P38 eas problem

I heard a bang when my P38 was parked up last night; this morning the EAS would not work.
I got underneath and had a look/feel around, but I am not sure what I am looking/feeling for, or where the air supply pipes actually run; or if I need the wheels off to get a good look at the air bags.
Tomorrow I was going to disconnect the electrical supply to the EAS pump, because last time I had a problem the garage said the pump had burned out trying to keep up with a hole melted in a supply pipe by a blowing exhaust. (Years ago, been fine since then).
Can anybody advise me as to what to look for /feel for, where to do it, where the various pipes run, and if I need to take the wheels off to get a good look?
Is disconnecting the electrical supply to the pump the right thing to do?
Is this likely to be something I could fix myself without specialist tools or knowledge?

Right, here we go.

What do you mean when you say the EAS won't work?

With the engine on is the pump running?


To answer your last question, there's hardly anything in the EAS system (apart from the electronic controlle) that can't be repaired by a logical thinker with a reasonable tool kit.

Sorry,
I mean the EAS wont lift- it's now down on the bump stops, and with the engine running the little EAS pump is pumping like mad, and getting hot. I checked it is working by unscrewing the filter at the end and it is sucking hard. I don't like keep leaving it running because I know what I was told happened to the last one.

Chris'sDad said:

Sorry,
I mean the EAS wont lift- it's now down on the bump stops, and with the engine running the little EAS pump is pumping like mad, and getting hot. I checked it is working by unscrewing the filter at the end and it is sucking hard. I don't like keep leaving it running because I know what I was told happened to the last one.

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Your wise not to let the pump run for too long, when they get too hot it never ends well
It depends on how good you are crawling around under a car, I'm not sure if one of the air bags goes it would make a bang but a pipe popping out of a fitting would.
You could try the soapy water in a spray bottle trick to see if you can find anything.
I'm no expert but I'm sure one of the guys will be along soon to sort you out.
I hope this wont be to expensive for you...

Thanks,
Im very good at crawling about when the stakes are high!
As soon as I establish where to squirt the soapy water, I will.
It was a proppa detonation, like a tyre blowing, but a bit softer, (heard a few).

trace the pipes from each airbag back to the valve block, i would 1st check for obvious damage, such as a pipe off, then with pump running use soapy water.

I have often wondered if there is anything that can be sprayed into the compressor inlet to lube it internally on a regular basis as a service opperation...

It pays to clean the filters regulary...?

thank you.
Anybody got any answers to the other questions I asked before i get started?

This would be a good place to start:
Air Suspension Faults, Diagnosis and Repair

Thanks guys! - I think I can have a go at it now!

First thing to do is check the bags are ok and that the connections are in check at the valve block as well - on a long shot do you have a sealed battery if not check the line to front offside which runs under the battery holder you can have acid corrosion there - hope this helps

I would bet on a failed airbag.

sandyt said:

First thing to do is check the bags are ok and that the connections are in check at the valve block as well - on a long shot do you have a sealed battery if not check the line to front offside which runs under the battery holder you can have acid corrosion there - hope this helps

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Have heard people say this before. But i fail to see how battery acid can effect a plastic pipe. Maybe chaffing under battery but i do not think acid can actually corrode the pipe.

Datatek said:

I would bet on a failed airbag.

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I am willing to bet you are going to win your bet.

wammers said:

Have heard people say this before. But i fail to see how battery acid can effect a plastic pipe. Maybe chaffing under battery but i do not think acid can actually corrode the pipe.

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Look out for mice, they ate my leak off pipes so they probably like air lines as well

Datatek said:

Look out for mice, they ate my leak off pipes so they probably like air lines as well

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Yeah maybe. But unlike you i have two English cats who have both done a commando course. Trained killers both of them.

I spoke to Tim Fry today, he said it is probably an air bag if I heard a bang; and that quite often you can see the cording from the bag at the breach point.
I'm going to have a look tomorrow, since I never had time today.

I bought a set of air suspension bypass valves on fleabay when my suspension failed. This enabled me to charge each line in turn to find the leak. Turned out to be both rear pipes melted due to a leaking exhaust. That sounded like a tyre burst when it happened. You remove the relevent pipe from the valve block and fit the adaptor to it and inflate using anything that would inflate a car tyre. I have a small compressor and tyre inflator. This helps as you can hear the air escaping from the leak and your not burning out the cars compressor. The rave manual will help you identify the airlines or there's loads of info on EAS on this site.

Cheer's, Don1

Hi again,
I drove the car to a mate of mine and put it on his lift, with the engine not running .(Great drive- recomend it!).
As soon as it was clear to go underneath, I could see where all 4 wheels were hanging, 3 air bags were sucked in like prunes, and the guilty one nice and fat. - Because the three had no air supply, and had a good air seal, so could only wrinkle as they extended, where as the punctured one could draw air in throught the slit and inflate as it extended.
The failed bag has the cording out and a 3in split.
So Tim happened to have 2 bags on the shelf, and now I have collected them! I will have a go at fitting them tomorrow. R- clips top and bottom seem to be all that holds them, same size as hold the pins in on my JCB, so got plenty of those!

Well Datatek nailed it.

Hey Chris'sDad
In future, if your not lifting try this first.

If your not in fault mode, Run the engine with the door open and listen for the pump.

The Door open means that the EAS wont attempt to alter its height - meaning, you can run it all day if you want and it wont throw up a fault. It only faults if it tried to alter the vehicle height for, 7 minutes i think (correct if wrong) and doesnt succeed.

Anyway, run the engine for 15 mins or so, or if you hear the compressor stop followed by a nice "hiss". they his is the tank full.

Keep the engine on and shut the door. The car should try to move, usually rear first due to weight of the engine. Sometimes you can notice a corner not playing ball. But most of the time you should be able to hear a hiss from the air escaping.

A major leak like a split bag or broken line you will be able to hear. Atleast you know what area to start looking.

If you think you have a leak:
put the EAS in high, and either leave a door open, or my trick is open the boot, put a sock between the catch and the lock and close it again gently (It looks more secure than a car with the door open).

What you are trying to do is have the car think a door is open. then leave it.... for as long as possible. were talking hours or overnight for a small leak, bigger leaks take less time. Then just look at the car, which ever corner is looking saggy or lower is where the problem is.
Sometimes the rears dont show up to well, because of the heavy lump under the bonnet, but if you get a chunky mate to stand on the tow bar you may see it clearer.

The reason for leaving a door or the boot open is the same as i mentioned before. The vehicle wont auto level its self if a door is open. Just for refrence, if your not to sure what i mean, every hours the car levels its self. Im sure you have whitnessed it when taking stuff out of the boot and then you close the boot to hear some clicks and the backend getting lower. Well it does this all the time. If you dont leave a door open, the eas will just keep compensationg on the other 3 corners to keep the car level, meaningg if you have a leak on one bag, the whole car drops.

But also, dont let it pannic you if you do come to your car and it is on the bumpstops. This happens alot to me because i park on very uneven ground, the cars gets in a ****y because it never sees the car as level and ends up lowering its self to the stops bit by bit every hour. You can simulate this by parking one wheel on a brick, or on the kerp.

UC