P38 air suspension prob ?

when I lower my suspension and then try setting it back to normal it take the car about 10 mins of driving before it rises and the lights stop flashing. The same happens if I ask it to go into raised mode. If I leave it at normal ride height all is fine and she doesnt sink or cycle etc - so I believe the sensors are ok.

The compressor however runs for a couple of mins then stops for about thirty secs then re starts again and keeps doing this continually so I know something is wrong. Ive checked the tank and thats fine as are the air springs. When I turn the engine off and listenb carefully around the air manifold you can hear a slight escape of air - is that just residual air escaping from the pump as I assume the holding tank has a one way device ?

Any ideas ? Compressor ? cheers DJ

dj_uk said:

when I lower my suspension and then try setting it back to normal it take the car about 10 mins of driving before it rises and the lights stop flashing. The same happens if I ask it to go into raised mode. If I leave it at normal ride height all is fine and she doesnt sink or cycle etc - so I believe the sensors are ok.

The compressor however runs for a couple of mins then stops for about thirty secs then re starts again and keeps doing this continually so I know something is wrong. Ive checked the tank and thats fine as are the air springs. When I turn the engine off and listenb carefully around the air manifold you can hear a slight escape of air - is that just residual air escaping from the pump as I assume the holding tank has a one way device ?

Any ideas ? Compressor ? cheers DJ

Click to expand...

sounds to me like the compressor is tired

Hi,

Send a private message to eightinavee, he does treplacement compressors with 6 months warrantee very reasonably,
He sorted mine out a treat, a decent bloke to deal with too

i would say these guys are spot on mine did just the same , compressor cant keep up with demand , although i run a soft dash lse its the same in principal , look on ebay mine cost £26.00 and its been spot on , there is always a few on for the p38 models , hope this helps .
rick

dj_uk said:

when I lower my suspension and then try setting it back to normal it take the car about 10 mins of driving before it rises and the lights stop flashing. The same happens if I ask it to go into raised mode. If I leave it at normal ride height all is fine and she doesnt sink or cycle etc - so I believe the sensors are ok.

The compressor however runs for a couple of mins then stops for about thirty secs then re starts again and keeps doing this continually so I know something is wrong. Ive checked the tank and thats fine as are the air springs. When I turn the engine off and listenb carefully around the air manifold you can hear a slight escape of air - is that just residual air escaping from the pump as I assume the holding tank has a one way device ?

Any ideas ? Compressor ? cheers DJ

Click to expand...

Hi,
have you replaced the two filters on your compresor????.
they can become blocked and cause your compresor to work realy hard.

today i loaded my rr with 22 slabs which is a fair weight, the suspension went up then said eas fault now it doesnt move and just flashes on the ride height button and beeps eas fault. was all fine till today now im just ****ed off, everything goes wrong with it!!

The air suspension is certainly a problematic area, but IMHO the majority of problems are caused by poor maintenance.

1. The air bags leak and are not replaced by the owner - who either a, doesn't know they are leaking because the compressor keeps them topped up or b, the owner doesn't want to spend the money.

...causing...

2. The compressor wears out due to use beyond its design specifications.

Contrary to popular belief, the air compressor is actually quite a robust unit when used as its specifications dictate.

My advice to anyone is check the state of your springs and if they look cracked / crazed then replace them. It costs less than £250 for a full set of springs, and if you can weild a screwdriver then you can change them yourself. If not, it isn't much more than 2 hours work to have all four replaced at a garage even if all the pins are seized in.

Like anything in life, if it isn't looked after it will break. Personally I don't think £250/300 every 50,000 miles is much of an issue. There are plenty of items on other vehicles that cost at least that much and need replacing regularly during normal maintenance.

Matt