td5 suspension

hI there Ive got a td5 that the air bag keeps deflating now and again only the one side I dont no if its the bag or the level hight sensor. Ive been told I can covert to springs which is a cheaper route but I would have to get the vehicle brain changed to tell it its on springs not air bags but have been told by sombody else that if the compresor is left in place it makes no difference.So can anyone advise me srings or air ??? cheers bertie

You should reprogram it (or get it reprogrammed, if you lack the gear to do it yourself) to tell it that it is on springs.

If you can't do that, you can always pull the compressor fuse.

But seriously - do consider replacing the bags - it's not a hard job, and the air suspension is nice to have.

As said above, it's easy to do provided you have access to T4/Autologic etc...

I'm always keen to fit like-for-like, but I have done a couple of conversions using the Terrafirma medium duty springs and gas dampers which I think are superb. Much better ride than the air, but you don't get the self levelling benifits which you need if you tow or load up the vehicle.

If you decide to go for the springs, check that your present insurance company can cover you for this conversion. I know some (like NFU) are reasonably happy (without extra cost) to allow it. Most are not, so this often makes the decision for you. They may also want a copy of the invoice to show that a proper conversion was done. Then, be willing to spend the money to have it done properly using good kit. Otherwise you'll regret not spending the extra.

The SLABS ECU just needs switching to Coil from the Air setting. Very simple 2 second job with the right kit.

discozx10r said:

hI there Ive got a td5 that the air bag keeps deflating now and again only the one side I dont no if its the bag or the level hight sensor. Ive been told I can covert to springs which is a cheaper route but I would have to get the vehicle brain changed to tell it its on springs not air bags but have been told by sombody else that if the compresor is left in place it makes no difference.So can anyone advise me srings or air ??? cheers bertie

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It's a matter of choice......and related to how much u want to do yourself.
The conversion kit is cheaper than 2 new airbags(which probably will solve your problem) but if u want to pay somebody to do the job i'd say that the conversion's manual labour will be higher than the bag replacement's and finaly u wont remain with more money in yor pochet....just without self levelling........it's your decission..The bags.... i've replaced them alone in 1 hour without big effort....If u decide to keep the SLS..........Mr. Urban Panzer was kind enough to explain the procedure here www.discovery2.co.uk / Rear Suspension Air Bags

just a hint ...to not struggle with the unions/pipes within the compressor assy simply stab the old bags with a sharp knife to deflate them(it's garbage anyway)... then take out the clips and pull down a bit the bag's upper side and u'll have more room to release the air pipe of it.

Thanks for the input think I will replace the bags as I do tow the horse box and the self leveling is very usfull with a ton and half of horses inthe back thanks again cheers bertie.

Just do it soonish or you will find you overload the compressor, requiring a new compressor assembly as well as new bags ;-)

My local LR specialist keeps a few used airbags for this very sort of thing. I think they were about £40, but don't quote me on that. Mine's still fine after 18 months. eBay possibly?

discozx10r said:

Thanks for the input think I will replace the bags as I do tow the horse box and the self leveling is very usfull with a ton and half of horses in the back thanks again cheers bertie.

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Paddocks do them for £63+vat each. We tow horse trailers and the air suspension is much better at it.