Hello everybody,

I am having problem with the front air suspension for my Jaguar XJ8 L 2005. On cold days (Below 30F), the front suspension looses required pressure and becomes flat. I parked car in closed shade and checked the compressor located in the trunk below spare tire. The compressor was very cold and even after parking for more than 3 hrs there was no change in the front suspension height and I kept on getting message 'Vehicle too low'. The car suspension comes to normal height when temperature goes up.

Can anybody let me know how I can tackle this problem? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Actually the compressor is behind the front bumper cover, left hand side. What you saw was the air reservoir and valve block. Your symptoms are indicative of a failing compressor. Get the fault codes read and if you have C2303, it is almost certain the compressor piston seal is shot. Cold weather accentuates its wear. Our member "bagpipingandy" sells a seal kit very cheap, or you can swap out the whole compressor. Compressors cost around £300, with plenty on the internet. If you are a DIT person, the seal kit is probably the best approach, but get the codes read first.

 

Try a quick check on your air shocks:
Spray a soapy solution on the air-line-to-fitting on top of the shocks (if possible, use a Gas Leak Detector, a lot safer for components).
If air bubbles are present, that is your problem and you will have to tighten the fitting or replace the O-ring between the two fittings.

 

I've had the same problem with all four struts in the recent brutal cold weather. When the weather dips below 5 F that's when my struts have trouble staying inflated. Two problems already mentioned are the compressor and air leaks in the fittings. Another possibility, as I've found with mine, is that the seals are just old enough not to hold air when it's so cold; but they are fine when it's not so cold.


This is not an uncommon problem with this model, especially with some age. My local Jag dealer said he has had numerous cars in with this issue. He recommended waiting until it warms up to try to drive it. He even said one vehicle whose struts seemed dead ended up working again once it warmed up.


With my 04 VDP, it works fine when weather is over 5 F. My compressor works fine at all times, and the struts hold their air when it's not so cold. So basically I have a car that can't be driven reliably in really cold weather. I've read how some owners have replaced the struts but have the same problems just a couple years later. Yesterday it was -9 F in the morning, but all my struts inflated, so I started out on my 45 minute drive to work. As I drove it got colder and dropped to -16 F. At that point I started to get an air suspension fault that turned to car too low. So I parked about 5 minutes from work, got a ride from a co-worker, and came back later in the afternoon when it was about 5 F and was able to drive back home without a problem.


The solution I've chosen is to replace the air struts with coil struts so that I don't have to deal with the unreliability and prevalence of this problem with an older model. Many owners who have done the conversion say they don't notice a real difference in how it drives after the coil conversion. Those who want to drive fast or sportingly will probably miss some handle ability without the air suspension.


I plan to do the work myself this weekend and will have about $1,300 invested in Arnott coil struts, inclusive of shipping cost. I can then return my four cores to Arnott for $200 (postage prepaid), so $1,100 total is a very good price compared to what replacing with air struts would be.

 

Thanks for the reply and correcting me on the compressor location. I checked if compressor is running. There was no vibration/ sound when I started the vehicle. It looks like the compressor is not working/ blockage in the pipe connection/ relays gone bad?

 

Also, I found that after keeping the car inside a temperature controlled room, the rear suspension raised too high than usual height. How to reduce the height?

This means the compressor is working and height sensors are giving wrong signals? There is a blockage due to condensation on the pipe connecting the front suspension and the compressor?

 

The air suspension module (ASM) could need recalibrating for vehicle heights. Cars in the USA seem to suffer a lot more problems with the air suspension than here in the UK. There is a UK Jaguar forum, and one almost never sees a post on the air suspension.

