P38A EAS musings and diagnoses

So, thought I’d throw this out there and see if anyone has any thoughts ideas.

Over the past too many months I’ve been battling a few issues with my p38. Not least the air suspension.

The initial issue I eventually traced to a burst air line from the valve block to the air tank. A fault that you can clear and leaves you pretty well buggered. Especially on slightly larger tyres.

During the course of figuring this out and the fact that when it is on its bumpstops it is quite literally impossible to get under. I disabled the EAS and inflated the air bags independently with a 12v compressor. I also had the vehicle on stands and jacks.

With a new air line fitted from valve block to air tank. Taking a completely new routing as it is pretty impossible to get to the original with the engine and gearbox in situ.

The air suspension seemed to be working again. I identified a few of the air springs were looking tired and fully extended a couple showed signs of leaking. However parked up they would hold air for over 4 weeks!!!! So I didn’t hasten to replace them.

I had a new issue however. The left/passenger side of the vehicle was sitting inches higher than the right side. On all height modes. I failed to solve this with my Nanocom. And only managed to confirm the live settings in each mode did not matched the Saved values.

Moving forward I purchased a custom serial cable and used some Windows software to adjust the heights of each corner.

This seemed to be working. Accept that I still could not get the vehicle level. With the minimum recommended value on the left and maximum recommended on the right it still sat leaning fairly heavily to the drivers side.

It used to be perfect. So something just isn’t adding up here. As I hadn’t actually tampered or replaced anything in the end as it all checked out.

While tinkering with the settings. There was a sudden sound of a rapid decompression. Exactly the same think it did that kicked off this whole saga.

Anyhow I have confirmed that I can not pressurise the air tank from the new line I’ve run. By connecting it directly to an external compressor. This means either the tank has ruptured, or I suspect more likely the new air line has burst.

Q. What could cause the air tank line to burst??? Is it possible the compressor keeps running and shouldn’t be?


Anyhow. Still wanting to pursue the problem. I have a second air tank that I bought (thinking this was the problem before) and some more air line. So with this tank sitting on the floor in front of the vehicle and connected the air suspension works again.

Yay!!

Well not quite. As it is still leaning to the drivers side - doh!!

Q. Is it likely that both of the height sensors on the passenger side have decided to become faulty with false or bad readings?

Continuing to tweak the height settings and use the Up/Down feature of the software the EAS decided to go into a fault mode. And I seemed unable to clear it with the software.

And only seemed to be returning gibberish from what I can tell. No idea what is up.

By this stage I have now given up. My Nanocom my have more luck clearing the faults. But I couldn’t be bothered to try.


Long and short is. If I was going to use the vehicle it does need 4 new air springs. Plus it seems prudent to replace 2 height sensors to see if that fixes the leaning (assuming I can get it out of the EAS fault mode it is now in).

But I still have no why it has now twice burst the air tank air line. So it suggests there is something else up, which only means more cost.

For now to make use of the vehicle I’m pretty certain on fitting coils. As at least I’ll be able to drive it. But I would like to figure all this out. Straight software issues are one thing as there are tools to clear these and resume our journey. But complete physical failures aren’t something you can reset and will leave you stranded.

Meant to say. Until it threw its last wobbly with the EAS Fault state. I had not seen or recorded a single EAS fault with my Nanocom or the PC based software.

Well for a start you have bad coms with all those faults showing, so first off sort that out clear faults and start again, somebody else will be along later with more ideas.

I still have my height sensors bolted on. I could take them off and send them to you - to borrow and try substitute. Atleast then youll know if makes a difference before getting new?

No way of knowing if mine still work, they have been tied up underneath for while, and EAS was faulty to an unknown degree before I had the vehicle.
Could be worth a shot.

Also, do you still do RC?

300bhp/ton said:

View attachment 182858 View attachment 182859 View attachment 182861

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That screen shot tell me you have no communication with the EAS, they are all phantom faults.
Fixing the EAS is cheaper than buying a coil conversion kit but perhaps more expensive that your proposed conversion.

Datatek said:

That screen shot tell me you have no communication with the EAS, they are all phantom faults.
Fixing the EAS is cheaper than buying a coil conversion kit but perhaps more expensive that your proposed conversion.

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Thanks. Without spending out on bits I’m not sure what else to do with the EAS.

I think the EAS Fault mode is a result of me tampering. Rather than the cause of the issues. There were no error codes at all previously.

