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I haven't read the entire thread, but...
I had my car towed onto a flatbed with the front suspension on it's stops. Just couldn't steer much (which is why it was flatbedded).
In normal circumstances, if the car is down like say overnight, the air suspension system will raise the car just on unlock, supposing there is enough air in the reservoir which can do one full raise. No need to run the engine (except to run the compressor).
Therefore, I'd be inclined to run the compressor directly from 12v for a short time as stated, which should replenish the reservoir. Perhaps with the ignition on so the ASM doesn't know something funny is going on. I haven't tried this because it was unnecessary to get onto a flatbed (and with a blown strut it wouldn't have helped me anyway)
I hear yah, but.. a flatbed, AKA 'rollback", most usefully, has the primary pinch-point that of the "approach angle" figure as published for off-road vehicles. How much daylight is under the chin of either front or rear of the target vehicle.
Once that clears, the run between axles is actually up in the air. Rollbacks are beloved creatures. If one can afford them.
"the entire thread... " includes refs to the U-haul 'car' trailer the OP plans. Which is less forgiving.
Sunbelt (mostly) drop-decks as might haul a lathe or milling machine, are generally too short for a Jaguar even when they can manage the mass. Worth scouting for a drop-deck that can do, even so.
These can also work for rear-wheel drive vehicles, not just front drive:
- load the vehicle bass-ackwards, rear wheels on the dolly, and also secure the steering.
Not horrible for under a hundred miles. Less attractive for 600 miles. Driver stress thing.
ELSE
- remove either the driveshaft or both half-shafts. Destroys the Zee Eff trashmunchkin if not.
Lots of folk do this, even so, for hauling a bail-out car behind an RV or cargo truck..
I hear yah, bur.. a flatbed, AKA 'rollback", most usefully, has the primary pinch-point that of the "approach angle" figure as published for off-road vehicles. How much daylight is under the chin of either front or rear of the target vehicle.
Once that clears, the run between axles is actually up in the air. Rollbacks are beloved creatures. If one can afford them.
The U-haul 'car' trailer the OP plans is less forgiving. Sunbelt (mostly) drop-decks as might haul a lathe or milling machine, generally too short for a Jaguar even when they can manage the mass.
This is precisely what I have been saying the entire time! The suspension either needs to be replaced with springs (which I have) or fully inflated.
Actually I drove my car onto the flatbed, but a front strut was blown and it was on it's stops.
The problem is you can't turn without rubbing the guards, which I fretted over before calling a flatbed for a 3km trip to the mechanic.
(you can see the front is down-blown strut)
Edit: there was no scrape on the chin. Close though.
Edit Edit: Cameras lie, I never lie. I don't recall it being as steep as the photo suggests. I was even worried about it at the time and OK'd.
Reason: the flatbed is shown retracted, it is very shallow when they extend it for mounting, which is about the length of the flatbed.
Last edited by ChrisMills; 04-12-2024 at 09:21 PM.
This is precisely what I have been saying the entire time! The suspension either needs to be replaced with springs (which I have) or fully inflated.
If you consider it so, it BECOMES so. Your monkey, your circus.
Or was that "money?"
No argument on it, either way. If you wanna, you wanna, if not, not.
Ain't my Jaguar. Not even if I think you may be "making a problem out of a solution"?
I'd have no more trouble moving it "unscathed, even" with cheap and simple gear .. even if it had no wheels or suspension atall.
Not alone in that skill by a long shot, either. Done every day, somewhere, by otherbodies..
For "DIY"? Use whatever yah got and trusteth bestest.
- Finesse for a rigger.
- Layer of freshly contributed boolshot to slide it on for a farm boy.
..... or was that a random tribe of internet posters and.......WTF is "Boy Butter"?
Do keep in mind:
- The air suspension is, as stipulated, not fully functional. Even the best of techniques attempted may not overcome all potential faults.
- Going direclty to coilovers is straighforward work. Not all of it fast or easy. But at least it has a very predictable outcome.
- Not to mention that even max height of stock suspension may be a challenge with the U-Haul trailer rather than a kneeling, tilt-deck, or drop-deck trailer. Or not.
Rear wheels on the road, 600 mile tow?
Yah think a ZF automatic transmission is that good at protecting itself?
Maybe I'm just paranoid, but so are full-time hook wrecker operators.
If no wheel-dolly, non-driven wheels are on the pavement, driven wheels have daylight under.
- The air suspension is, as stipulated, not fully functional. Even the best of techniques attempted may not overcome all potential faults.
- Going direclty to coilovers is straighforward work. Not all of it fast or easy. But at least it has a very predictable outcome.
- Not to mention that even max height of stock suspension may be a challenge with the U-Haul trailer rather than a kneeling, tilt-deck, or drop-deck trailer. Or not.
I am told by the owner, who was driving it when the engine went that the air suspension does indeed work fully. I have no reason not believe him.
I have the coil overs on my XJR. I will remove them from mine just in case I need to put them on the parts car.
No doubt even fully inflated the U-Haul trailer will pose a problem. For mine with coilovers(which I think are too high) it drove right on up the U-Haul trailer with no issues.
