Andrealouisea

Andrealouisea

Active Member
OK. I've picked up my bargain P38 and all is not as it seemed.

We had to go with a trailer as it was so down on the suspension it was on the bump stops. Trailer was pretty narrow and as it went up we realised that the side steps were going to be a problem. Pressed the EAS button and the suspension promptly went up :confused: We were very shocked but also very grateful!! :doh:

Got it home and the suspension had dropped a little behind, pressed the button again to unload the car and up it popped.

It is now on the driveway and will go up and down with no issues so it looks like this is very much an intermittent fault.....Any thoughts?

As it was stationary on the drive the suspension felt like it was constantly adjusting in tiny increments - Is this normal?

I've got one of Datatek's cables on its way, but where do we start with troubleshooting?

It will go up and down very happily at the mo, though not sure how long this is going to last.............:doh:

On the plus side.......it looks very pretty on my driveway as its in beautiful nick :D

(Also - Upon locking the car up we had a green glow :alien: coming from the passenger footwell. Upon further inspection I found a widget plugged in called 'EAS Kicker Lite' I've pulled it out. Anyone shed any light on what it is?.....)

If you've got this far in my saga you deserve a medal! All help VERY gratefully received!!
Andrea
 
EAS Kicker Lite!! Nice little bonus. check it out here:

https://blackbox-solutions.com/shop/

It resets any faults in the EAS air suspension. The fact that its still there means someone failed to fix the EAS. That dosen't mean it can't be fixed, just that someone gave up. If you're prepared to spend a few pounds along the lines of the advice you got on your other thread you'll overcome that soon.
 
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the Kicker lite is a simple tool for resetting suspension faults , you can buy them on ebay for about £70, its designed to plug in a and reset suspension issues.

Sounds like whoever you bought it off , bought this device to reset suspension faults.

its not standard kit.

I am only new here, but have also recently bought a p38, and similar problems, on mine i had 2 air bags leaking on the suspension. in the morning i would come outside and find it looking odd, each corner different levels. and constantly adjusting height all the time, you could als hear air leaking out of them when parked.

So I bought 4 new air bags off ebay £300 roughly for all 4, and we fitted them in a day. make sure you but the fitting clips also cos the old ones on mine broke taking them out.

problem solved!!

for now anyway :)
 
Thanks all - have googled the little :alien: box and from the instructions can see that the light was on constant green - not flashing or turning red. From that I believe that the error codes have been cleared. Will just have to wait for the problem to rear its head again.......As I'm sure it will.
 
If the suspension had dropped by the time you got it home, it does rather suggest that you have an air leak - probably perished air springs as previously suggested.

Still, it all sounds positive! The kicker is a nice little bonus.
 
Andrealouisea said:
OK. I've picked up my bargain P38 and all is not as it seemed.

We had to go with a trailer as it was so down on the suspension it was on the bump stops. Trailer was pretty narrow and as it went up we realised that the side steps were going to be a problem. Pressed the EAS button and the suspension promptly went up :confused: We were very shocked but also very grateful!! :doh:

Got it home and the suspension had dropped a little behind, pressed the button again to unload the car and up it popped.

It is now on the driveway and will go up and down with no issues so it looks like this is very much an intermittent fault.....Any thoughts?

As it was stationary on the drive the suspension felt like it was constantly adjusting in tiny increments - Is this normal?

I've got one of Datatek's cables on its way, but where do we start with troubleshooting?

It will go up and down very happily at the mo, though not sure how long this is going to last.............:doh:

On the plus side.......it looks very pretty on my driveway as its in beautiful nick :D

(Also - Upon locking the car up we had a green glow :alien: coming from the passenger footwell. Upon further inspection I found a widget plugged in called 'EAS Kicker Lite' I've pulled it out. Anyone shed any light on what it is?.....)

If you've got this far in my saga you deserve a medal! All help VERY gratefully received!!
Andrea
Click to expand...
Wait til you get D's cable and disc....before then you could be chasing your tail....

Suspect, like others, a leak in the rear if it was down a tad.

