Feedback left from around the world on my ABS Modulator Shuttle Valve Switches repair.

Thanks for this great post, it seems to have solved my intermittent 3-amigos problem that I have been having for the last 3 years. Well done! 
  01/14/2010 01:26am

fantastic info saved me alot of money. its been a week now without the 3 lights.  
02/08/2010 04:06am

many thanks,i followed the instructions in order to replace the shuttle valve on my disco, td5 1999. very helpful indeed
03/03/2010 08:36am 

Great job with the 3 amigos fix. It would have been very difficult to do this on my 2004 without removing the ABS Modulator. When I did get it out it was still difficult to get the screws out of the SVS (Loctite?) Anybody reading this post and comments, the fix works. I had to have my brakes bled after the fix but it was still waaaay cheaper than replacing the modulator...And so simple!
Well done.
04/08/2010 10:27am

you are absoultely brilliant!! thanks for the post. it works great. cheers - - bigfunky
04/09/2010 06:21am

this is the most successful posting of a mechanical procedure I have ever seen.
04/09/2010 10:44am

you are so awesome!!!! instructions are step by step and pictures are right to points! i am going to try one of the suggested options and will let everyone know.
i have been trying to resolve this technical problem with the modulator on my 2003 discovery and went as far as writing the factory, but have been told that there was a recall on this model for this specific problem and if you had missed any notices from the dealer, that my only option was to purchase a new modulator (which goes on an average of US$2,000). So, once again, many thanks for taking the time of your (i m sure) busy schedule to resolve most of us problems with the ABS modulator!
04/18/2010 04:14pm

this is really good stuff i used your option B and it worked !! :) thanks.
05/01/2010 09:23pm

Guys,
Have experienced the 3 Amigos with a discovery I have just purchased and following a previous experience on a TD3 [2001]  was not satified with the answer from the  local  "specialist" went surchasing and found your site. I took option B and removed the shuttle valve assembly as described and on checking found one of the valves to be faulty. I carefully cut the valve open to get to the switch and electronics and lo and behold one of the resistors was open circuit so used some brainpower and removed components from the circuit board,soldered two wires directly to the micro switch, drilled appropriate holes in the m/s housing, reassembled m/s and glued together and reassembled on WACO board. The a simple matter of series resistor 500 ohm with a 1kohm resistor across m/s contacts and series the other shuttle valve and bingo!! Checked resistance and well with in tolerance, so wired into loom and tested before putting permanently back into position and ,hey presto, problem solved. Most difficult part was removing shuttle valve in the beginning,even though I cut a hex drive [allen key] to enable easy acces under the modulatoe the screws were held in with a thread sealent and  were tight all the way. Total job 1hour to remove,30 minutes to mod switch and test and another 30 minutes to reinstall.
Could not have  known what was the exact cause and solution without your help, so CHEERS If I can help further please advise email address.
Thanks and reagards
Terry Camp
Gold Coast
Queensland
AUSTRALIA
05/10/2010 10:35pm

Excellent - Brilliant - 100% - What more can I say...
05/12/2010 01:17am

Just do option B before you do anything, because its so easy and at least you can see what isn't wrong by eliminating the bad connection. The guy who had it before me probably sold the car because of the rip off workshops around, to scared of a huge bill. Cost me nothing but a bit of time and two bits of wire. Thank you so much
-- PK
05/22/2010 02:18am

This write up is great plan on doin it this weekend.   Thanks
05/27/2010 09:13am

Got the "balls" doing the fix and not to be ripped off by LR garage. Local LR wanted 1100 UK ponds to replace the solenoid part + labor.
400 UK pounds from rimmer bros, genuine SWO500040 kit, 1 hrs labor @ my parking place, no hose out of place, no break bleed. Just do 19 to 30. Works great.
Many thanks for sharing the information, really appreciate your effort.
United Kingdom
05/28/2010 09:37am

very good writeup.Thank you for all the work!! It's excellent and saved me the cost of a modulator and more I'm sure.
05/31/2010 02:10pm

