This week the "Air Suspension Fault" message came on twice (California, 50-60F, on freeway, 40 mph and 70 mph).
Both times it was corrected by switching off and then restarting the engine (once when parked at work, once as we reached the stop line on the off-ramp.

So this weekend, I dug out the laptop, the Mangoose and JLR v130.
Connected up fine, produced around 30 various codes from the last 12 months along with C2302.
Car looks fine, reasonable height, no real loss over night (I will get round to measuring the drop some night this week).
I tried getting JLR to re-program the heights, but it got stuck on the "air Suspension Leveling in progress" message.
At this point I could hear the compressor cycling, on for about 9 seconds, off for about 15 seconds - is that normal? The reservoir and valve block in the boot floor showed no leaks and made expected clicks from cycling during JLR testing.
I let it run for quite a while with no end arriving.
Took the car for a drive, and it seems okay, but the warning message is now permanent. It also seems to be making hissing noises more frequently than previously, every time it rides over a reasonable change in road surface height/dip/bump.
Ran out of time tonight.
I will try reading the codes again tomorrow, after clearing them prior to the road test.
I will likely order a new compressor seal from my fellow Scot, as the car is probably due one now it is at 140,000 miles.
No obvious leaks, but will do a tyre rotation next weekend and check the struts more closely then.
Any other suggestions? Are the noises typical, or indicative of a fault?

 

Usually, when all seems OK with the suspension, but you get "Air Suspension Fault" up, the compressor is on the way out. So a new compressor seal sounds about the right immediate action to take.


What miles on the car ? Early compressors struggled to get through the warranty period BTW.

 

Car is just over 140,000 miles.
Seal kit has been ordered and will be installed asap.
Car did not seem to drop overnight, but will measure before and after for tonight.
Did I read that disconnecting the battery will stop the autocorrecting/leveling procedure and highlight the corner that is losing pressure (assuming one is), rather than all four dropping equally?
Installing JLR on a Windows 10 laptop today, just to see if it will work and to get a more reliable laptop, without dead battery and bad power connector.

Gearbox fault light came on this morning, probably related to me acting on the recommended action of resetting the gearbox memory. Will pull codes tonight and she what they say. Will go read the forums on proper procedures for resetting that memory and driving thereafter.

Maybe I should have left well alone and just put a seal kit in!

 

If you're on the original compressor at 140k miles, you have done very well. I needed a compressor at 40k, but am now at 106k miles on the replacement.


Why are you fiddling with the TCM when you have an suspension problem ?

 

No idea if it is the original or not, have only had the car for two years.

Fiddling with the TCM is for the same reason everybody fiddles with it, looking for smoother gear changes now 'er-indoors is driving the car more often. :-) Adaptations removal last night and appropriate 0-50-0 driving seems to have cured the gearbox issues.

Might have to take the aftermarket chrome grilles off to see if the ACC is happier with a clearer view and avoid those codes.

Seal is due here on Thursday, from Andy's American distribution network. Rats, thought I was going to get a weekend off from that issue, as it should have taken a week to get here from the homeland. :-)

Onward and upward.

 

Installed the new seal in air compressor today, thanks bagpipingandy for the seal and instruction video.
It took about an hour to do, no real issues other than having to work above your head while lying on the ground.
Back into SDD and suspension recalibrating - no luck, left it going for about 30 minutes.
I did notice now that if i bounce each corner of the car, as if doing the old fashioned bounce and settle check, that there is a definite hissing when the front right is moving. I am guessing it is a leaking strut - there presumably should be no hissing from that corner, ever?
Off to remove that wheel and have a good nosey around for other leaks/causes, just in case.
Left hand front was an Arnott unit, so it has been replaced at some point, as the previous owner had mentioned.

Update - confirmed there is a leak on the front right, when at specific heights. Unit appears to be the original.
Have ordered two new OEM sport units, will remove the Arnott unit and have a matching pair on the front and hopefully a working eCATS system - consensus seems to be that this will not have been working with an Arnott unit installed.
Any suggestions as to how I get eCATS going again? Is there a setting in SDD/IDS or will it be automatic with the installation of OEM units?

 

Installed two new OEM sport units on the front, replacing the leaking original unit and one Arnott.

Used SDD to calibrate/level the system.

FYI for anyone trying this, and in answer to my original question, the message in SDD that "levelling is in progress" was only on for around 10-15 seconds, accompanied by noises of struts rising and falling, venting air. Total recalib took 10 mins or so, including measuring the ride heights on each corner.

