first time owner and suspension fail straight of the bat!

hi all, first time forum member and 'proud' owner of a v8 4.4 petrol 2004 l322.

went to buy the car and took for short test drive and seemed ok, the orange lights were showing on the EAS control and the orange motorway light came on when at speed.
by the end of the test drive the lights had gone out, the display read AIR SUSP INACTIVE, well what i could make out as the display was almost gone, and it was stuck at its maximum height although i thought was normal height as never owned one.

i took a gamble that it would be an easy fix as the seller swore it had never happened before and as it had been standing for 4 months i thought it might be due to this and it remained like this for almost all the 300 mile journey home including several stops for fuel......

5 miles from home i went slowly over a speed bump and a loud air pressure release sound came from the front o/side but the suspension remained in the high position
drove home and noticed the orange lights were working on the EAS control but it didnt adjust the height

the next morning the rear was high and the front was very low, but the o/side was lower.
tried a few things, turning wheel lock to lock etc and although the lights still show, it raised to the high position after a minute but wouldnt adjust. occasionally a loud hiss could be heard from the n/side and o/side front.

now when i leave it, the front is very low and the rear very high like a dragster!


sorry for the long post but wanted to get as much info across as possible

any help would be much appreciated as i cant use my new toy........

Take it back for a refund..

redhand said:

Take it back for a refund..

Click to expand...

nice idea. its 300 miles away though and i dont think it would make......

holidaychicken said:

nice idea. its 300 miles away though and i dont think it would make......

Click to expand...

Have a search on here then hundreds of posts on rangies with fooked air suspension.

redhand said:

Have a search on here then hundreds of posts on rangies with fooked air suspension.

Click to expand...

hi, i know i have been searching, i'm trying to work out if it could be something other than split air bags, i have not got access to the error codes yet either
thanks for your advice

I would contact the seller, explaining what happened then ask them to foot the repair bill, or ask for some sort of renumeration. As said before, air suspension is a common fault and can be repaired cheaply by a competent DIYer.

Sounds like a burst air strut

If they haven't already been replaced there at the age when they will need going or they will go pop

As Hippo said, a burst airstrut. If you bought from a dealer, it's their problem, if it was a private sale it's your problem. Either way, it's an easy fix.

hi thanks for the replies, i bought it private and they are a very long way away.

its is odd, but i drove 300 miles with it in the high position and stopped several times and it didnt sag. could the compressor have been keeping them inflated all that way but it has made extra loud hissing noises since then

do they have such a thing as a pressure release on the air bag

am i right in thinking £500 to do both front bags?

it wont do anything now with the front sitting on the ground and its ass in the are like a horny cat....
it also says something about maximum 35 mph but the screen display is dodgy
i am going to try and get a lynx diagnostic tool tomorrow so i least i have an idea before the local garage changes everything in sight...

holidaychicken said:

hi thanks for the replies, i bought it private and they are a very long way away.

its is odd, but i drove 300 miles with it in the high position and stopped several times and it didnt sag. could the compressor have been keeping them inflated all that way but it has made extra loud hissing noises since then

do they have such a thing as a pressure release on the air bag

am i right in thinking £500 to do both front bags?

it wont do anything now with the front sitting on the ground and its ass in the are like a horny cat....
it also says something about maximum 35 mph but the screen display is dodgy
i am going to try and get a lynx diagnostic tool tomorrow so i least i have an idea before the local garage changes everything in sight...

Click to expand...

More like £600 for 2 airstruts if you DIY.
The leaks open and close as the bag folds so the compressor may well have kept up with the leak for a while and it may be knackered as a result.
I'm not sure the lynx can re-calibrate the suspension whereas the AllComms definately can.

bit worse than i thought then, it looks like quite an easy job to do.
i was spoilt with my old series 3 i was always amazed at how cheap parts were but this is a different animal altogether......

it says on the lynx site is reads and resets air suspension but i think there is another thread regarding diagnostics somewhere

i thought i had heard that air bags were £100 a corner, maybe a p38 or just a dream..

cheers

Struts are £250 a corner delivered

Compressor maybe okay

Diagnostics might not always find the fault

If the front corner is down
Chances are you've got a leak

I'd opt for all coms or hawkeye

Lynx is still at its early stages and support doesn't sound good

Yes maybe £100 a corner on a p38

The difference is on an l322 the air strut also contains the shock obsorber which have to be bought as a complete unit

Pump seals are £35 off a guy on eBay who makes them himself. Well worth doing after the bags have been done.

thanks guys, this is great, i get a new car and also a puzzle to solve, the first of many no doubt

the front end is all the way down level and the back is all the way up but it seems to change with different faults showing so i have left it alone so i dont thrash the compressor

where is the best place to order the struts and are there different manufacturers?

good shout on the pump seals, i will do that anyway like you say

i know this is slightly off topic but does anyone know what the big plastic box is on the left hand side under the bonnet which makes a buzzing noise even though everything is off??

many thanks

holidaychicken said:

thanks guys, this is great, i get a new car and also a puzzle to solve, the first of many no doubt

the front end is all the way down level and the back is all the way up but it seems to change with different faults showing so i have left it alone so i dont thrash the compressor

where is the best place to order the struts and are there different manufacturers?

good shout on the pump seals, i will do that anyway like you say

i know this is slightly off topic but does anyone know what the big plastic box is on the left hand side under the bonnet which makes a buzzing noise even though everything is off??

many thanks

Click to expand...

Don't you worry, no doubt this car will keep you busy

Cheapest place to order the struts is from island 4x4.

After market ones are £250, made by Dunlop

They are good units for the money
Genuine Delphi ones can cost £££

Big plastic box is some of the cars main ECU's. The noise you hear is the cooling fan which will overrun for a little while after the engine is turned off so to cool the electronics. It should stop after 10 mins

Hope that helps

thanks hippo, thats ideal as island is near where i live, if they have a counter i drive past most days.

thanks for identifying my black box, i have some many more questions...........
one at a time, or two maybe

excellent forum

:welcome2:

You didn't follow the golden rule of buying a Range Rover did you - Never, ever buy a Range Rover with faults unless you appreciate and are prepared for the potential work and costs involved in repairing it...!

Stick around on here, you won't get better advice anywhere else (plus plenty of **** taking too )

i thought all range rovers came with factory fitted faults as standard, it's fine i knew what to expect as far as faults but a little more expensive than i bargained for but i'm sure it wont be the last time it surprises me.........
thanks to everyone for their help so far

2.0_hippo said:

Yes maybe £100 a corner on a p38

The difference is on an l322 the air strut also contains the shock obsorber which have to be bought as a complete unit

Click to expand...

As little as £60 a corner on a P38