P38A EAS Leaks - Help Needed

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PastyMuncher83

PastyMuncher83

Active Member
Posts
249
Location
South Somerset
Hello,

I'm after some help with EAS leaks on my P38.

I converted it back to air in february, brand new compressor, valve block and dunlop bags. The car deflates if left for a period of time sometimes overnight. I have replaced both rear air pipes with rated tubing, cut with the correct tool. I have removed, cleaned and re-fitted all the pipe connections several times. Tried swapping out the valve block for the original one. Been round and sprayed all connections with soapy water and have not found where its leaking from.

Any suggestions what else to try. Or anywhere around south somerset i can take it to in order to sort it?

I'm trying to find the motivation to replace all the air lines but due to the random way it deflates i'm hesitant do so, as being pessimistic i know, i wouldn't expect it to make any difference!

It deflates randomly for example:

Get home from work, set it to wade height.
Come out in the morning and the back has dropped but fronts still fully inflated.
Drive to work, leave in standard ride height, come out 10 hours later and all four bags have deflated?!?!
 
Under the passanger seat....pull the EAS timer relay thingy when you park up over night.....if the car is at an odd angle when you get back to it....it will be physical connections or valve block internals.....if it is still where it was at when you left it...the EAS ECU is commanding the system to re-level and deflating the bags leaving it at od dangles...this could be height sensors or corroded connections to them or the ECU.
 
Inflate the bags fully and spay around as sometimes the leak is in the fold of the bag and cannot be detected untill they are unfolded I have just had a new bag with a splite like a knife cut in it'
 
Ok thanks. I will try the relay thing tonight. After reading up on the height sensors a lot of posts refer to a common symptom of the car dancing around at traffic lights ect constantly trying to adjust itself.
Mine has always done that, assumed it was normal! I will report back.
 
PastyMuncher83 said:
I will be cheesed off if one of the bags is split! I bought 4 new ones and 1 of those detached itself from the upper mount so had to buy a 5th...
Click to expand...

Bags don't detach unless you did something wrong. The bags MUST be inflated before you lower the body onto them. Not doing that is the only reason one would detach.
 
The bag had been fitted to the car and working fine for weeks. One morning reversed out of my flat driveway and it popped. I'm not looking to CSI how it happened but I know that it did.
 
PastyMuncher83 said:
Ok thanks. I will try the relay thing tonight. After reading up on the height sensors a lot of posts refer to a common symptom of the car dancing around at traffic lights ect constantly trying to adjust itself.
Mine has always done that, assumed it was normal! I will report back.
Click to expand...

After stopping once you take your foot off the foot-brake it will level itself. If it is still dancing around after a minute then the connectors to the driver pack might need tightening up a bit or the driver-pack itself might be suspect.

Delay timer as Saint advised would be my first port of call though.
 
you could have just refitted the top mount back in as long as the air bag wasnt damaged.
if its not parked on completly flat ground it will keep self leveling until its out of air
 
Grrrrrr said:
After stopping once you take your foot off the foot-brake it will level itself. If it is still dancing around after a minute then the connectors to the driver pack might need tightening up a bit or the driver-pack itself might be suspect.

Delay timer as Saint advised would be my first port of call though.
Click to expand...

Caused by the two front sensors being to far apart in setting and having different air pressures in the bags.. When the car slows to 1 MPH both front valves open to equalise pressure across the axle if one side has more pressure in than the other it will rise until the sensor is happy. So the car appears to dance. You need the two front sensor bit counts to be as close to each other as possible.
 
biketeacherdave said:
you could have just refitted the top mount back in as long as the air bag wasnt damaged.
if its not parked on completly flat ground it will keep self leveling until its out of air
Click to expand...

It self levels every six hours and drops a maximum of 8 mm each time. If you park it at standard height and it is on the bump stops the morning after it is not self leveling doing that. You have a leak or the delay relay is working overtime.
 
wammers said:
It self levels every six hours and drops a maximum of 8 mm each time. If you park it at standard height and it is on the bump stops the morning after it is not self leveling doing that. You have a leak or the delay relay is working overtime.
Click to expand...

Thought the early ones didn't stop? Mind you, cannot remember what year this one is.
 
PastyMuncher83 said:
I will be cheesed off if one of the bags is split! I bought 4 new ones and 1 of those detached itself from the upper mount so had to buy a 5th...
Click to expand...

Have you still got the same shocks on as when you were on springs? because they could be longer shocks and blow the sir sping off when its above the max height also have you got the shocks around the right way as the front are longer than the rear.
The other reason that the bag would blow off is that the body of the bag got a kink in it because it was not inflated when fitted.
 
ovalandrover said:
Have you still got the same shocks on as when you were on springs? because they could be longer shocks and blow the sir sping off when its above the max height also have you got the shocks around the right way as the front are longer than the rear.
The other reason that the bag would blow off is that the body of the bag got a kink in it because it was not inflated when fitted.
Click to expand...

Yep shocks are longer at front by 2" or so. ;)
 
PastyMuncher83 said:
I will be cheesed off if one of the bags is split! I bought 4 new ones and 1 of those detached itself from the upper mount so had to buy a 5th...
Click to expand...
IIRC, didn't you have to file down the airbags to make them fit? Was that still the case with the 5th or did you work out what the obstruction was that required the modification of the bags?
 
Well unplugged the relay and this morning both rear bags had deflated and fronts were still at the height they were left at.
Fitted new shocks last year, the right way round?!
Also had to file the 5th bag to get it to fit. There was no obstruction there. Neither of the 3 bags I've fitted to the rear fitted without filing. I am not the first person on here to experience this.
 
PastyMuncher83 said:
Well unplugged the relay and this morning both rear bags had deflated and fronts were still at the height they were left at.
Fitted new shocks last year, the right way round?!
Also had to file the 5th bag to get it to fit. There was no obstruction there. Neither of the 3 bags I've fitted to the rear fitted without filing. I am not the first person on here to experience this.
Click to expand...

Have you got Schrader valves from an emergency inflation kit? I'd be tempted to try the Scrader valves and see if it still goes down. If it does then it is the line or the bag.
 
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