Selflevel. susp.inact error E53 3.0D 2005

[Alan Gunn]

The ride height sensor is a flimsy bit of plastic well i think it is.
And as said it is open to the road and whatever comes up off it.
Think it is also called headlight lever sensor well that comes to mind from when i was looking for the part number last year well i think it was.

[henrym3]

Many years ago when I wanted to lower the suspension a little bit I got some of those adjustable little link arms. After just over a month or 500 miles I had suspension problems in that the socket in-the link arm had worn so much that it became detached from the ball of the sensors arm. I only mention this as a point of how much movement they endure on a daily basis and yet a BMW arm will last for years. So even a small piece like this has to be made of a quality material to endure. There is some truth that when replacing some parts there is little substitute to OEM.

[tojjm71]

4754D609-39F6-4E1C-AA97-0C4F35F715D3.png
That is a picture of a 2005 3ltr d and item 9 is a relay. So I assume you have one tucked away somewhere

if the relay was faulty, I would not be able to control the suspension from Inpa.

[tojjm71]

4754D609-39F6-4E1C-AA97-0C4F35F715D3.png
That is a picture of a 2005 3ltr d and item 9 is a relay. So I assume you have one tucked away somewhere

if the relay was faulty, I would not be able to control the suspension from Inpa.

Reading this through again it’s quite likely the wiring to the sensors are damaged. Let the suspension down then disconnect the levelling rods and move the sensor arms by hand and see if it activates the pump, disconnect the wiring plug and ensure it’s clean spray some contact cleaner on it, trace the wires as far as possible for breaks. If all fails do a continuity check to the module. PITA but you’ll pay a fortune to get a garage to do it
PS
Someone might have a wiring diagram for wire colours

hi thanks for reply, I have cleaned plugs, changed sensors, moved sensor arms while car is running pump does not kick in, changed the water damaged module next to battery, when I was last looking I traced the wires and they disappeared behind the plastic inner wing cover, looks like they need to come off, the 2 wires did not have much protection. Hopefully the weather is clear this weekend so I can take another look.

[henrym3]

You have a point that if the diagnostics can do it then in theory everything is fine. Problem is its not fine. The only other thing I suggest to look at is the headlight level sensor if you have one fitted. All three sensors have the same part number and they shouldn’t be related but this is an X5. When you are on level ground and measure the rear ride height is it equal. Can you measure ride height with INPA. Somewhere it tells you what the correct height is perhaps if it’s out of sync it has some adverse effect. Do try and disconnect the sensors and with ignition on move the sensor arms by hand. I’m pretty sure you can have one or both sensor arms 180 degrees out.

[henrym3]

Notice it hasn’t been mentioned, disconnect the battery for 30 minutes, this fixes an amazing amount of electrical faults. Don’t ask why cos I don’t know.

[Raj]

See you've tried a number of things to resolve this. The air suspension on these is a pain.

From everything you've done and tested and explained I'd more than likely lead towards the control module behind the glovebox. I had an issue with my first 4.8is which has full front/rear air and although the button was lit I couldn't get the suspension to move. BMW actually could force the suspension to move up and down using the software but in the end they replaced the control module and that resolved it.

Certainly worth checking the level sensors and wiring again but does appear everything else is working as it should. You can read the height of the sensors being passed through the module using Inpa I believe. Worth seeing what readings are being supplied and then see if they alter when you physically move the arm. If it does alter then the sensors are ok.