Hi folks, I tried to send a new thread late last night and seems it didnt go ,maybe I was too tired from all the work yesterday or maybe the site went down. Anyway Harry is my name from Co.Dublin and I joined last week and posted a thread about ride height difference having replaced an air spring and got some good advice but now Ive got worse problems
and would like some advice on the best way to go.
Yesterday while driving through the city , traffic was mayhem ,police and Portugese everywhere due to Queens visit or Uefa Cup Final,I dont know which, but I noticed the ACE warning came on yellow. Figured it was probably a little low on fluid as I had checked it at the weekend when I was changing/treating the PAS fluid (I know they are separate).I kept going and when about a mile from home the light turned red ,bongs and all so I stopped and pulled in and noticed the reservoir was empty . I was on a windy road so chanced the mile or so and drove home. The reason I did this was that I had read before the pump should be bypassed when the fluid runs out and this happened to me last year when ACE pipes were chaffed in the front directly under the battery casing (seems to be a fairly known fault in Disco2,so if any of you havent come across this I would check it out and cut out a square of the plastic battery casing adjacent to the pipes,if the pipes are anyway close to it). That little 5 minute job will cost you nothing and could save you a lot. As this leak was accessible to work on I had it repaired in situ by a hydraulics specialist at a cost of 150...Expensive I know but the job was done well and I didnt have to order new pipes,mess with washers etc.Topped up the fluid ,ran the car fast around an empty carpark turning sharply to try and bleed it which was quite successfull...
Anyway back to yesterday ,I filled her up and ran her and noticed it took almost a litre and then noticed the fluid leaking slowly inside rear drivers side wheel arch. On start up now the ACE check is done and the lights go out . So am assuming the pump is o.k.?? On further inspection the pipes had a bad spot where they are connected to the chassis near the wheel arch with the rubber insulation piece they were very caked in dirt and grime so managed to just get the nose of a power hose in there after removing the heavy stuff with a screwdriver. (Not sure if 1 or 2 pipes leaking just yet) This area is not convenient for a repair,so am looking at removing the pipes which raises a few more questions . Coincidentally this was close to the are I had been working on replacing the air spring at the weekend but feel 99% sure I didn't disturb anything!!!
Q1. If I remove the 2 rear ACE Pipes and feel that there is only one bad spot,will more than likely go for the repair. Im assuming it will be cheaper than the last time as Im calling on him and can wait a day or two for him to do the repair.
However whats the minimum I need to replace do I absolutely need washers to go back into the Valve Block underneath drivers seat and assume I need a filter too.?? Do I need to change anything on the Actuator side? Also can I drop down the Actuator to undo the bolts, seems a bit easier to remove ,clean and put back .Is this easy and safe to do?
Q2. If the pipes are not worth repairing I will order new ones. Ordering them from the UK can take almost a week .Again do I need to order anything else (washers,seals filters etc..) I dont want to find I should have ordered something else ,then Im 2 weeks without transport.
Q3. How easy is it to deactivate the ACE functionality ..assuming as I mentioned above it goes into passive mode when the fluid runs out. Is this risky to run for some time without the fluid. I read different threads telling me the pump will burn out while other say it should protect itself in the locked bars mode..I also read that you didnt have to add any new bars etc.to convert to non-ACE.
Anyway folks your advice and experience deeply appreciated
Yesterday while driving through the city , traffic was mayhem ,police and Portugese everywhere due to Queens visit or Uefa Cup Final,I dont know which, but I noticed the ACE warning came on yellow. Figured it was probably a little low on fluid as I had checked it at the weekend when I was changing/treating the PAS fluid (I know they are separate).I kept going and when about a mile from home the light turned red ,bongs and all so I stopped and pulled in and noticed the reservoir was empty . I was on a windy road so chanced the mile or so and drove home. The reason I did this was that I had read before the pump should be bypassed when the fluid runs out and this happened to me last year when ACE pipes were chaffed in the front directly under the battery casing (seems to be a fairly known fault in Disco2,so if any of you havent come across this I would check it out and cut out a square of the plastic battery casing adjacent to the pipes,if the pipes are anyway close to it). That little 5 minute job will cost you nothing and could save you a lot. As this leak was accessible to work on I had it repaired in situ by a hydraulics specialist at a cost of 150...Expensive I know but the job was done well and I didnt have to order new pipes,mess with washers etc.Topped up the fluid ,ran the car fast around an empty carpark turning sharply to try and bleed it which was quite successfull...
Anyway back to yesterday ,I filled her up and ran her and noticed it took almost a litre and then noticed the fluid leaking slowly inside rear drivers side wheel arch. On start up now the ACE check is done and the lights go out . So am assuming the pump is o.k.?? On further inspection the pipes had a bad spot where they are connected to the chassis near the wheel arch with the rubber insulation piece they were very caked in dirt and grime so managed to just get the nose of a power hose in there after removing the heavy stuff with a screwdriver. (Not sure if 1 or 2 pipes leaking just yet) This area is not convenient for a repair,so am looking at removing the pipes which raises a few more questions . Coincidentally this was close to the are I had been working on replacing the air spring at the weekend but feel 99% sure I didn't disturb anything!!!
Q1. If I remove the 2 rear ACE Pipes and feel that there is only one bad spot,will more than likely go for the repair. Im assuming it will be cheaper than the last time as Im calling on him and can wait a day or two for him to do the repair.
However whats the minimum I need to replace do I absolutely need washers to go back into the Valve Block underneath drivers seat and assume I need a filter too.?? Do I need to change anything on the Actuator side? Also can I drop down the Actuator to undo the bolts, seems a bit easier to remove ,clean and put back .Is this easy and safe to do?
Q2. If the pipes are not worth repairing I will order new ones. Ordering them from the UK can take almost a week .Again do I need to order anything else (washers,seals filters etc..) I dont want to find I should have ordered something else ,then Im 2 weeks without transport.
Q3. How easy is it to deactivate the ACE functionality ..assuming as I mentioned above it goes into passive mode when the fluid runs out. Is this risky to run for some time without the fluid. I read different threads telling me the pump will burn out while other say it should protect itself in the locked bars mode..I also read that you didnt have to add any new bars etc.to convert to non-ACE.
Anyway folks your advice and experience deeply appreciated