 

Maybe a silly comment, related to the advice given by the dealer to wait until it warms up before driving: if the compressor accepts starting and running (let's say in a not too cold environment), won't it become warm enough and threreafter remain warm and effective during driving? Unless of course it's really chilling outside...
Only issue would be if the car is parked outside in the cold and the compressor maybe has no chance to become warm

 

I understood the dealer's advice about waiting until warmer weather to refer to parts that do not warm up with use, i.e., the seals in the struts. For example, this morning at under 5 F my struts inflated but did not hold enough air as I started out. I returned home, waited an hour or so until the temp went up to about 10 F, and then they did hold their air. So I don't think it was because anything warmed up with use but because the environment's air was warmer, thereby allowing the seals to expand enough to hold the pressurized air in the strut.

 

Anant,

Same model car for me. 55,000 miles. Front airshocks leaked down. First one, then the other 6 months later. Got Arnotts 400 dollar replacements. Google their site and see.
No more problems. Zero out the other day and the system worked fine.
Rather easy to change out. Just follow directions and view the youtubes available.

 

I had the same problem yesterday. It was -5 F here in New Jersey when I left the house. I got about 20 miles into my trip and had the Air Suspension Fault and Low Vehicle warnings going (Red and Yellow Lights). The ride was extremely rough - not what I had grown accustomed to. I pulled over and could hear hissing coming from the front of the car and it was very low.

Once, I got to my destination I parked it for awhile. When I got back in, the lights and warnings didn't come back on. Today I didn't have any issues either. I'm guessing it was just the extremely cold weather that caused the problem, but it does make me nervous.

 

The problem with low temperature leaks happens with faulty airbags, not necessarily the air compressor. The airbags wear from use and may crack or develop thin areas that air may leak from. The airbags are encased/sealed within the shock assy and at low temps the metal contractions allow air to escape. This was verified on several Mercedes and Ford units.

 

Thank you for this comment, I thought the cold landing was due to the compressor only.

 

I found a loose fitting on my right shock and a torn O-ring on my left shock. Tightened and replaced as needed and took the Cat out for a trot in current temp of 22 degrees F. The front shocks are performing as should and I may take it to work tomorrow.

 

reyesl, interesting. I'm thinking I may just replace the orings as a preventative measure; I have a rebuild kit for the pump on order from Andy So I guess I'm sticking with the air suspension for now.

Was the o-ring a standard size or something strange? (just wondering if I can pick them up at the hardware store, or my small box of rings).

 

Just got a call from the mechanic who said that passenger side suspension and compressor need replacement. Do anyone has a good deal on this?

I have checked on the website (Arnott) which says $486 for suspension and $490.34 for compressor ($976.34+ Labor). The mechanic is suggesting me to go for all four coil suspension, which will last longer! I think air suspension is more fun.

 

I purchased a small kit from autozone.

 

I bought four coil struts through CARid.com and got a terrific deal. I was then able to get $50 apiece on top of that for my cores from Arnott.


CARid.com has a 20% off sale right now on front and rear air struts at $377.73 apiece. They were willing to give me a discount on the shipping for the coil struts when I told them it would make a difference on choosing their Arnotts over Strutmasters (it was a $35 discount on what would have been $45 shipping).
ARNOTT® - Jaguar XJ-Type 2004-2009 Replacement Air Suspension


I was satisfied with their customer service even thought it took a day or two longer for them to ship them out than I expected.

 

 

22f here yesturday and I had to drive 100 miles on "bump stops". Not very nice I can tell you.

I have the dreaded front suspension hissing when it gets really cold and will go and check the O rings shortly and replace them if needed, which I am sure on my car they will be!!

The compressor is fine, and looks recently replaced with new.

*********an hour later **********

I checked both front orings and they look brand new. So I didn't replace anything. Just reconnected and tightened up nice and tight. Started the car and after a couple of minutes it rose up and worked. A point of note is that I heard air hissing out of both struts as I loosened the nuts. The temp in the garage is also above freezing and the cr has been left there inside so any shrinkage from the extreme weather may have reverted back to normal. I will take her out for a spin shortly and see what happens as its only 25f outside at the moment ( the same as the extreme cold yesturday when it bump stop dropped!).