The levelling issuewhile the engine is running is just the EAS system getting the vehicle to level....if it was parked on a slight slope, of on a small bump it will adjust to sit level....if the tiny movements keep happening after a bout 30sec to a minute, it could mean a small leak causing it to keep dropping and the system is trying to relevel itself.

Once you turn the car off, and close all the doors, it will do a self level and lower itself to its lowest corner then settle....after a few hours it will check for level again and if it is not level, it will lower itself again to its lowest corner....

If you open and close the doors, it will immediatly self level once again.

Get the RAVE manuals too - www.landroverresource.com as these are indipensible for a P38 owner....
 
Hi A, theres loads of info here about the problems P38's have at times.

Here is Datateks write up regarding air springs including pictures of a perished airbag.

I suspect as your rangie lifts up and then lowers itself, the main problem is going to be the condition of the air-springs, it sounds as though the compressor, height sensors and eas control module are all working.

I'd be inclined to raise the suspension to full height and place wooden blocks in between the axle bump-stops and the chassis. That way as the pressure in the system reduces the vehicle won't drop, now you should be able to inspect the bottom of the air-springs for air leaks/cracks in the air bladder, a trigger type hand spray filled with soapy water will produce loads of bubbles, when sprayed around any air leaks.

The EAS Kicker is a bonus, always handy to leave in the glove-box as a just in case.

Repair the system, enjoy the ride and a bargan...
 
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Thanks All. Your advice is much appreciated.

ZZR - That was what my husband thought too. He's planning on spending Saturday going over it and will do as you suggest - He's just said he's got some gas leaktek spray kicking about in his van. Been looking around this morning - Anyone know much about the Arnott Industries replacements? They say they come with a lifetime guarantee?! Any good?
 
I put Arnott Gen IIs on mine. Not sure if they're any better than the oem, but they certainly do the job and at the time there wasn't much in it pricewise.

One broke after a couple of weeks and the supplier (P38spares) replaced it on the basis of a photograph. Not sure how good their lifetime warranty actually is, but is better than nothing I guess.
 
I have Arnott Gen 2's I think they are worth the extra and the life time warranty does work. All the info mentioned in the posts above is on the CD I sent you. The EAS kicker had been left in to constantly re-set the EAS when it faulted. I would suspect you have a height sensor problem as well as leaky airsprings.
 
Any pics (of the RR, although looking at your other thread I imagine most forum members would be happier with a pic of you standing next to it!)?
 
Once you've sorted the EAS, I'd be inclined to replace the shock absorbers as well, Island 4x4 sell OEM Boge Shockers for 21.00+vat each.
 
MikeV8SE said:
Any pics (of the RR, although looking at your other thread I imagine most forum members would be happier with a pic of you standing next to it!)?
Click to expand...

Lol!! :D I'm off work on Friday so will get some pix in daylight then

Husband has had the car running this evening to change the stereo. The suspension has packed up again and it seems the pump isnt working at all (despite the fact that it would appear to be pretty new):confused: All weekend has been set aside - Just praying that Datatek's cable and disc arrives in time as I've got someone chewing my arm off to buy my old Disco.......
 
Andrealouisea said:
Lol!! :D I'm off work on Friday so will get some pix in daylight then

Husband has had the car running this evening to change the stereo. The suspension has packed up again and it seems the pump isnt working at all (despite the fact that it would appear to be pretty new):confused: All weekend has been set aside - Just praying that Datatek's cable and disc arrives in time as I've got someone chewing my arm off to buy my old Disco.......
Click to expand...

If the compressor has been working overtime the thermal cut-off may have kicked in, try it again in the morning maybe?
 
Andrealouisea said:
Lol!! :D I'm off work on Friday so will get some pix in daylight then

Husband has had the car running this evening to change the stereo. The suspension has packed up again and it seems the pump isnt working at all (despite the fact that it would appear to be pretty new):confused: All weekend has been set aside - Just praying that Datatek's cable and disc arrives in time as I've got someone chewing my arm off to buy my old Disco.......
Click to expand...


If it's gone into fault mode the compressor will not run:) Clear the faults with your kicker and it will run again unless it's faulty.:eek:
 
Related query....

The kicker was permanantly plugged in when the vehicle was recieved....would leaving it plugged in constantly fool the EAS system in to thinking nothing is wrong?? - Hence why it was left plugged in.....

