Hi guys Got my new Cat this week and i have my rear suspension down wont work so i was thinking of getting the s type struts put on ,while i save some cahs to get the bags again soon, so my thing is is there any way that i can unplug or turn down the rear hoses that go to the rear air springs? cause i dont want the compressor being working all the time , but once again i need it for the front air springs , and those work fine i guess.. sorry about the spelling i,m from spain cheers!! and thank you.. i have a 2004 xj8 black!! with 160k obviously i have some codes from that "car too low".

 

You could look into getting rebuilt air springs from Arnott or going with their coilover conversion kit. You could also look online for used air springs. I'm not sure about unplugging the rear hoses.

 

Not quite sure what you want to do but you can disconnect the rear air lines at the valve block in the trunk and block the connectors there. That way you will have are to the front ones but I'm not sure it will work as you also have the height controllers (front & rear) giving information to the ASU. Why not install a used air shock?

Hope this helps!

Guus

 

I agree, a rebuilt air spring by Arnott, or a used one off the internet is your best bet. However before you rush to buy and replace expensive parts, get t he system checked out. Get the fault codes read. If there are no fault codes or display, it sounds like a duff height sensor or two. The system constantly checks vehicle height plus a load of other things and flags fault codes. These give clues as to where the problem lies.

You haven't told us much other than you got the car this week and the suspension collapsed. Any more information, like did it just go suddenly, or gradually sink down ?

More info = better advice given

 

Hi guys thanks for your help , i got it from a guy that got a truck ,, and sold me his jag , but a couple of weeks before that the system was o,k . then he replace the compressor , and didnt fix that , so hi didnt wana put no more $$$ into it intead of his truck,. so i bought it from him at only 3600 which i think was a good deal...so i need to save some money to get those rebuild air shocks from ebay but in the mean time i have a friend with 4 s type shocks i can use for 120$ all 4 why not give it a try ,,, thanks again guys...

 

I think you underestimate the difficulty between installing 4 conventional shocks from a different car as a (temporarily) replacement for air shocks. Of course you can get them in, there's even a topic on using S-type shocks, but I don't think it's useful if you plan on going back to air shocks after all.

Can you tell in a bit more detail what's wrong with you car?

Guus

 

AFAIK the S-type shock/spring units don't fit the XJ so forget them. Go for used XJ ones if you have to, they are cheap enough on eBay, but first check for faults by scanning the fault register, and checking for air leaks at each spring unit. There really isn't any other option at the moment, sorry !

Main thing is at least you have a new air compressor !!

 

Fraser,

SexyBeast has proven that the S-type conventional shock/spring units can be fitted with some modification to the mounting holes in the X350, not that I'm recommending this procedure:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...version-79499/

Don

 

OK, so I drove about 250 miles this morning to a client's site. Arrived at about 9am. Parked the car in the lot and went in to get started. When I parked, the front tires were turned to the left. Went out at 11:30 to get some lunch and the front was very low (almost looked like the fender was sitting on the tire - I was able to feel and this washt the case, but it was damn close). Turned the car on and slowly turned the wheels back to center. left it running for less than 30 secs. Dash monitor says car too low. Both amber and red warning lights. Of course, now I'm 250 miles away from home without my ODBII reader and tools.


Reading through a couple of threads, it seems like I should let the car run for a few minutes and see if it rises back up.


I've gotten an air suspension warning in the past, but the next time that I started her up, it would disappear.


It's an '04, so maybe time for some parts replacement (sounds like the compressor is the likely culprit).


If after starting up and not getting any lift, is it safe to drive to a repair shop? Or do I need a tow?


btw - it has always seemed to have a rather harsh ride. I expected better from an air suspension, so maybe it's always been in "hard mode" since I first bought it used 2 yrs ago?

 

If the car sags you probably have a leak. Do the front shocks sag equal or just one side? If one shock is leaking you can see it but if you wait to long the good one sags too because of the extra weight on it.

You can start the car and the compressor should be able to lift the car again so you can drive it.

Guus

 

Guss: If that was a reply to me, I've done some more investigating. I did the 2 min on, 1 min off process to see if the compressor would pump up the suspension. After 6 or 7 iterations, I looked and didn't see any discernible lift on the front suspension. I can't tell so much on the back.


I did notice every time that immediately on starting the engine the "too low" warning would come on with red light. After about a minute there would be a "clunk" and the display would change to "Air Suspension" warning with an addition of a yellow light. Felt like a clutch was engaging.


I understand that it's not good to drive on "no suspension" but I've got to believe that the engineers would provide a "limp home" capability with a malfunctioning air suspension system - such that you wont damage the front end if you take it careful and avoid large bumps. Am I correct? I'm 250 miles from home and have no experience, nor desire to vet a local dealer/service - particularly if it's something that I could do myself. I'm handy enough.


Thanks.

 

Can't comment on the limp home mode but I drove mine like that to get it home as well when I had the same issue (granted it was a few miles, not 250). Since you're handy, I'd suggest you get the compressor rebuild kit from BagPipingAndy on here first and give that a try. It's a small price to pay as an experiment. It cured my problem and I'm very happy.

If it doesn't work, you're only out a few bucks and the time spent to remove the compressor and refit it. Then I would look at replacing the shocks or go coilover conversion.

 

I drove my car about 15 miles on back roads with a blown front shock and dipped nose. Man that was a bumpy ride home. It's driving on the bump stops, surely.

 

Apart from the compressor, the other weak link in the air spring system is the air spring diaphragm in each spring unit. These are, (obviously), made of a flexible rubber-type material and can eventually get to the point where a small leak starts. Some people have had really sudden failures that are so large the released pressure blows a hole in the protective bellows on the outside of the spring unit. This one sounds like the smaller leak. These diaphragms are replaceable, because Arnott Industries replaces them on a service exchange basis for not all that much money. This begs the question as to why cannot these diaphragms be released to market for DIYers to swap their own over. The air spring units are a Bilstein unit and the shock part is very long lasting, and will only need replacing if the seal goes and oil leaks out.

As a matter of interest, to avoid damage to the diaphragm, there is a valve at the top of the shock that retains a certain minimum air pressure when the air line is disconnected. Replacement shocks come with this air at pressure and the new-old stock ones I bought late last year were charged with air, yet had been on a parts shelf for may years thus proving the integrity of the air spring.

 

Sorry for my late reply I was on a business trip. I can imagine you've already driven the car home. Did you manage to do so?

Guus

 

Guus: No problem. I ended up driving it about a mile down the street to a Jag repair shop. Very good folks there - Jaguar Alley in Davenport, IA.


Right strut had a leaking bladder, so bad that the compressor couldn't get anything inflated. Driving the mile was rather dicey as the tires were scraping on the fenders when I turned the wheel, so corners were taken very widely. I made it, repairs were completed to the tune of $750 parts, labor and tax.

 

Good to hear it was fixed.

It that included a new shock it wasn't a bad deal!

Guus