E53 X5 4.8 Air Suspension

[tsinc]

Hi,

I started getting the "Self-Level Suspension Inactive" message a few weeks ago on my car so decided to try the compressor repair kit as my symptoms sound familiar to those I've read online.

I fitted the repair kit but the problem persisted. I spoke to the guy that makes the repair kits and sent him photographs of the compressor and he said it was quite scored and this may cause issues. So I bought a new compressor and fitted that.

After I fitted that I noticed that the 'Front Left' of the car was drooping every few days. The airbag seemed to be leaking air so I decided to buy a pair of front struts to replace both at the same time. I opted for struts instead of bags as I couldn't be bothered to disassemble the struts to fit new bags.

I also thought while I'm at it I might as well refresh the rear bags seeing as how I was refreshing everything else.

Fitted the rear airbags, then the front. Dropped the car slightly and started it up so the compressor would start and fill the airbags before dropping the car completely.

The rear bags both filled and are very firm. The FR bag filled and is very firm. But the FL bag won't fill.

I opened INPA to see if I could spot any issues but I can't. When I try to raise the front axle I can hear the air coming out of the FL strut and not going in to the bag. I thought the new strut/bag might have a leak so I took the wheels back off the front, used INPA to lift the front axle. I could hear the air coming out of a small hole at the bottom of the strut, what looks like an exhaust hole, not a hole in the bag.

Has anyone had anything like this before? The FL won't pump up at all as all the air seems to be going straight out the bottom of the bag.

Any help is much appreciated as at the minute the only thing I can think of is to take the FL strut back off and put the old one back on to see if that has the same issue of not holding any air at all. It's like it thinks it is full so is exhausting any additional air.

TLDR; New strut & bags, front left wont inflate, can hear air escaping out of the bottom of the bag from a small square hole.

[tsinc]

Removed the new strut and airbag, separated the bag from strut and reattached in case there was a sealing issue.

Refitted but same problem persisted.

Refitted the original strut and airbag that has a slow leak in it, and that inflated fine. Looks like the new bag/strut must have an issue. Back it goes.

[X5-D-Sport]

you will likely get the warning again any way...

this issue is often brought about due to lower than standard battery voltage.

Check voltages before starting, at the jump point under bonnet.
Also check voltages when engine is running..

Ideally you want to find 12>12.5v or more when engine off & before 1st run of the day.
ideally 13.6>14v when engine is running.

Some times a hard reboot will also clear the issue - ala disconnect the battery, short the battery cables together (when disconnected from battery), leave for 30 mins & reconnect battery.

Also... ensure that when you insert the key & engage the ignition lights.... give time for the systems to run their checks for 5 secs before starting....

[tsinc]

Thanks.

I've fitted a new battery as it was one of the first things I thought it might be with a 5+ year old battery. It seems to have made no difference.

Measuring the voltage from the terminals under the bonnet gives a different reading to one from the battery terminals in the boot. The dashboard also displays the same voltage that the terminals in the bonnet do. This is a lower voltage and seems to be under 12v before starting the engine and around 13-13.8v with the engine running.

[Alan Gunn]

[quote="tsinc"]


Measuring the voltage from the terminals under the bonnet gives a different reading to one from the battery terminals in the boot. The dashboard also displays the same voltage that the terminals in the bonnet do. This is a lower voltage and seems to be under 12v before starting the engine and around 13-13.8v with the engine running.
[/quote]
My car is exactly the same and never shows more than 13.6v under bonnet when running.

[tsinc]

It seems there is definitely an electrical gremlin in the works! Driving back a few days ago the gearbox went in to safe mode. Once at home I turned it off and back on, everything was back to normal.

Yesterday I was driving and ABS/TPMS/4x4/DSC lights all came on and the radio kept cutting in and out. The gearbox also went back in to safe mode.

From looking around it could be the alternator, a wheel speed sensor, or one of about 10 other things. I've dropped it off at a garage this morning as I don't have the time to be investigating it even more.

[sleepyfolk]

If you’ve got under 12V before starting you’ve got snags, you’re essentially dragging 200 a out of a flat battery which might well upset the electrical gods, I would question the state of your new battery with whoever supplied it but I guess the garage will get to the bottom of it, ask them for the drop test result printout and demand a new battery

[tsinc]

I thought it might be the battery itself but when I check the voltage directly from the boot it's fine, checking it via the dash or bonnet terminals has a drop. I assumed this was normal but hopefully I'll find out soon.

[sleepyfolk]

Sounds like you might have a voltage drop issue then, usually that’s just down to bad connection somewhere - even when they look good sometimes they aren’t, likely they’ll clean everything up and do some testing for voltage drop on the cables if cleaning everything up hasn’t worked, there shouldn’t be a significant difference in voltage between the two ends of the car

[tsinc]

The alternator is being changed. They spotted overvoltage errors on a few of the modules (DSC/ABS) so I'm hoping it is just the alternator.

[sleepyfolk]

Pass on my commiserations to your wallet  )

[A Blair]

Hi,
If the battery connections where not cleaned changing the battery would not have helped. As it is a soft metal, some are lead, it will oxidise.  Clean the battery terminals and leads. Use a fine emery cloth. When you connect back up try vaseline smeared over the connections to keep the air out.
Hope it comes good for you.