P38A EAS fault that I am unable to diagnose with certainty

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I've had a look at the connectors, there is no dirt or corrosion. No loose wires. Here are some pics just to be sure I am looking at the right thing.
 

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The block needs to come out . . . . . .. unless you have tiny weeny & strong long fingers.

The problem is this:
  • ECU tries to trigger height changes & sends 12V signals to the driver pack input (connector at front of housing).
  • Note: the Driver pack to solenoid signals are NOT 12v but pulsed waveforms.
  • If driver pack to solenoid connections are intermittent the valves don't respond properly, so heights don't change.
  • ECU flags various faults such as "valve stuck open, valve stuck closed, etc."
  • As the faults mount up, after a while the ECU goes into soft fault mode, and flashes the four LED's at you !!
  • Next time you start & drive the valve block connections are ok, so the "soft fault" disappears until later !!
So there's two most common possibilities:
  1. The connector pins & sockets are loose inside the housing, even though the housing seems tight.
    • You need to use a spare pin such as spare pressure switch, to test the socket fit one by one.
  2. The wires that go inside the driver pack have bad solder connections on the PCB.
    • In this case you either spend months digging out the PCB, or replace the driver pack.
I have two driver packs with problem-2 that I'm still trying to de-pot & repair, plus two others that had problem 1 and now work since i gently squeezed the 12 sockets inside the housing.

The connector is at the bottom, next to the pressure switch:

5b7407bf35b63454d9a8badb


And for clarity, the inside of the driver pack looks like the picture below.
6 wires in middle are from the ECU.
12 wires at bottom right are the solenoids.

Driver_Pack-pcb.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your indepth explanation pwood999. I am getting a better understanding of how the system works and quite enjoying the problem solving. I´m not really confident I will be able to repair the driver pack so I may be better off buying a new one. Are they expensive or even possible to buy new?

I have been reading some instructions how to remove the valve block recently as I was planning to replace the o-rings and overhaul the compressor. It seems to work ok but I thought it would be a good preventative measure. I have been waiting for the kit since December and forgot to collect it from the bloomin post office on Friday! Some parts take ages to arrive from the UK since Brexit, which has become very inconvenient for my land rover ownership.

Just another quick question... I read that the system needs to be de-pressurrised before removing the valve block. Is there a way round this as I don´t have a nanocom yet?

Thank you to everyone who has been helping, I value your contributions very much :).
 
mikerajjers said:
Thanks for your indepth explanation pwood999. I am getting a better understanding of how the system works and quite enjoying the problem solving. I´m not really confident I will be able to repair the driver pack so I may be better off buying a new one. Are they expensive or even possible to buy new?

I have been reading some instructions how to remove the valve block recently as I was planning to replace the o-rings and overhaul the compressor. It seems to work ok but I thought it would be a good preventative measure. I have been waiting for the kit since December and forgot to collect it from the bloomin post office on Friday! Some parts take ages to arrive from the UK since Brexit, which has become very inconvenient for my land rover ownership.

Just another quick question... I read that the system needs to be de-pressurrised before removing the valve block. Is there a way round this as I don´t have a nanocom yet?

Thank you to everyone who has been helping, I value your contributions very much :).
Click to expand...
You don't need Nanocom, Pm @datatec for his cable and Eas unlock disc.There is a depressurise facility, or just wear eye protection and press in the collets and pull the pipe's out.take a photo first so you put them back in the right place.
 
Last edited:
There should be coloured labels on each pipe. Position is in diagram below (this is already posted many times, but here it is again for good luck). I never bother to de-pressurise properly anymore. Just unplug compressor, and then put the car to access mode to reduce to minimum. Then do as Alan said and pull the pipes. (push collet into the block & release pipe)

Next undo 3 bolts holding the block into the housing & lift it out !! If you have petrol cruise control, you need to remove the two screws holding the bracket to the EAS housing first.


upload_2021-3-20_17-37-28.png
 
ok, cheers mate! I´ve found a new driverpack off fleabay for around 100pounds so will wait till that arrives and then remove valve block and replace the unit. It will probably be a couple of weeks till it gets to the EU and clears customs.
 
