P38A air suspension woes

Hi All Im Having problems with my 1999 p 38 bmw powered 2.5 manual .
The problem im having is that the motor doesnt sit correctly . Ive put my nanacom on it and i get the following
standard height
stored current
front left 100 135
front right 150 106
rear left 109 126
rear right 109 124
occasionally the eas fault comes up and reads left hand sensor out of range .
if idrive it for a while the same readings come up .
is there a fault on the eas module or the height sensors ?
bit lost by it as it doesnt sit properly and i doubt it will pass mot as its not on an evenkeel as regards light alignment etc
any help will be appreciated
thanks to you all

Looks like you front right is way out and needs calibrating, they should read within two bits side to side to keep it all happy.

I'd reset the stored values to 108 all round and start from there, needs to be done on level ground with correct wheel pressures

kermit_rr said:

I'd reset the stored values to 108 all round and start from there, needs to be done on level ground with correct wheel pressures

Click to expand...

And an empty boot space + don't sit in the car to calibrate

Rubberknees said:

And an empty boot space + don't sit in the car to calibrate

Click to expand...

Does that matter? It measures height, not pressure. If you've got a ton in the boot then it should still get to the target height, just more air

kermit_rr said:

Does that matter? It measures height, not pressure. If you've got a ton in the boot then it should still get to the target height, just more air

Click to expand...

I was always advised to try to keep the car as empty as possible when checking and recalibrating. Saintv8 's video shows him leaning through the window when demonstrating EAS software. I'm sure its his anyway

Rubberknees said:

I was always advised to try to keep the car as empty as possible when checking and recalibrating. Saintv8 's video shows him leaning through the window when demonstrating EAS software. I'm sure its his anyway

Click to expand...

Not disagreeing, more of a question

kermit_rr said:

Not disagreeing, more of a question

Click to expand...

Only going on some of the advice I've picked up on here over the years . I could be totally wrong. Some one more knowledgeable than me will put us right. Sure there is a reason but for the life of me can't answer you why

I guess its to get a decent static measurement. If you measure it and say "this needs to go up a bit" then go and sit in the car the reading you then see is not the reading when you measured.

J

marjon said:

I guess its to get a decent static measurement. If you measure it and say "this needs to go up a bit" then go and sit in the car the reading you then see is not the reading when you measured.

J

Click to expand...

That would make sense, as when you get in that side should drop slightly and the car should think I’m lower than I want on this side I’ll pump a bit more air in to get it back to level.

You need to be out of the car to calibrate it. Needs to be on a flat level surface. Those figures for the front right are way out, so you could try cleaning the sensor connection, otherwise it needs calibrating. Could be the sensor has failed.
The easiest way to calibrate is with a measuring stick but of course you do need diagnostics.

From the ground to centre of wheel arch.
Standard 790mm +/- 7mm
Access 730mm +/- 7mm
High 830mm +/- 7mm
Low Profile* 770mm +/- 7mm
Extended* 850mm +/- 7mm


From wheel centre to wheel arch
High 510mm
Standard 470mm
Motorway 450mm
Access 405mm
all +/- 7mm

IMHO the Wheel Centre to Arch is better method. EAS SID has the LR procedure using Test-book, and that says to use blocks, so would probably not matter what's inside the car.

pwood999 said:

IMHO the Wheel Centre to Arch is better method. EAS SID has the LR procedure using Test-book, and that says to use blocks, so would probably not matter what's inside the car.

Click to expand...

As you say, using blocks means that what is in the car doesn't matter, but the blocks are a time consuming PITA to use. A measuring stick is easier and quicker.

Many thanks to all
Will a nanacom recalibrate the sensors ?
If I change a sensor must they be calibrated to the motor or just a straight swap ?

Calibration means adjusting the target heights stored in the ECU to achieve the correct ride height.
The numbers across an axle must be within 2 digits of you'll have problems. For example, L108 R110 is ok, L108 R115 is not

I don't know if there is any adjustment on fitting

rover75lover said:

Many thanks to all
Will a nanacom recalibrate the sensors ?
If I change a sensor must they be calibrated to the motor or just a straight swap ?

Click to expand...

Yes, Nanocom will do the calibration although I find the RSW EAS software better.

kermit_rr said:

I don't know if there is any adjustment on fitting

Click to expand...

No