Strut replacement was performed by following the Arnott video on Youtube, although their's seemed to go more smoothly than mine. Tools used included a T-60 Torx for the bottom strut mounting bolt, 18 mm, 15 mm and 13 mm sockets for nut removal and a hex key to stop the top A arm mounting bolt turning while undoing the nut. Used a jack to lift the hub assembly up and down to ease tension on the bolts while removing the sway bar end link mounting bolt and the bottom strut bolt. Air connection was 11 mm, electrical is a "squeeze two sides" plug and only fits back in in limited positions. Any other questions - drop me a pm...

Air Suspension Fault message has cleared and test drive/today's commute to work went well.

As an aside, I have also joined the ranks of owners for whom the annoying clunk in the front has disappeared after replacing an Arnott unit.

Engine mounts are next.

 

So the previous attempt at leveling calibration just failed to complete due to the leaky strut? once that was fixed it ran the calibration normally?

 

With one Arnott unit in place could it even do self leveling?

 

That would appear to be the case, and per post #6 above, the compressor seal replacement was not sufficient, the ability to calibrate only arrived with the replacement of the strut.

And it was not as if the strut was making hissing noises during the attempt to calibrate, the car/SDD just kept cycling with no apparent errors/unusual noises.

I think the leaking strut became apparent because the first failed attempt to calibrate the suspension moved that strut to a different default position. It was not leaking audibly at that height, but there was more hissing apparent when exiting the drive and dismounting over the kerb onto the road surface, as if the bumping then was moving the strut over a weak point for the seal.

Hopefully this all makes sense, just laying out observations that might help others on the same path.

Just really glad the clunking was from the Arnott strut and I solved two problems at the same time and do not need to re-bush the front end, for now.

 

With one Arnott unit in place could it even do self leveling?

 

Perhaps someone more experienced can chime in on this one...

To me, with the Arnott unit being a rebuild of an OEM Jaguar unit, not one of their current in-house units, maybe this is possible?

I certainly noticed, over the last two years, the nose of the car moving up and down when we stopped at red lights, etc.
Unfortunately I have not had much chance to drive it since the repairs, so have not noticed if it still does this or not.

It never bottomed out, despite the leaky strut, it is not like after sitting in the garage for a few days that it would be all the way down and need to raise itself up before driving, there were no "car too low" messages.

 

Sorry for the 2 same posts! Hit back button and thought I had not submitted.

Anyway if the Arnott unit was a rebuilt OEM Jaguar unit in theory it should work with the self leveling.

 

Thank you. Yes, it makes sense, I had a similar issue with my old original front air springs. The car would raise up to a ponit, but then it would start leaking. I'm sure the calibration tool tries to lift the car up and expects to see the change in the height sensor. Though why SDD wouldn't just time out with an error...

I have 2 new springs up front and just want to run the calibration to reset everything. The front right has always been a little lower than the front left, with old and new springs.

 

I think I read somewhere that SDD might not get too upset if measurements are within 15 mm of each other/target values and stop fussing over them.
So, in a manner similar to the one used to lower the car, you might have to add an offset to your true values to get the heights of each corner to the ones you actually want.

 

The original Bilsteins, new, NOS, or used, and the Arnott units will undergo the levelling program, as the level transmitters are separate components mounted on the suspensions front and rear. What the non-Bilstein units will not do, is support the CATS system of switching the shocks (dampers) between Hard and Soft depending on car movement. This is because non-Bilstein units don't have the internal solenoid valve to make this switch-over.


I say non-Bilstein, but there may be Far Eastern copies of the Bilsteins on the market from "Jo Noname Inc". Whether these have shock switching is unknown.

 

Thanks Fraser, that makes good sense.

 

good day all!! thanks for all the help so far, now my next question... doses any one know which Ballast a 2005 xjr super charged jag uses? I would like to know and order one and have it in hand before I take off the ft end. thanks in advanced. I know there's 4 pin - 6 pin - 12 pin etc., just don't know which one I want to order. was going to just change both to newer ones which is easy, but ill have to mage a mount to use the new bulbs and don't know if I want to do that. the only advantage would be cost and I could mount the ballast for easy replacement.

 

I believe its a 12 pin. Did you mean to post in this thread?

hid-r...ast-lad5g.html

 

I don't know lol just tried to ask what pin