L322 pulling my hair out! (Not much left)

Crankington said:

@Blob /.. So I undid the strut , and as soon as I took off the brake disc section/ wishbone and the weight was taken off it retracted and the air came out of the same place as I was hearing / feeling it escape from before… so, my wondering is… is it a height sensor problem, and maybe its doing weird things like thinking it’s too high and letting air out ??

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Datatek said:

The air should not come out of the strut as far as I know.

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Crankington said:

So this is what ChatGPT is telling ;

1. The struts on the L322 have integrated solenoid valves
• These control whether air enters, holds, or vents.
• If the solenoid O-ring or valve body is leaking, you’ll hear hissing around the base of the strut (exactly as you describe).

Most likely causes
• Faulty/loose front right height sensor or wiring → confusing the system.
• Strut solenoid valve leak (not the bag itself) → air hissing at the vent.
• Less likely, but possible: faulty valve block not sealing properly.

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Datatek said:

OK, I said "as far as I know" obviously I don't know the struts ,on your car.

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Crankington said:

So this is what ChatGPT is telling ;

1. The struts on the L322 have integrated solenoid valves
• These control whether air enters, holds, or vents.
• If the solenoid O-ring or valve body is leaking, you’ll hear hissing around the base of the strut (exactly as you describe).

Most likely causes
• Faulty/loose front right height sensor or wiring → confusing the system.
• Strut solenoid valve leak (not the bag itself) → air hissing at the vent.
• Less likely, but possible: faulty valve block not sealing properly.

Click to expand...

kermit_rr said:

I posted this into chat gpt and got this response:

That’s a decent short-list, but let me tune the accuracy and order of likelihood for an L322:

1. Height sensor or wiring fault

Yes, common. If the ECU gets a spiky or offset signal from a sensor (especially front right, which is the “master” corner the ECU references for cross-linking), it can mis-command valves and you’ll see odd behaviour (sudden drops, hunting, uneven heights).

Typical signs: suspension moves when stationary without compressor noise, or corner heights don’t agree with reality in diagnostics.

2. Strut solenoid leak (O-ring or valve body)

Also common. If you actually hear hissing at the base of the strut, that points to the solenoid rather than the rubber bellows. Bags usually crack higher up on the fold, and those leaks are silent until sprayed.

Overnight drop of one corner with no obvious bag cracks = suspect solenoid O-ring first.

3. Main valve block leak (under the spare wheel)

Possible, but usually shows as multiple corners sagging, not just one. A sticking/non-sealing valve here will often drop both fronts or both rears together, or you’ll get a slow system leak that drags down the reservoir too.

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