Air suspension D2 (which is best Hawkeye/Lynx ?)

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Andrew Thomas

Andrew Thomas

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Location
Westbury Wiltshire
Merry Christmas to all
My 02 D2 has an Air suspension fault. when left over night it drops on it's arse but pumps up normally with the doors closed and engine running ( as it should). it can then be left for days without issue until I open and close one of the doors (doesn't seam to matter which one) and it will then drop again. Normal road use its fine and if I leave it pumped up in off road mode it will not sink.
The ride height sensors don't look that good as the end that connects to the radius arms are sloppy not by much but it looks like the bushing has worn.
I'm guessing its the sensors and I don't like to guess so after looking at the test book type diagnostic machines available I would like your opinion on which one is overall the best for money.

I have looked at Hawkeye and Lynx which both seam to do most jobs but I have also seen an Icarsoft LRII which is less talked about and its functions less advertised.

I haven't had the truck long, but I want to be able to access all the major systems such as suspension ,engine air bags and so forth Id also like to be able to program a key as mine has only one and I have several friends with various Land rovers ,D3.Defender, Freelander 2 and would like to get something that can plug in to them as well.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
If as you say the sensors don't look too good, for the price of them, I'd just replace both of them.
If you do decide to replace them, make sure you disconnect the power first to save having to calibrate the suspension after.

Part No. RQH100030 - fits both left and right hand side
 
Iancorky said:
If as you say the sensors don't look too good, for the price of them, I'd just replace both of them.
If you do decide to replace them, make sure you disconnect the power first to save having to calibrate the suspension after.

Part No. RQH100030 - fits both left and right hand side
Click to expand...
Hi Ian
so are you saying if I disconnect the power ,fit new sensors then power up again I won't need to calibrate the new sensors?
 
Ebay here I come, I was under the impression if you disturbed them at all they needed to be re-calibrated. I am going to change the rear radius arm bushes as well at the same time, thanks for that Ian
 
neilly said:
Last time I looked the Hawkeye could only program if you have a new key with the barcode label.

Double check what extras / costs are involved in opening up the diagnostics for use on other vehicles.

Cheers
Click to expand...
Hi neilly
Id have to buy a new key which would have its bar code, it is confusing when looking at the different diagnostic tools as some cover all Landrover models while others require unlock codes/downloads for specific models.
 
Andrew Thomas said:
Hi neilly
Id have to buy a new key which would have its bar code, it is confusing when looking at the different diagnostic tools as some cover all Landrover models while others require unlock codes/downloads for specific models.
Click to expand...

I normally buy second hand key fobs and use the nanocom to program the car to accept it.

Even the Hawkeye total may require dongles / adaptors to use on various LR models.

Cheers
 
Somehow the OP has managed to mix 2 subjects together here.

First regarding the code reader, the only code readers known to give truthful results for a diesel Disco 2 are Nanocom, Hawkeye or Lynx for the DIY marketplace. After the D3 was introduced the choice became very much wider.
Regarding the iCarSoft device, there's no guarantee that it would work properly on the diesel Disco, even though the manufacturer claims it works on the Land Rover Discovery 2. The petrol Disco was compatible with OBDII protocols in the mid-1990's but the diesel Disco 2 never was compatible.

Now to the suspension fault. No amount of electronic wizzardry will diagnose a problem with the air bags. My own philosophy regarding the SLS is to start with known good components, and that means replacement air bags. Faulty or leaky bags can manifest themselves in all sorts of ways often defying all logic, park facing one way on a road, no problem, park facing the other way on the same road and they'll go down. The rubber can go porous or leaks can develop in small cracks in the folds, they can stay up for weeks then drop in hours.
So, my first action would be to change the air bags. Easy to do and replacement bags are about 140 quid a pair. Always change them as a pair.
The Ride Height Sensors aren't particularly expensive either, about 60-70 quid a pair, so it might be worth you changing them too, if only for the peace of mind. As has already been said, disconnect the battery before unplugging a RHS.
As a general rule of thumb (but not guaranteed) is if the suspension drops it's the bags and if it over-inflates it's the ride height sensors.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Brian
I have a pair of air springs and height sensors on order, as for the diagnostic tool Hawkeye seams to be a winner at the moment mainly because it will cover just about all the land rover models going with out additional unlock codes and @ £269.99 is reasonably priced along with the good reviews the buy it now button is getting more and more tempting to press....

Thanks for your comments I will try not to mix up the subjects in the future although they are sort of linked as I was under the impression I needed the diagnostic tool to find out first the fault and then to reset the air suspension, every days a school day!
 
Andrew Thomas said:
I was under the impression I needed the diagnostic tool to find out first the fault and then to reset the air suspension, every days a school day!
Click to expand...

The air bags are a straight replacement, the only difficulty which might arise is with the pipes. The new bags might have a push fit connecting arrangement and if the old ones are a screw fitting then the will have to be cut away. Use either a pipe cutter or a sharp knife and make sure that the cut is square and the pipe has no scratches, deformations or damage. The pipe is then pushed fully home into the hole about a quarter inch.
If the old bags were a push fit then to release the pipe, deflate the system, push the outer brass ring inwards and pull the pipe.

Regarding the Ride Height Sensors, if the battery is disconnected before you start work (make sure that you have whatever security information, radio etc. before you start), usually there will be no need to recalibrate the system, but if you do need to do it, you will need a compatible code reader to set it up. The "book" talks about calibration blocks but they aren't necessary, you just set the system for the correct distance between the centre of the rear wheel and the bottom of the wheel arch. I can't remember the required measurement, but I know that @neilly does know it, if we say "please nicely".
 
@brian47

You called

upload_2017-12-26_15-3-19.png



Cheers
 
Just for fun,

whilst you have the airbags off, check behind where they normally sit, and see if the chassis is on good condition.



CHeers
 
neilly said:
Last time I looked the Hawkeye could only program if you have a new key with the barcode label.

Double check what extras / costs are involved in opening up the diagnostics for use on other vehicles.

Cheers
Click to expand...
if you send your Hawkeye back to Bearmach they update it to do the suspension
 
brian47 said:
Somehow the OP has managed to mix 2 subjects together here.

First regarding the code reader, the only code readers known to give truthful results for a diesel Disco 2 are Nanocom, Hawkeye or Lynx for the DIY marketplace. After the D3 was introduced the choice became very much wider.
Regarding the iCarSoft device, there's no guarantee that it would work properly on the diesel Disco, even though the manufacturer claims it works on the Land Rover Discovery 2. The petrol Disco was compatible with OBDII protocols in the mid-1990's but the diesel Disco 2 never was compatible.

Now to the suspension fault. No amount of electronic wizzardry will diagnose a problem with the air bags. My own philosophy regarding the SLS is to start with known good components, and that means replacement air bags. Faulty or leaky bags can manifest themselves in all sorts of ways often defying all logic, park facing one way on a road, no problem, park facing the other way on the same road and they'll go down. The rubber can go porous or leaks can develop in small cracks in the folds, they can stay up for weeks then drop in hours.
So, my first action would be to change the air bags. Easy to do and replacement bags are about 140 quid a pair. Always change them as a pair.
The Ride Height Sensors aren't particularly expensive either, about 60-70 quid a pair, so it might be worth you changing them too, if only for the peace of mind. As has already been said, disconnect the battery before unplugging a RHS.
As a general rule of thumb (but not guaranteed) is if the suspension drops it's the bags and if it over-inflates it's the ride height sensors.
Click to expand...

even un-plugging the battery will not 100% guarantee the calibration stays the same, mine didn't! also the bags are a service item after a number of years,
 
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