I have the 97 Q45 FSM and in it it says that the TCS control module is located, "inside the instrument panel on passenger seat side, near front pillar."Now I would like to know how you can get to that location on the car? How do you get inside the passenger side instrument panel to check on the TCS control module?Hopefully, someone here has done this before and can help me with the steps.

Why do you want to get to it?

I think you can check the codes through the instument cluster like the G50 Q45.

Paul Wall wrote:Why do you want to get to it?

I think you can check the codes through the instument cluster like the G50 Q45.

That I did and I diagnosed my problem as Diagnostic Procedure #12(Control Unit)I now have to disconnect ABS/TCS control unit connectors and check the terminals for damages or loose connections and then reconnect. If that turns out ok then I have to check the control unit power supply. if the power supply is ok then I need to replace the ABS/TCS control unit.

If it's similar to the G50 Q45, then it should be behind the carpet trim on the front passenger kick panel. I'm not sure if this information is accurate, but I'm doing the best I can to help.

Here is a picture that might be usueful to you:

Thanks for the help. I was able to find the ABS/TCS control unit on my 97 Q45 and it is on the passenger side, behind the dash and right above the ECU computer. Again it is in a very hard to reach area and to get to it I had to take off the glove box, unscrew all of the screws that I could find holding the lower part of the dash panel and then unscrew the nut fastening the ABS/TCS control box with a long 10mm socket. You need a long socket with extension to get to the nut and I was lucky enough to have one on hand.

I had to pull up on the dash piece and wiggle the control unit out. It seemed difficult at first because the connecting cable is so small and you can only pull it out so far but if you pull hard on the dash piece you can get enough room to get it out.

Then you have to deal with the connector which is an unorthodox lever like connector but I got that off by using a small screwdriver to pry on the top side of the handle and loosen the tab so that the lever like lock can pull over to release the connector. Once I got the connector off I then proceeded to unscrew the ABS/TCS control unit metal box to take a look at the circuit board.

I had to totally unscrew the circuit board to see the underside connections and there i saw some corrosion on 2 transistor solder connections and some corrosion on a few of the memory card contacts. The memory card is a small card in teh middle of the circuit board. I cleaned that off with some Q-Tips dipped in denatured alcohol. When I attached circuit board and connected the cable my TCS/ABS/Slip lights were off!

So I had some success and was able to avoid buying a whole new ABS/TCS control unit, which I read here, a guy was quoted a cost of $1000 to replace!

It does help to try to do things yourself sometimes.

Good repair, but find the source of the leak!

good information, thanks for sharing!