On removal, the original fault has reappeared, again confirming the reason it was plugged in....
 
Saint.V8 said:
Related query....

The kicker was permanantly plugged in when the vehicle was recieved....would leaving it plugged in constantly fool the EAS system in to thinking nothing is wrong?? - Hence why it was left plugged in.....

On removal, the original fault has reappeared, again confirming the reason it was plugged in....
Click to expand...

I was thinking the very same thing. Wouldn't that be cheaper than replacing air springs, valve block and the like:D

As for air springs my P38 has Arnott Gen 3's fitted. Probably not worth the extra if buying brand new (About £600 I think) I was lucky to find virtually brand new for considerably less and think they improve the ride. You don't lose the comfort but things are tightened up on the bendy stuff. Might be worth treating yourself as you got the thing so cheap in the first place.
 
fortgrange said:
I was thinking the very same thing. Wouldn't that be cheaper than replacing air springs, valve block and the like:D

As for air springs my P38 has Arnott Gen 3's fitted. Probably not worth the extra if buying brand new (About £600 I think) I was lucky to find virtually brand new for considerably less and think they improve the ride. You don't lose the comfort but things are tightened up on the bendy stuff. Might be worth treating yourself as you got the thing so cheap in the first place.
Click to expand...

I definitely wouldn't shell out on Gen 3's at this stage. Don't get me wrong, they are excellent but you've paid £400 for your RR.

With RR's, and life in general, you get what you pay for.

I'd just check out the 4 bags that are under it and as long as they are not totally ripped I'd even leave those alone until I know the engine is not going to boil the first time it sees a hill or the gearbox only locks out in 4th gear or the brake pedal hits the floor the first time you have to stop. Each of these are high probability findings when you've bought a scrapper.

The bags actually take amazing abuse and you'll probably find that there is a ride height at which even ripped bags will let you get along the road.

With management of the EAS you'll be able to fill the resevoir and the bags to get a drive down the road. You don't even need to wait for the RSW cable, just leave the kicker plugged in as the previous owner did to confirm that other aspects of the Rangie are ok. Even then only buy enough of the cheapest (2nd hand off ebay) airbags you can find until you've run the RR for a few weeks to see what else is wrong.

If everything checks out after a few weeks you can then consider whether to spend money on Arnotts or go with much cheaper OE bags. I've got Gen 3's on the front and OE's on the rear. I can vouch for the Gen3's but only if you plan to keep the RR for many years. If you think there is a chance that you'll be shifting the RR again (and remember, chances are you're going to find lots of problems with a £400 P38 RR) in 12 months it will be a complete waste of money.
 
SpudH said:
I definitely wouldn't shell out on Gen 3's at this stage. Don't get me wrong, they are excellent but you've paid £400 for your RR.

With RR's, and life in general, you get what you pay for.

I'd just check out the 4 bags that are under it and as long as they are not totally ripped I'd even leave those alone until I know the engine is not going to boil the first time it sees a hill or the gearbox only locks out in 4th gear or the brake pedal hits the floor the first time you have to stop. Each of these are high probability findings when you've bought a scrapper.

The bags actually take amazing abuse and you'll probably find that there is a ride height at which even ripped bags will let you get along the road.

With management of the EAS you'll be able to fill the resevoir and the bags to get a drive down the road. You don't even need to wait for the RSW cable, just leave the kicker plugged in as the previous owner did to confirm that other aspects of the Rangie are ok. Even then only buy enough of the cheapest (2nd hand off ebay) airbags you can find until you've run the RR for a few weeks to see what else is wrong.

If everything checks out after a few weeks you can then consider whether to spend money on Arnotts or go with much cheaper OE bags. I've got Gen 3's on the front and OE's on the rear. I can vouch for the Gen3's but only if you plan to keep the RR for many years. If you think there is a chance that you'll be shifting the RR again (and remember, chances are you're going to find lots of problems with a £400 P38 RR) in 12 months it will be a complete waste of money.
Click to expand...

Arnott Gen 2's cost little more than OEM if you shop around:) Gen 3's are a waste of money unless you are into serious off roading:):):)
 
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