Installing ESP onto a 2002 Jetta

Fortuna Wolf

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2006
Location
Wilmington, NC
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI Auto Sedan
Hi, I'm starting this thread to chronicle my adventure and to get advice if I mess up. After reading Tongsli's excellent thread on installing ESP onto these cars and seeing BVAMotorsport's special price for the kit I sprung for it. A little bit of safety, and maybe I can get my insurance company to lower my rates with traction control. :D

Tongsli's thread: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=95576
This should work for any 2002-2005 A4, and possibly the newer A4 "citi" cars. 98-01 A4s used a different brake system. Since you're completely replacing the brake system, I would hazard a guess that it would also work on them along with an ECU flash.

The BVAMotorsport kit came with 5 parts.

xxx 907 637D : Combined sensor
1J0 959 654AG : Steering wheel angle sensor & cancelling ring
1J1 614 106J : Brake booster (the standard one won't fit the master cylinder)
1J1 614 019C : Master Cylinder with pressure sensor
1C0 907 379M :ABS pump & ESP control unit

In addition to these I had to buy 3 plugs and wires to match them.

4B0 973 712 : Combined sensor plug
1J0 972 483A : Master Cylinder sensor plug
4B0 971 636 : Steering wheel angle sensor plug (on cancelling ring)

000 979 009 : Repair wires. Buy 4
000 979 131 : Repair wires. Buy 6
3B0 972 742B : Wire seals. Buy 7

If you can get the plugs and wires when you get the other parts try to do so! Buying the plugs and wires new will cost $40-50. If you cut the plugs off you'll still need 3 ends of 000 979 131 I think (1.5 wires) to connect to the 47 pin harness. Not sure yet though, I haven't gotten there.

This is the wiring diagram. http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/1305ESP_2002.pdf

You'll also probably have to make trips to the fastener store for miscellaneous bolts and nuts. Already I had to buy a bolt to attach the combined sensor to the steering column (Sorry, I don't remember the specs on the bolt).

5.10.06:
Guy Fawkes day. Got up, blew up parliment, ate breakfast, decided to install stuff.

To begin with, I removed the plastic paneling under the driver's side dash, and then the metal panel too. You'll need some T-20 and T-25 screws.
With the metal panel removed finding the mounting position for the combined sensor was a lot easier, and I maneuvered it into position and bolted it down. That was easy.

The hard part was getting the steering wheel off. See this thread for pictures: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=37353
I spent a very long time fighting with it until I realized that I needed to remove my dual gauge pod from the steering wheel column. That done, I spent a lot more time fighting with it.
This is why: When you insert the screwdriver into the holes to bend the spring clips down you can insert it a cm past the clip easily, and then you can't push the clip all the way down since you insert it into another hole.
Once you catch the clip (it'll be obviously springy), pull the screwdriver out until the clip is at the tip of the screwdriver, THEN push down on the clip while simultaneously pulling up on the airbag. You should be rewarded with a pop... after about 15 minutes of cursing.
Turn the wheel and repeat. Now straighten the steering out so your wheels are pointing forward.
Pull the airbag off slightly and unclip it from the steering wheel and cancelling ring. This will be obvious. Set aside.
Now, using a 12mm triple point remove the nut holding the steering wheel onto the column. Note that the steering wheel and the column have two marks on them under the nut. The marks should be lined up so that when you reinstall the steering wheel is properly centered.
Now pull it off. Under the wheel will be 2 phillips screws holding in the lower valence on the steering wheel column. Remove those, the 2 other phillips screws on it, and T-25 screw, and the 2 T-25 screws in the adjuster lever, and then pull the top valence off and then the lower valence.
Now you get to remove the old cancelling ring. Notice how its just a ring and is smaller than the sensor/cancelling ring? It has 4 plastic clips on it, plus the wiring harness.
The steering wheel can turn 1080* I believe, or 3 revolutions. The cancelling ring sensor can too. When its in the middle revolution there is a yellow dot that appears on the cancelling ring. Rotate it until that appears and straighten it out, then clip it onto the column and plug the wires in. There are 3 plugs on the back of the new cancelling ring. The airbag plug, the plug for the multifunction can bus, and the plug for the sensor. Obviously, go ahead and plug the sensor with the wires into it (after marking the numbers of the wires on their ends). If you don't have a multifunction steering wheel don't worry about that plug. Replace the lower valence. Now replace the steering wheel. There are 2 prongs on the front of the cancelling ring to help it line up properly with the wheel. Also, ensure that the mark on the wheel and column are lined up. Replace the nut and then the airbag.

I haven't yet wired those sensors up.
I'm going to go clean the car up now.

15-11-06
Been busy with other things, such as a wonderful clunking sound from my suspension and trying to fix my AC (rubber hose cracked, need to remove the line, which runs under the power steering fluid, washer fluid, and coolant reservoirs. Gag). I got around to pulling the 47 pin connector off of the ABS pump and examining what wires were there.
I found out that I needed an additional 2 repair wires. Yay.

I made this up for future reference. Notice, if you have a navigation display, it wants two more pins.


Current Questions: How/where do I tap into the can-bus high and low lines? Are these two lines shared between all of the parts (like a token ring network), or is it hub based? I'm thinking about connecting them to the can-bus wires on the OBD-2 plug. They're described as A121 and A122
 
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Fortuna Wolf

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2006
Location
Wilmington, NC
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI Auto Sedan
Ah, spirit, thanks for catching that.
You're right, it goes from pins 12 to 38. I don't know why I have down 6. I'll also add another colour for the switch on pins 4 and 12. (I don't know what they go to on a non ESP car....).

I've got to get 4 more 000 979 131 repair wire ends for the thing. I had ordered some along with some bushings from busdepot, but they deleted the wires from my order without telling me. Boy was I pissed yesterday when I got the package without wires yesterday.

Edit: edited the gif.
 
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