bearing that is worn, which could cause an ABS problem because they are intergraded into the bearing assemblies. It could be a lot of other things also.

If both problems happen when the car is going round a bend then there is a good chance that it is a bearing.

Other than that you would need to do live Data Logging.

Could be worth getting a fault code reader or ELM dongle with Forscan etc to see if any fault codes have been logged.

One of mine the connector behind the hub got damaged somehow giving ABS fault - can’t remember if it gave a code for the corner affected or if I had to check each to work it out

I'll try and plug it in tomorrow, Ive got a FORSCAN available. 

Tonight the speedo died totally and on came the TPMS, TC, ABS and Warning icon. 

Its booked in to be looked at on Wednesday. 

Plugged in the car... these are what came up. I haven't cleared anything and haven't turned the engine over, only ignition on. 

 

Googling codes - 

C0037 - Rear Left wheel sensor

C003A - Rear Right wheel sensor

C0034 - Front Right wheel sensor

U0100 - lost comm to ECM/PCM

U0415 - lost comm to PCM

U100B - I cant find...

But I notice there's no FRONT LEFT error code...?

Turned out to be the wiring from arch to sensor had rubbed and shorted. Cut, repaired, all working.