Selflevel suspension inactive....please help

[Drumstick]

Hello all. The model is 2002 3.0i petrol. I have had the prementioned warning randomly come on and go off. So I had a check around, the car is sitting as normal and the battery and alternator are running fine ( alt was replaced 9 months ago battery is 2 months old) when looking under the car I noticed the clamp and arm that  goes around the front track control arm was in a bad state, not hanging but really loose. I changed this yesterday and positioned it as per what I could find on YouTube. The warning hasn't gone away:(
Do I need to reset anything to clear the warning message.
I'll be grateful for any advice.

[CondorX5]

You really need to read the codes, either with a unit like Carly or 1.4.0 or similar, or have them read at a dealer (costs about £80 for a half hour diagnostic at a main dealer though! )
Sometimes clearing the codes with a reader than can clear them as well, will fix the problem.

You mentioned an "arm in a bad state" under the car - this might actually be triggering the suspension fault code, as it is not always a suspension problem that does this.  Either way, its partly huesswork until you have at least had the codes read on an appropriate diagnostic tool.  Generic ones are not always helpful though.

[Drumstick]

Thanks for the info. This is the arm I that was in a bad state ( have attached a pic hopefully)and have now replaced.

[Drumstick]

Sorry can't seem to upload an image at the moment.
That arm I was talking about is the one that is attached to the track control arm. And then attached to the plastic arm of the vertical movement sensor.

[themoog]

Isn't the sensor on the front for the headlight aim? The one on the rear is for the suspension I think. But I could be wrong.

[henrym3]

Your right the front one is for headlight leveling, it is the 2 sensors on the back suspension that you need to check are in good condition. Worth unplugging them and spray some WD40 on the pins and remount.

[X5-D-Sport]

Some thing else worth doing now summer is coming - hopefully..

European build practice for electrical connections by manufacturers is NOT to put silicone spray on the sealing rubbers in the connectors... it saves £0.008 per wiring connector in time at manufacture..
The North American & Russian markets it is mandatory for this silicone spray...  O:-)

So...
The connectors will dry out here in the summer & the corrosion in the connections will crystallize & insulate the connection causing a failure - similar to the blue fur on battery terminals...

The cure is to disconnect ALL the various connections ONE AT A TIME around the vehicle... under the car, the engine bay & the rear trunk too, incl parking sensors & lambda sensors, lighting etc  and spray a squirt of switch cleaner into each side of the plug/socket, reconnect a few times, then a squirt of silicone spray on the ribbed moulded silicone seal of each plug & socket, re-assemble, then wipe dry.... job done.

There is no point in doing it in damp weather, as you just seal the moisture inside the plug connection.

Ref.... the leveling sensor devices under the vehicle, these need to be wiped clean, & a big squirt of silicone spray squirted into the output arm pivot point of the sensor. This will assist the "O" rings in sealing the sensor against moisture ingress & faulty sensing/readings.
Be sure to wipe off excess silicone from the OUTSIDE of the sensor, so it does not collect all the road grunge afterwards.

In most cases, all these electronic gizmo's on these cars are perfectly ok & will often last longer than the vehicle, until moisture gets in them & kills them with the short circuits & resulting voltage spikes that wipes them out.
eg, leveling / ride height sensors, parking sensors, control modules in the trunk that get wet, electrical stuff under the hood/bonnet.

A sunny summer afternoon tinkering could save you ££$$ Hundreds in failed modules in the winter when it is cold, wet & nasty.

Switch/Contact Cleaner - Maplins £7
Silicone Spray                - Halfords / Motor Factors £8

a can of each is enough to do several vehicles, end to end.

Regards to all.
Grant B

[Drumstick]

Thanks for all the good info guys.
I have just ordered an icarsoft diagnostic scanner so will plug it in when it arrives.
I will post back my findings. In the mean time I'll have the back wheels off and check the rear sensors.
Is there a sensor on both sides or just one?

[henrym3]

One on each side. Seen it in the past, if you have the suspension hanging at full stretch, when you lower it down make sure the sensors both fold out the same way.

[Smeeagain]

[quote="Drumstick"]
Hello all. The model is 2002 3.0i petrol. I have had the prementioned warning randomly come on and go off. So I had a check around, the car is sitting as normal and the battery and alternator are running fine ( alt was replaced 9 months ago battery is 2 months old) when looking under the car I noticed the clamp and arm that  goes around the front track control arm was in a bad state, not hanging but really loose. I changed this yesterday and positioned it as per what I could find on YouTube. The warning hasn't gone away:(
Do I need to reset anything to clear the warning message.
I'll be grateful for any advice.
[/quote]

Consider having the battery tested. Just because it is two months old doesn't mean it isn't a duff one. Unlikely but you never know. sometimes disconnecting the battery for fully 30 minutes can clear random error gremlins and worth doing before you go any further as it is often a quick fix. disconnect battery, make a cup of tea or other hot beverage of your choice, sit down drink it and relax, then go and hook the battery back up......

Smee

[X5-D-Sport]

Re duff batteries...
I bought a 1000 Crank Amp battery for about £130 last year June, as i was getting low running voltages & lots of warning alerts too...
the battery died after 2 weeks...
got it swapped under warranty, & all good since & an end to the various suspension earnings & failure alerts.

[Smeeagain]

and if you do replace the battery and get a warranty with it, tape the receipt to the side of the battery so you can find it if you need to claim on the warranty ......

Smee

[Smeeagain]

Did you fix it?

[Drumstick]

I've just got my scanner and it's showing
09 Control- time fault 'lowering'
02 ride level sensor , right.

Does this mean that it is definitely the sensor
Or could it be the arm. I know I'm going have
to get the wheel off and have a look, just want
the opinions of the more experienced

[henrym3]

Seen a few of these with the plastic arm broken, but realistically if everything looks fine when the wheel comes off, then it's got to be a bad sensor. Before throwing money at it, unplug, spray some contact cleaner on it( are you reading X5-D-sport, I'm learning) and check the plug wiring which always seems to look very brittle.