Selflevel Susp Inact?!?!?!?

[B20RDE]

Hi sorry to say but this is my 1st post. I came across this site on google. I will say hi in the newbie part. I need some help. I brought myself a 52plate X5 3d this week. Tonight the car was dead!!! I jump started her with leads but then a yellow sign came on (think it was a triangle) and 'SELFLEVEL SUSP.INACT' Please could someone tell me what's wrong with her or what I've done. Like I said I brought it Monday drove for over 150miles went to start it tonight and it wouldn't!!! Jump started it and now this????? Big thank you for help in advance

[kjb1]

Its regarding your rear self leveling air suspension.  or if you have it, ( quite rare and normally only found on 4.8is and the likes, all round air suspension.

Does the back end of car sag atall when car is left over night etc?

Normally either a compressor fault, air leak on the bag, or a sensor issue. 




Sent from my iPhone

[B20RDE]

Hi
No the car doesn't sag at all or the back end look uneven. It sits nice and also the ride/drive feels no different :noexpression:

[kjb1]

did you drive it afterwards? turn it off at key and restart? if so did message clear? or is it in every time?


Sent from my iPhone

[B20RDE]

Yes turned it off locked it up and then tried it again. I've just started it now this morning and still on but car is sitting fine. No sagging

[B20RDE]

I've just got to work and this sign wasn't on at all and then came on once I parked up at work!!!

[kjb1]

its more than likely a bad level sensor or the like.  Compressor sounds ok if it is sat ok, go to dealers for diagnostics and then take it to local garage for repair lol!! let the experts tell you what is what, then have the fix done for bugger all.  They will be able to look at the voltage for each sensor live, and see which one isnt reacting as should be when car is rocked etc!!!


Sent from my iPhone

[B20RDE]

Ok thank you for your help. I will let you know what's said

[davesavage257]

Quite often the Self Levelling Susp Inact pops up because of low voltage from the battery when the systems initiate.  By the sound of it, you've got a dead battery, current draw or charging problem (alternator), and this fault was triggered by that and the jump start.  I'd test your battery voltage and charging voltage first, and make sure that's sorted before looking much further into the suspension fault that probably isn't a true fault.

[KGB BORIS]

I thought all 3.0d sports had the rear only air suspension? anyway I had this prob after a dead battery, found out error was saying left rear sensor was broken, went to replace and found someone had already replaced it, next I stripped out the rear and found the ecu and surprise suprise all the wires had been probed and got at, at this point I thought sod this ripped the air pump out and rear air suspension completely and bought the coil spring conversion kit from ebay and deleted the error from my dash using the 1.4 scanner. simples, ill never have another suspension error again and rides the same if not better now.
kits are 200 pounds and takes about hour and a half a side to do if you do it with care, ould prob have done it in half that tbh

[chrisn7]

[quote="davesavage257"]
Quite often the Self Levelling Susp Inact pops up because of low voltage from the battery when the systems initiate.  By the sound of it, you've got a dead battery, current draw or charging problem (alternator), and this fault was triggered by that and the jump start.  I'd test your battery voltage and charging voltage first, and make sure that's sorted before looking much further into the suspension fault that probably isn't a true fault.
[/quote]

I would agree with this - BMWs of this era tend to display all sorts of 'weird' electrical problems due to low voltage / failing batteries, that disappear when the battery is fully charged / replaced

[Ryoken]

i had sls problems with mine ,  bags were checked everything was checked, and everything was ok, beleive it or not it was the fuse that was causing the probs, i changed that and all was well

[X5-D-Sport]

If you have battery issues... poor starting... dead battery etc, as our friend says, its likely a low voltage issue throwing up warnings.
These machines like a good battery !!
That said,
I get a Self-Levelling warning most weeks, but all is all working fine.... so Im thinking I have an iffy sensor.
The sensors are located on the trailing arms tlat the front side of behind the rear wheels... and there is a little plastic link arm n bits n bobs.
The electr8cal connection is subject to dirty soggy conditions, so the connection may well want a spray out with contact cleaner, a dry out and re-connecting.

If the rear end of the car isnt sagging then the pumps & air bags are doing their job ok...
Its not an unusual warning, but get your battery checked.

[B20RDE]

Thank you so much for your help. I took it to my garage which my cousin owns so I no he won't rip me off lol!!! He checked the battery and it was over charging at 10 something watts or volts. He said that's because of it being flat. So everything is charging it ok. But went to pick it up this afternoon and guess what.....flat again. Jump started it again and everything was fine. No lights on or signs. But have noticed that the stereo has been left on. Would this make a difference? Also the sat nav in the boot has the power light on even when the cars off and locked up? Could this be it?

[X5-D-Sport]

The sat nav often powers up any time its disturbed, or car opened etc, same with the cd multichanger if you load new disks into it or open the car.

Re your 10 volts battery....
If the car is running and you are only reading 10 volts at the battery, then some thing is very wrong, even if the battery is flat !
Batteries don't go flat for no reason either... and when the engine is running the Alternator will belt out about 13.5>14 volts when charging a battery - if is not doing that, then the alternator has died.
A totally knackered battery that is shorted internally can some times destroy an alternator !
Ping the battery caps off and see if any cells are lower than others - if so... knackered cell and useless battery..
If when you have done a 30 minute journey, and turned off the engine... check the battery voltage again with everything switched off that you can turn off... if the battery is below 12.5 volts - even the next day, then it is either knackered or you have a huge drain on the battery.
The stereo draws about 5 amps just to keep the amps on/alive even when it's not playing music & drawing many times that when it drives the speakers...

its getting cold now, and batteries will fail now if they are going to fail !!