Right, I changed wheels today and the air bags are properly buggered. Perhaps not quite leaking but they are totally perished. I will change these first, then monitor whether the EAS LEDs flash up again and if so my replacement driver pack should arrive by then. Parts for the compressor and valve overhaul have arrived! Hopefully the refresh of these parts will get the EAS working great for years to come.
 
mikerajjers said:
Right, I changed wheels today and the air bags are properly buggered. Perhaps not quite leaking but they are totally perished. I will change these first, then monitor whether the EAS LEDs flash up again and if so my replacement driver pack should arrive by then. Parts for the compressor and valve overhaul have arrived! Hopefully the refresh of these parts will get the EAS working great for years to come.
Click to expand...
Island 4x4 for the air bags. Dunlop are the originals. Don't forget to get new clips. There's a post in technical archive on how to replace . Did mine this way. 21/2 hrs to do front and rear, Oh plus an overnight stay in hospital. But that's a different tale:D:D
 
mikerajjers said:
ok, cheers mate! I´ve found a new driverpack off fleabay for around 100pounds so will wait till that arrives and then remove valve block and replace the unit. It will probably be a couple of weeks till it gets to the EU and clears customs.
Click to expand...

Always worth checking if @kurtjohnson10 has any EAS parts hamdy before going elsewhere.
 
Rubberknees said:
Island 4x4 for the air bags. Dunlop are the originals. Don't forget to get new clips. There's a post in technical archive on how to replace . Did mine this way. 21/2 hrs to do front and rear, Oh plus an overnight stay in hospital. But that's a different tale:D:D
Click to expand...

That is a good shout! I was gonna buy from Paddocks but the fronts are 10 pounds cheaper each from island. Plus their airfreight is cheaper. Cheers! What did you do... I think I may have read a post about what happened months ago but can't remember
 
pwood999 said:
The block needs to come out . . . . . .. unless you have tiny weeny & strong long fingers.

The problem is this:
  • ECU tries to trigger height changes & sends 12V signals to the driver pack input (connector at front of housing).
  • Note: the Driver pack to solenoid signals are NOT 12v but pulsed waveforms.
  • If driver pack to solenoid connections are intermittent the valves don't respond properly, so heights don't change.
  • ECU flags various faults such as "valve stuck open, valve stuck closed, etc."
  • As the faults mount up, after a while the ECU goes into soft fault mode, and flashes the four LED's at you !!
  • Next time you start & drive the valve block connections are ok, so the "soft fault" disappears until later !!
So there's two most common possibilities:
  1. The connector pins & sockets are loose inside the housing, even though the housing seems tight.
    • You need to use a spare pin such as spare pressure switch, to test the socket fit one by one.
  2. The wires that go inside the driver pack have bad solder connections on the PCB.
    • In this case you either spend months digging out the PCB, or replace the driver pack.
I have two driver packs with problem-2 that I'm still trying to de-pot & repair, plus two others that had problem 1 and now work since i gently squeezed the 12 sockets inside the housing.

The connector is at the bottom, next to the pressure switch:

5b7407bf35b63454d9a8badb


And for clarity, the inside of the driver pack looks like the picture below.
6 wires in middle are from the ECU.
12 wires at bottom right are the solenoids.

View attachment 233683
Click to expand...

I've found it tends to be that big electrolytic that fails so just digging the pot out of that area and replacing it works wonders.
 
mikerajjers said:
That is a good shout! I was gonna buy from Paddocks but the fronts are 10 pounds cheaper each from island. Plus their airfreight is cheaper. Cheers! What did you do... I think I may have read a post about what happened months ago but can't remember
Click to expand...
With my heart problems and arthritis I b*ggered myself up and collapsed:eek::eek: Lucky for me I have a brilliant neighbour who works for beer tokens and completed all the work for me:D:D Me I got a Saturday night in hospital on morphine tripping the light fantastic:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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