But I still don’t know how to solve the main issues.

1. Why it has burst two airlines to the tank.

2. Why it leans to the drivers side. In the pdf file on the disc you sent me it lists min/max height sensor values. I had the drivers side at 130 front/rear and 90’ish on the passenger side. But it was still 2” + higher on the passenger side.

Have you come across this before? Would the height sensors be what you’d target next?

RangeRoller dt said:

I still have my height sensors bolted on. I could take them off and send them to you - to borrow and try substitute. Atleast then youll know if makes a difference before getting new?

No way of knowing if mine still work, they have been tied up underneath for while, and EAS was faulty to an unknown degree before I had the vehicle.
Could be worth a shot.

Also, do you still do RC?

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That is very kind of you to offer.

RC as in radio controlled cars. I haven’t raced in years, but still build a few and use them for recreation. But more so with RC planes these days.

Have you used the calibration blocks to confirm physical against theoretical height
@300bhp/ton ?

Mark Piercy said:

Have you used the calibration blocks to confirm physical against theoretical height
@300bhp/ton ?

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Lol. There is no need. You can visually eye ball it is frigging miles out. Putting blocks on the axle won’t solve the fact it won’t sit level in any height mode.

300bhp/ton said:

Lol. There is no need. You can visually eye ball it is frigging miles out. Putting blocks on the axle won’t solve the fact it won’t sit level in any height mode.

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Using blocks will give you the actual level height readings from the sensors. You can get in a lot of trouble with EAS if you don't know what you are doing.

I lad! But if you go through the motions it may just reveal where the issues are.

wammers said:

Using blocks will give you the actual level height readings from the sensors. You can get in a lot of trouble with EAS if you don't know what you are doing.

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I’m open to helpful info. But how will sticking blocks on the axle make it sit level?

I just can’t follow how this will solve or even help presently. Surely just putting he blocks in place will only end up with it maybe sitting on them on one side and not on the other. But that won’t fix it.

Your a logical kind o'guy.
Level ground,
Blocks on axles = level car and if not a twisted chassis!!
Then take a reading with your nanscom and you can check your all good with your sensors.

Mark Piercy said:

Your a logical kind o'guy.
Level ground,
Blocks on axles = level car and if not a twisted chassis!!
Then take a reading with your nanscom and you can check your all good with your sensors.

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Look not wanting to labour a point here. But it won’t sit level. I still don’t see how he blocks will help. It’s not just a little out that I’m wanting to refine. It is miles out. Maybe 5” difference side to side.

I don’t be have any blocks anyway. So it’s all rather mute.

But if I did. If put it in extended mode and placed the blocks in for Normal ride height and then lowered it. The passenger side would be miles off the blocks still.

The only way I can see you getting it level on blocks would be to use normal ride height ones and selecting Access height.

But the issue is even changing the heights manually it gets no where close. Which I still don’t see how the blocks would solve or help.

Not a problem 300, I hope you get it sorted

Datatek said:

That screen shot tell me you have no communication with the EAS, they are all phantom faults.
Fixing the EAS is cheaper than buying a coil conversion kit but perhaps more expensive that your proposed conversion.

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Datatek says no Comms. So EAS doesn't know where sensors are so no adjustment will work.

Has connector behind passenger a-post been checked? Also pins where driver pack connects been cleaned and pinched up?

There is a pressure switch on the valve block. Have a word with @Kurtjohnson and see if he can get one. Probably only cost a fiver with postage on top?

Finally, you can adjust so far electronically but height sensors need to be reasonably in range first. So as last resort (because the bastards are almost certainly seized in place) with blocks in place and try to get readings close to each other side to side. Never tried myself so not sure if you can loosen and there's a slot to rotate or you have to bend the arm. @Datatek or @wammers?

To get it to sit on the blocks you could de-pressurize the system, but if you go to the sensors TAB you can keep dropping the sensor reading until it's on the blocks. Personally I think the blocks are hard work for adjusting the EAS and a waste of time.

Datatek said:

To get it to sit on the blocks you could de-pressurize the system, but if you go to the sensors TAB you can keep dropping the sensor reading until it's on the blocks. Personally I think the blocks are hard work for adjusting the EAS and a waste of time.

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That must be why Land rover use them to set EAS with T4, they like making life hard work. I did tell the OP that EAS can be hard work if you don't have a clue what you are doing.