Also, I’m not sure if what you’re saying is just lost in translation but given the time, distance and equipment constraints as well as having
the car inside someone’s garage at their house, I can’t imagine what you would do differently than what I can do. Maybe that’s why I started this thread! Anyways, I am always appreciative of the insight this forum has and am paying attention to every bit of knowledge thrown my way.
Theoretically it might be easier than you think, but a note of caution; if you manually operate the compressor you run the risk of over pressurizing the reservoir as the embedded pressure sensor is only read by the air pressure module which you technically will be bypassing.
If you pull out the compressor supply fuse (A) in the front power distribution box, then with a multi-meter on low ohms setting measure from ground to each side of the vacant fuse slot, one side of the fuse will give a very low reading.....that is the compressor motor.
To power the motor you just need to apply 12 volts to that point (only run for a short burst to prime the reservoir with some pressure).
Meanwhile locate the suspension valve block under the spare tyre and disconnect the 6-way connector CR22.
That isolates it from the controller module that resides behind the rear seat.
Now, you should be able to trigger air from the reservoir to each corner of the car by simply connecting a 12 volt supply to the valve block in a manner that you can briefly "switch" power to each valve individually to raise one corner at a time.
Your 12 volt source for this task probably doesn't need to be a full sized car battery although you have the battery in the trunk close by anyway.
Connect a 12 volt lead to pin 6 of the valve body plug (Yellow/Green wire). That 12 volt supply is a common connection input to all 5 valves contained in the valve block assembly.
Next, you need to run a ground wire that you will use to momentarily activate each valve individually also via the CR22 plug to raise each corner.
The fifth valve in the valve block I suspect (other members might correct me on this) opens the valve body (manifold) to receive the reservoir pressure, so you may need to have this valve activated along with any other of the four valves to get air to flow to the desired corner.
So, on the 6-way connector CR22 (valve body end):-
Pin 6 is your 12 volts in,
Pins 1, 2, 3 & 4 are your four individual corner connections that you will touch to ground to momentarily operate the desired valve.
Pin 5 you might need to also trigger (touch to ground) at the same time as triggering any pin 1, 2, 3 or 4 to get air to flow. (I am not 100% sure you need to trigger this valve but I would assume it is the master supply control to the shared air manifold).
Hopefully you will be able to start to raise the car, bearing in mind that you may need to pulse the compressor several times to supply enough pressure. The front struts probably need more pressure to lift due to front weight distribution.
Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
This works! At least it pumps air out of each corner on my car that had the airbags removed. This is the way I’m going to work it. I luckily enough have two power probes.
I am told by the owner, who was driving it when the engine went that the air suspension does indeed work fully. I have no reason not believe him.
I have the coil overs on my XJR. I will remove them from mine just in case I need to put them on the parts car.
That's "double work", off and back on to your vehicle, even if you don't put them onto the parts car.
If you are going North from Atlanta, and Dulles airport is not too much of a detour, stop by and I can lend you a set of four "MaxPeedingRods" coil-overs I have - still in the box.
I hope to not even use them at all, as MY goal is full restoral of the OEM struts. They were just too attractively priced @ $289 the set of four to NOT put-by as deep fall-back.
Actually, in similar need, I'd spend that amount again for a set just to NOT have to do a pull and re-install off the XJR.
Lazy, Iyam.
That said, I STILL don't admit the vehicle down on the bump stops is actually a barrier to safe loading.
WHEN a trailer ramp-angle is too steep? One chocks the wheels, detaches the trailer from the hitch, applies some grillage and jacking to change that angle to better match the load being winched aboard, and changes it again, if need be, DURING the traversal. More than once if need be.
Easier to get at trailer and ramps than air struts. Less jacking than changing struts. No wrench work to it, either. Faster overall, too.
No doubt even fully inflated the U-Haul trailer will pose a problem. For mine with coilovers(which I think are too high) it drove right on up the U-Haul trailer with no issues.
In which case, given there are only a few INCHES of delta, min to max on a Jaguar's supension, a bit of tilting of the ramps and/or trailer, and you should be able to winch the lower one on easily enough. too.
Also, I’m not sure if what you’re saying is just lost in translation but given the time, distance and equipment constraints as well as having
the car inside someone’s garage at their house, I can’t imagine what you would do differently than what I can do. Maybe that’s why I started this thread! Anyways, I am always appreciative of the insight this forum has and am paying attention to every bit of knowledge thrown my way.
Most significant "differently" is NOT wanting to swap out air struts for coilovers at all four corners in somebody else's garage or driveway. You won't encounter even ONE corroded fastener to slow you down? You should maybe take up teaching golf....on surface of the Atlantic Ocean, then
Time consuming and avoidable imposition, given that folks usually have family and life schedules of their own to carry-on.
This... can be easier than that.
- Take the low ground clearance as a "given". Pretend you CANNOT change it.
- THEN .. adapt the loading method to what it IS, not to what you wish it was.
This isn't an auto "re-configuration" task. It is an auto RECOVERY task.
I did say I was Lazy?
Good riggers always are.
Become lazier, smile more often, find you have more 'spare' time.... and more money left in your jeans.
04-12-2024, 08:39 PM