This modification is awesome! the dealer read my codes just as you suggested and they wanted to perform the shuttle valve replacement, which includes half of the modulator for $1000.00. I purchased the shuttle valves from British Pacific just in case mine were bad. When you think about it, the dealer is replacing the half of the modulator because of those contacts, so your fix is way better/cheaper. also, if the contacts ever go out, i can replace them without pulling the rest of the assembly out. I had a hard time getting to the allen screws on the bottom, so i elected to remove the modulator completely from the car. that is why it took me more than half an hour because we had to bleed the brakes. Great job! Love the site.
06/04/2010 08:43pm

This works! Not sure why I waited so long, but this was a simple repair that took care of the amigos. Thanks again for the write-up.
06/08/2010 08:08am

Maybe you could make an explicit comment that option A or B does not remove the monitoring function of the shuttle valves.....No change to the computer operation or monitoring.. I have had to reassure in simple terms a few times to people about to do this fix that the abs/tc/hdc system monitoring is unaffected. Thanks for the effort.
I am sure many hard earned dollars have been saved because the secret is now OUT on how to solve shuttle valve fault messages.
06/10/2010 11:08pm

Thank you kindly for the comprehensive procedure on how to carry out the option 'B' mod. I have a 1999 H1 and it worked excellent. It takes an engineer to design something like the ABS modulator, but it takes an innovater and someone who does not give up, to fix the engineering flaw. Great work. Seek you on the trail...
HUMMER H1
06/25/2010 11:09am

because my english is very bad. I have a disco 2 04 diesel engine. I change the front left abs sensor  and still have the fault.
I give yout explanation to people in the garage and we try to fix this fault. Thanks for your time amigo. You have a home in Paraguay
Ing. Jorge Seux
Asuncion, Paraguay
South America
06/26/2010 04:18pm

Great help! Worked perfectly on my Disco 
07/24/2010 08:13am

Thanks for posting this. I cant belive I dont have any lights on my dash.
07/24/2010 03:50pm

Well done. This link is the most comprehensive bit of back-yard mechanic documentation I`ve seen. And it does indeed fix the three Amigos. However, no way could I have implemented this without first removing the ABS modulator. That being said the rest was pretty straight forward. I paid to have my brakes professionally bled after the fact more for my wife`s peace of mind than anything. (Plus having removed and replaced the abs modulator, the truck, the garage floor, and me were all covered in fluid and dirt.) I just wasn`t in the mood to replace the brakes. The dealer in the UAS wanted 6000 dhs just for parts to fix this problem. I did it for about 700. 600 of that was bleeding the brakes.  Once again, well done and thanks. Now, about my peeling dash.
08/14/2010 01:38pm

Oh yea that 'B' method is the real deal. Probably the most difficult paart of operation was starting all fine thread nuts at end of operation.I'm so retarded I had to figure out how to use a borrowed multi-tester. The concise instruction an excellent photography make this a shade tree Rover freak dream. 1 million thanks. Please do a follow up on why I can't shift this damn thing into low range. Great site, great,great. Will definately tune in more. Again, thanks from Van in
Louisiana.
09/11/2010 05:05pm

Hi!
I want to thank you for this write up.
I sorted out the SVS fault by your Ohm test.
After replace the SVS,everything is perfect again.
Thank you.
Jeff Hsu
09/16/2010 08:33am

Dear Sir, For the last couple of years I've been suffering the 3 Amigoes, last week I found your Link and completed Option B repair. It's amazing, it works !!! Imagine I am based in Buenos Aires, Argentina and here only few official LR Garages could take care of the problem, which of course was to replace the entire ABS Module. Can you imagine ?? I am really Happy and can only Thanks YOU Very much, you have a new friend here !!!
Best Regards Guillermo Zeitlin
Buenos Aires, Argentina
10/01/2010

Fantastic mod, worked a treat, instantly cured my amigos. It's great you spent so much time and effort to help others.
Many many thanks.
Regards,
Lincoln.
10/03/10

