EAS Problem

I've just got hold of a really nice 96 Range Rover which I love. However the first start of the day takes the EAS ages to work (before the EAS indicator stops blinking) After this the system works quite well for the rest fo the day. Could I have a leak? I'm not familiar with the system yet, is there a reservoir for the compressed air?

Next thing after driving for a while it seemed like the right hand side of the car had dropped? Does anyone have any ideas? I suspect the 2 things are connected. I don't get any error messages about this.

Thanks in advance.

if you look under the drivers side sill there is a cylinder, thats the air tank. i wouldnt think this is leaking as its quite robust. i would say one of the air bags or lines are depleting the air reserve. you could put the car on its lowest setting over night and see if there is a difference in performance. also when you first start the car should go up quite rapidly but remember to stay in p or n and do not touch the brakes or open the doors as this will slow the system down. also if it is going down overnight then there is a definate air leak and you can investigate the leak with a spray bottle and some water/soap or you can buy leak detector fluid from places such as b n q, the stuff they use on gas appliances to find leaks!

i would say the right hand airbag(s) have got leaks in them, put the car up to the top and have a look at the condition of em. also see here for a bit of advice

Thanks for all that, I checked out that site too. I have just checked and I am sure there's a hissing sound by the left rear wheel. I'll get underneath tomorrow and have a look, but is there anything important in that back left corner? Where is the valve block?

the valve block is under the bonnet, beneath a box, it has EAS marked on it(passenger side)

i would say it was the air bag at the back or one of the lines that has taken a hit. gey some water and soap in a bottles and give it a spray, wipe or wash the soap off afterwards thogh as it can cause corrosion!!

willem_dafoe said:

I've just got hold of a really nice 96 Range Rover which I love.

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Congrats

willem_dafoe said:

However the first start of the day takes the EAS ages to work (before the EAS indicator stops blinking) After this the system works quite well for the rest fo the day. Could I have a leak? I'm not familiar with the system yet, is there a reservoir for the compressed air?

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Yes there is - as Gavin mentioned above. The cylinder will not be leaking, but one or more of the lines or air springs will. A common cause is the o-rings which seal the lines into the valve-block and springs. They harden after a number of years and the result is that you have continual small leaks(use soap water in a spray bottle to check as Gavin also stated above). These leaks cause the compressor to work overtime in pumping air back into the tank - which, in turn, causes the compressor piston seal to wear. The result is a very slow EAS till the tank is full - just as you describe. The way it becomes acute is that at some point it takes the compressor so long to build pressure that the EAS ECU registers a fault - and stops functioning. Several repeated faults lead to a so called hard-fault which drops the car to its bumpstops and leaves you with a "35mph max" message on the display. Very, very uncomfortable. The remedy is finding the leaks and fitting a new compressor seal. Check rangerovers.net for more detailed info. Roverrenovations.com can sell you an o-ring kit and compressor seal.

willem_dafoe said:

Next thing after driving for a while it seemed like the right hand side of the car had dropped? Does anyone have any ideas? I suspect the 2 things are connected. I don't get any error messages about it.

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Does the car now lean to the right or was the right too high to begin with? Normally, despite a leaky EAS sytem, the proper height is controlled electronically via 4 height sensors and the EAS ECU. If this is off, you need a recalibration. Is it poss that someone swapped a height sensor to repair and did not recalibrate? Quiz the PO...

Good luck!
Steve

Thanks Steve, it's all starting to make sense. However last night I got the "35mph max" message, and a very uncomfortable ride home!
So I ordered a diagnostic cable and software (comes tomorrow) and after jacking the car up and having a good look, I ordered 2 new rear air bags. They were both rotten. I can't pressurise yet so haven't checked for leaks in any of the lines. I will do that as soon as I can wind it up again.
The leaning to the right was when I was driving, it came and went. I stopped once and had a look and there was almost an inch between the left and right ride height. When I'd got home (before it stopped working) the car was level again. Could a sticky valve cause that?
Thanks again, will keep you all posted

I'd refurbish your air compressor too while you're at it, as an 'air supply fault' is down to poor compressor performance, which usually triggers the soft fault, then eventually no air pressure generates the '35mph' message.

willem_dafoe said:

Thanks Steve, it's all starting to make sense. However last night I got the "35mph max" message, and a very uncomfortable ride home!

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Welcome to the club

willem_dafoe said:

So I ordered a diagnostic cable and software (comes tomorrow) and after jacking the car up and having a good look, I ordered 2 new rear air bags. They were both rotten. I can't pressurise yet so haven't checked for leaks in any of the lines. I will do that as soon as I can wind it up again.
The leaning to the right was when I was driving, it came and went. I stopped once and had a look and there was almost an inch between the left and right ride height. When I'd got home (before it stopped working) the car was level again. Could a sticky valve cause that?
Thanks again, will keep you all posted

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Is this the EAS software suite from Storey Wilson (RSW)? You'll be able to read fault codes so see if there is anything there - could poss be a height sensor or poss the driver module. Does the car "dance" at all on level ground (at a stoplight, for instance)? This could point to sticky non-return valves and require a valve block rebuild (not hard to do). A bit difficult to diagnose based on the given info.

I am trying the Storey Wilson cable tosee EAS faults and expect to see codes displayed. Is there a key to interpret? My system decides to sit on the bump stops in a sulk from time to time - most annoying!

4father said:

I am trying the Storey Wilson cable tosee EAS faults and expect to see codes displayed. Is there a key to interpret?

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YouTube - EAS Unlock Software - Demonstration

But you can not rely strictly on electronic help - you'll need to know a little about the system as well. Good descriptions on rangerovers.net.

Now I need some help. I connected my PC to my car with the EAS diagnostic software. It seemed to communicate properly but the list of errors I got was massive, and I can't reset whatever I try to do. I am getting a series of FF values in the RX window, so I am assuming the PC is talking to the car.
I haven't fixed the rear bags which are both poorly. But was hoping to get some sense out of the car first.
Any ideas?

I just got it working. The fault is cleared and it lifted off the stops. I didn't get the chance to read the fault

I will change the rear air bags and see what happens.