The used struts was only $60.00 for both and $90.00 to install.and 120k miles . I appreciate the common sense approach , i have read so much over the last few days about the problems with the air suspension that i was serious thinking about going to coils as so many people have done because of the headaches associated with the air struts. Reading so much can lead one down the road as so many other members have which is ti ditch the air struts . I have had many other cars but as you know when its aletrical it can get crazy and that $1000.00 the shop quoted was enough to scare me

 

The used struts was only $60.00 for both and $90.00 to install.and 120k miles . I appreciate the common sense approach , i have read so much over the last few days about the problems with the air suspension that i was serious thinking about going to coils as so many people have done because of the headaches associated with the air struts. Reading so much can lead one down the road as so many other members have which is ti ditch the air struts . I have had many other cars but as you know when its aletrical it can get crazy and that $1000.00 the shop quoted was enough to scare me

 

Yeah, I sympathise. Too many places if they don't want a job, just price it at a ridiculous level and hope you'll go away. Was this a Jaguar main agent quoting you these prices ? If so they should be ashamed of themselves. As the car is on 120k miles putting replacement air springs on will do no harm. Are they off a relatively recent car ?

I don't think Don B is entirely correct on code C2302. Code C2303 "Reservoir plausibiity error" is the one that normally indicates a compressor problem. With the front of the car low, there is certainly a levelling plausibility error !!

Anyway good luck sorting it out. These cars can run the marathon if properly maintained. Do you have any idea as to why the car stood for so long ?

I'm now on my 2nd of these cars, so they can't be all that bad. On the last one we used to go to Germany every year from 2010 and do nearly 3000 miles in a fortnight and the car lapped it up, no problem. That's not to say I didn't have to spend some money over the years.

 

Hi Fraser,

I think you're right that C2303 turns up most often, and I should have said that C2302 was "a" rather than "the" classic code representing a possible worn piston ring in the compressor. It may also be possible that C2302 is more indicative of a larger air leak, but in our '04, replacing the piston ring resolved C2302 even though we still have a slow cold-temp leak in the front right air spring.

The Jaguar literature is not clear on what causes C2302 or C2303 to be flagged short of an obvious air leak. The descriptions of the codes are different, but the possible causes are identical. Here's the listing from the DTC Summaries:



And here's the listing from the Workshop Manual:



Unfortunately, the Workshop Manual doesn't give an expanded explanation of C2303, but it does offer the following which suggests that insufficient air delivery or low pressure can trigger C2302:



The engineers must have programmed at least slightly different flagging conditions for C2302 and C2303 or there would have been no need for two codes. But it's obvious that the Jaguar & Wabco engineers either did not take into account, or ignored, the likelihood that the piston ring would eventually wear to the point that the compressor could not charge the system as quickly as the ASM algorithms were programmed to expect; otherwise this would appear under possible causes of at least one of these codes.

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi Don, thanks for that. I do feel for ACharles; here he is with a car he can't use, and it would seem no Jaguar specialist nearby. I used to rely on XJK based in Newcastle-under-Lyme near me, and when they packed up I was a bit lost too, but at least the car was operational ! There is a specialist in Macclesfield, but if they keep the car, I have a long bus ride home, (OK its free I have a pensioner pass), and another bus ride to go to pick up the car. Since a new main agent opened up about a mile from me, I've taken the car there, and the head technician is very keen on the older cars, (more interesting work, maybe). It costs me more but I get a courtesy car, last time was a brand new XJ !!

Thinking about this car's problem, apart from the C2302, all the other codes relate to the compressor, (1) the relay seems open circuit and (2) vent valve solenoid seems the same. However, unlike the relay, the vent valve is not earthed locally, it is an out and back wiring from the ASM. This tells me that the wiring between the ASM and the compressor is suspect, or a loom connector is corroded. With the wiring diagram a good auto electrician should be able to find the fault in about an hour, maybe two hours, I would think. Some years ago, I did read about wiring failures in a loom that ran behind the front wheel arch liners. However until one "breaks ground" this is speculation

 

A very strong possibility with the exhaust valve is that it is corroded internally and stuck partially open. Having been inside a few compressors, they all accumulate corrosion over time. One of the large coil springs I removed was so crusted with rust it looked like an archeological artifact.

I think you're right that a good first place to start is the relay, but even a good relay may not be activated by the ASM until the codes are cleared.

ACharles, please keep us informed!

Cheers,

Don