EAS compressor fault

Hi all, I have, what I hope is a little fault, with the EAS compressor. ('99 P38 DSE) Last week I had the 4 airbags replaced. After doing so it took a long time for the suspension to raise but when it did all was good with the world and off I went. Half an hour on the motorway, the EAS failure appears and down she goes to the bump stops. The major symptom is that the compressor is not engaging at all even though when I remove it it works perfectly (with an independent 12v supply). Its my first EAS adventure and so any guidance would be fantastic. My main Q's are (A) How do I cure this and (B) what would have caused it in the first place..
Regards
Pete

I would consider a fault in the pressure sensor.....

PM Datatek (EAS Genius on here) and get hold of the EAS Software and Diagnostic lead (he peddles them for £11 plus P&P) this will allow you to reset the faults and read any stored fault codes....this may point to a culprit.

If the Compressor works off the car, I would imagine it is a duff pressure switch - but also if there are staored faults, this can stop the compressor from working.

Get the compressor off the car, and bench run it and check it is actually generating air pressure by placing your thumb over the outlet hole (The Wammers Check see the How To's at the top of the RR Forum)....

Odds on a stored fault will be the cause or a duff pressure switch.

Thanks Saint.. I would love to buy the EAS software but I'm pretty sure it doesn't function with a Mac (any suggestions for that would be fantastic). The compressor works on a bench test but not in situ and so it is not getting a supply when in the car. Would this be caused by the fault needing to be cleared.? I may end up having to buy a Diagnostic tool..
Pete

petie said:

Thanks Saint.. I would love to buy the EAS software but I'm pretty sure it doesn't function with a Mac (any suggestions for that would be fantastic). The compressor works on a bench test but not in situ and so it is not getting a supply when in the car. Would this be caused by the fault needing to be cleared.? I may end up having to buy a Diagnostic tool..
Pete

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Depending on why the system has gone into fault, yes a stored fault code can stop the compressor from working - as it has gone into fault, so to prevent any further damage to something the system shuts down.

Diagnostics is a good way to go as this will allow you see any faults logged on the ECU, you'll be able to force run things to make sure things are actually able to work when on the car (wiring checks etc) and also calibrate ride heights sensors, read/clear fault codes and test the system over....I don't think it will run on a mac - Datatek will confirm...

When you bench test it, does it actually pump air?? place thumb over hole - you shouldn't be able to stop the air pushing past your thumb on a good compressor - if you can stop the air flow - the compressor seal and/or liner needs changing....

If you can borrow a PC based system from someone to run the software on - would be a worthhile way to spend £11ish quid - heck I'll spend more on lunch today - if it helps to solve a problem and save you paying over £100 an hour to a dealer - I'd give it a go....

Also place you location down - some one may be close who has the software to help out!!

Thanks again, I will press on and try and get a pc. Should I contact Datatek directly and get the software. The compressor works perfectly when it is getting power but there is no signal getting to it at all now.. I have checked the obvious fuses and solenoid.. Its a little odd in that the suspension was fine before changing the bags ( it was time to do it as they were looking v tired) and now its all gone a bit odd. I hate when you do the correct preventative maintenance and it causes previously non-existent problems...
Pete

petie said:

Hi all, I have, what I hope is a little fault, with the EAS compressor. ('99 P38 DSE) Last week I had the 4 airbags replaced. After doing so it took a long time for the suspension to raise but when it did all was good with the world and off I went. Half an hour on the motorway, the EAS failure appears and down she goes to the bump stops. The major symptom is that the compressor is not engaging at all even though when I remove it it works perfectly (with an independent 12v supply). Its my first EAS adventure and so any guidance would be fantastic. My main Q's are (A) How do I cure this and (B) what would have caused it in the first place..
Regards
Pete

Click to expand...

One step at a time. the car dropped and went into hard fault mode, the compressor will not run with a hard fault.
Airbags replaced, possibly got a leak on one of the pipes where the enter the airbags or one or more of the height sensors has picked up crap on the track when the car was raised which caused it to drop. The compressor is also probably tired as it has been feeding dodgy airbags, do the pressure test in the "How To" section.
You will not get the compressor to run until you clear the faults. You can pick up a cheap laptop for £50 or so to use the EAS software or invest in a Nanocom EVO which covers all P38 ECU's. Either will also give you the fault that caused it to drop.

Thank you Datatek. How do I go about getting the software and cables from you..?

petie said:

Thank you Datatek. How do I go about getting the software and cables from you..?

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I'll PM you with my details.