P38A EAS - what else ?

Good morning.

Usual story, suspension down on bump stops, EAS speed limit warning etc. I plugged in the faithful EASUnlock. This showed about a dozen different faults.

All of the airbags have been replaced within the last couple of years. I have now replaced the valve block, pump and air dryer. Fired up EASUnlock again and got even more faults showing, several of them contradicting one another. Cleared all of the faults eventually, although it took several repeat resets to do it. I now have no faults showing and no EAS messages on dashboard. The “four-lights” system reacts to switching up or down as if all is well but the suspension does not rise a fraction. I have tried leaving a door open to block the suspension in order to give the reservoir time to pressurise. Still nothing after half an hour, except the pump does get a bit hot.

Does this all indicate a leak in my pipes or one of the joints ? If so, how do I find the leak ? I have read about soapy water but although I can get at the under-bonnet components, I don’t have a lift to be able to get at the airbags connections and after recently having had bits of titanium inserted into my personal suspension system, I am temporarily not quite as flexible as I once was ! So are the relevant bits (of the car) accessible or will I have to pay the local garage to do it ?

Any advice or help will be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Tony

The rear air bag connections can be seen above the chassis rail and below the wheel arch liner but you would need the suspension on max height, but as it wont raise thats a no,
you could test each by fitting the tyre valve kits and that will test the bags and lines
first thing would be to have a look throw this thread and follow the checks https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/checking-eas-compressor-and-diaphragm-valve.172555/

brianp38dse said:

The rear air bag connections can be seen above the chassis rail and below the wheel arch liner but you would need the suspension on max height, but as it wont raise thats a no,
you could test each by fitting the tyre valve kits and that will test the bags and lines
first thing would be to have a look throw this thread and follow the checks https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/checking-eas-compressor-and-diaphragm-valve.172555/

Click to expand...

+1 always start with late wammers EAS guide. Its sorted a fare few of us out on here, me included

Pression de Gonflage said:

Good morning.

Usual story, suspension down on bump stops, EAS speed limit warning etc. I plugged in the faithful EASUnlock. This showed about a dozen different faults.

All of the airbags have been replaced within the last couple of years. I have now replaced the valve block, pump and air dryer. Fired up EASUnlock again and got even more faults showing, several of them contradicting one another. Cleared all of the faults eventually, although it took several repeat resets to do it. I now have no faults showing and no EAS messages on dashboard. The “four-lights” system reacts to switching up or down as if all is well but the suspension does not rise a fraction. I have tried leaving a door open to block the suspension in order to give the reservoir time to pressurise. Still nothing after half an hour, except the pump does get a bit hot.

Does this all indicate a leak in my pipes or one of the joints ? If so, how do I find the leak ? I have read about soapy water but although I can get at the under-bonnet components, I don’t have a lift to be able to get at the airbags connections and after recently having had bits of titanium inserted into my personal suspension system, I am temporarily not quite as flexible as I once was ! So are the relevant bits (of the car) accessible or will I have to pay the local garage to do it ?

Any advice or help will be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Tony

Click to expand...

Loads of silly faults usually means bad comms. Check the OBD socket but also the connectors behind the passenger kick panel.

As others have said, look in the Technical Section for a post by Wammers and work through it. No rise probably no air but the guide will show you the way.

Just because the compressor is running doesn't mean its actually supplying air. I had a similar issue recently. After a compressor rebuild and some new bags it failed after about 2 weeks. The compressor was running and no leaks found but on checking there was very little coming from the compressor so out it came again and I found that the new piston ring I had fitted had disintegrated so replaced it again also with a new barrel and its been fine since. So I would just check its putting out some air first before getting any garage involved. And after having my car fixed once in the Pyrenees it aint cheap.

Go through the checks in the technical archive .
You'll find your answers on the car

Here.

I do hope that is your finger

oakey said:

I do hope that is your finger

Click to expand...

Naw he is the black finger nail don't you know

But he is in France is he not the Scarlet Fingernail

And that is clearly pink

oakey said:

And that is clearly pink

Click to expand...

Ha but maybe you have seen the film ma non

True lol

oakey said:

True lol

Click to expand...

True one of the better ones me thinks
Sid James always played good parts

oakey said:

I do hope that is your finger

Click to expand...

Yeeeaaah....

Mark Piercy said:

Yeeeaaah....

Click to expand...

What a black one!!

Don’t start the midget gems off again

RangeRoller dt said:

Don’t start the midget gems off again

Click to expand...

Ok we'll have sports mixtures then

brianp38dse said:

The rear air bag connections can be seen above the chassis rail and below the wheel arch liner but you would need the suspension on max height, but as it wont raise thats a no,
you could test each by fitting the tyre valve kits and that will test the bags and lines
first thing would be to have a look throw this thread and follow the checks https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/checking-eas-compressor-and-diaphragm-valve.172555/

Click to expand...

Thanks for your response Brian. You mention the rear air bags and as you say, I can't get at them, but doesn't that apply to the front ones as well or am I missing something ?

I have been splashing about with my soapy water squirter and found very little topside except for a tiny bit of bubbling around the top of the air dryer, which stopped as soon as I pressed the pipe in lightly. So it looks as if I am off to the local village (Renault) garage and their lift. Are all of the pipes just a push-in fit ?

I have been reading the link you gave for the late Mr Whammers for which, thank you. He must have known far more about our cars than JLR ever did. Sounds like it was a full-time enterprise for him. I would have liked to have thanked him myself but perhaps he's listening.

I won't have time to buy and install the emergency air valves that you speak of although have certainly heard of such things. However I am wondering about the long-term value of fitting them. Is there a link you can point me to or can you briefly tell me how they are used in practice ? Would there be five of them, four corners + direct to the reservoir ? Presumably just pumping up the reservoir would provide the lift to the corners. Can these only be activated by a garage compressor or can one use a portable type ? How are they actually fitted ? Tee-fittings somewhere in the plastic plumbing ? Do they need some sort of bracketry or support and if so, where to put it ?
Speaking of plastic plumbing I had been warned by someone to be careful not to break the fragile pipes. Are they that fragile ? Are they easy to replace ? I have just seen them for sale on the Bay in 15 metre lengths and wondered i they should be kept, just in case.

Unlike the car, I am now under pressure to get this sorted out as I am already overdue for the biennial contrôle technique (= MOT). Thanks to the car being kitted out with LPG I have to go to a specialised MOT-shop an hour away. Do LPG cars need to go to a particular MOT shop in the UK ? (I haven't been there in about 12 years.).

In the hope of returning a little of the kindness and help I am receiving on here, I would like to offer the facility of among other things my EASUnlock to any folk travelling near me in S W France and who might get caught out without any pressure or who need directions to more support than my efforts. Is there somewhere on these forums to park such an offer ? All of which of course depends on my getting the P38 operational before British holidaying motorists start coming this way again. I suppose if we weren't optimists we wouldn't be driving (or not) Range Rovers would we ? I would also extend offers of advice to any folks mad enough to be planning to come and live here.

Thanks again to all.

Tony.

Is common for mid exhaust box to leak causing problems with the nearby EAS pipe that runs to the rears. I know this isn’t very helpful given your mobility but bare it in mind