Hi there - WISH I'd found your site about a year ago. I love the Discovery 2 but was put off by the complete ignorance and vanity of the Land Rover dealership (appears an international trend!) Purchased my much loved 2000 Discovery 2 for NZ$19,000. 3 amigos continually popped up on the dash, every now and again just the ABS light. Was quoted $3800 to fix, plus there was an air conditioning leak of some kind, quoted a further $2900 to fix. Devistated by this news and the threat of failing a WOF (UK MOT equivalent) I had to sell for a cut-throat loss. Purchased a 1990 Range Rover Classic instead. THANK YOU for this info however, I have printed it out and will use it again when I'm next in a financial position to purchase another Discovery II.
Kind regards,
Mike
(Waikato New Zealand)
10/07/10

Great article! Well done! I am a shop owner and tech and owner of several discos. So this is like head gaskets (changing oil) lol I read through everything on my iPad so therein may be the issue with the following comment/ observation: About halfway though, all. Illustrations (photos) no longer show up, instead it's a ? Box and tapping them does not give a view of the pics. Did you change camera image types part way through the procedure? Just curious as I wondered why the pictures Dont display. Just thought I'd pass this on in case it was news to you.
Great content though!
Cheers, Nate
10/12/10

Thanks for this post! It makes everything easy.. Ive been around for the restoration of some landrover parts  I have..
thanks again mate! :)
czardelacruz1990
10/12/10

You're a legend, fault fixed. Cost $30 to get fault codes cleared once mod done, far cheaper than the $1500 quoted.
Thanks heaps.
Paul.
Australia
10/30/10

I used plan B and it worked perfectly. I used the kit with new SV seals from Falcon. Checking with the ohm meter I found that any slight motion of the two pins broke the connection. Classic circuit board failure. I've never seen a more thorough and correct set of instructions. I got the Disco for almost nothing with a blown head gasket and the three amigos. Repair estimates exceeded the value of the truck, plus it had 140,000 miles. With your help it is now running perfectly.
Dick T.
Santa Clara, California
11/01/10

What a fantastic post. Incredibly clear and logically explained. I only have one light on -the hill descent control but if all three amigos crop up I will know where to look. Well done.
Williamraff
11/11/10

This was easy and way cheaper. Thanks for you help,you are the Man!
OSOPACK
12/10/10

Went for option 'B' though I decided to take out the modulator. Very straight forward, although I had purchased a new SVS panel when I inspected mine it tested fine and there were no signs of any fluid leaks from the shuttle valves. So I spliced in the new connections, put it back together and so far, its been a week, no Amigo's! I am confident that it has cured this long standing problem as the lights had been illuminating every time I used the car. I am in the UK and I had to purchase the new SVS panel from the USA, when it arrived it was made in Germany! I am appalled that so many Franchised and Non Franchised dealers and so called specialists dont know about this, all they want to do is have £1000+ off you for a new modulator. Cannot recommend this fix enough if you have the same problem. Even if your not confident to do it yourself, print off the instructions and get a garage to do it if you must. Im sure you will still save a small fortune. Jolly good show!
Wayne
United Kingdom
12/16/10

Just wanted to let you know that your writeup is excellent. I reviewed your doc and decided to just go with the Option B method, as Option A did not make much sense to me. It worked like a champ. I did want to share though that the codes did not clear and held pretty firm. This led me to think it did not work; however, I wanted to clear the codes and go from their. I had a buddy of mine clear the codes with his Snap On computer, which cleared the TC and HDC lights, leaving the ABS light on. The ABS light was on as it needed to re-establish connectivity with the wheel sensors. After driving for about 1 - 2 minutes the ABS light cleared, and all was good to go. I immediately tested the HDC out on a steep ridge and it worked as advertised. Thanks again for taking the time to put this together!
Nelson
1/21/2011

Excellent instructions. Thanks for all your efforts and posting it for general use.
AULRO
Australia
2/06/2011

bravo pour vos explications elles m'ont vraiment permis de réparer cette panne qui ne me m'était pas en confiance pour faire du hors piste avec mon Land Rover
Bravo for your explanations they allowed me to repair this failure, which I do not trust me for going off track with my Land Rover
Ledet
France
3/14/2011

Thanks you so much for this info. I have been stressing about how to justify spending $1700 to fix this problem. After a couple of hours, a couple of beers and NO money the problem is now fixed using Option B. Another problem out of the way. Cheers.
Vince from Perth West Aussie
Australia
3/19/2011

I really appreciate the comments everyone!
--- Josh
3/23/2011