Restoring Normal Ride
Height After Repair (4.0/4.6)
Introduction
Background: Specific Owner
Experiences
Summary of Unofficial Recovery Procedure
Clearing Faults with a
Notebook Computer
The Ultimate Solution
More Information
Photo at right
by
Ron Beckett: EAS ECU Connector under left front seat.
Introduction
Perhaps the most annoying feature of the Range Rover air suspension
system is its propensity to go into a "hard fault" mode when a problem
occurs, and remain stuck in that mode even if you repair the cause of
the problem. For example, if an air spring springs a leak while out in
the field, the "EAS Fault" message will appear and the car will settle
to the bump stops. Even if you replace the offending air spring (a very
easy procedure -- see the Air Spring Replacement page), the air
suspension system will remain in hard fault mode and stuck on the bump
stops.
If you are fortunate enough to have a Rovacom Lite or similar, you can
reset the fault condition and restore normal operation. For the rest of
us, however, getting out of this type of fault condition (even though
you have fixed the underlying cause) takes a trip to the dealer. When
you (like me) are a few hundred miles out in the desert and far away
from the nearest dealer, this is effectively the end of your trip.
Fortunately, diligent efforts by fellow Range Rover owners Ron Beckett and Dennis Altman have
turned
up alternative solutions that can often work in emergencies like this.
Using the methods described on this page, the suspension can at least
be restored to normal height and (as long as you have really repaired
the problem) you can continue merrily on your way.
If you have experience with these methods, or can expand on them,
please email me so we
can share the results with other owners.
CAUTIONARY NOTE:
Use these methods at your own risk; none of them are suggested by Land
Rover. These are temporary
measures, taken at your own risk. Every ECU will
react in it's own way, depending on the fault, and the ECU's mood that
day!!
Background: Specific Owner Experiences
Specific owner experiences are
provided below since each situation is slightly different and may
elicit different responses from the mysterious ECU! Pin numbers refer
to pins on
connector C117 on the EAS ECU under the LH front seat)
Ron Beckett's Experience
Ron Beckett first
reported (circa 2004) the basic method here when he had to drive a
4.0/4.6 which was in hard fault mode to the mechanic after fixing an
air spring leak that had caused a hard fault. The mechanic told him to
unplug Connector C117 and repressurize the system by jumpering pins 1
and 8 to run the compressor. Then, just plug the connector back in and
start up the engine. The car "rose majestically" to its normal height,
in spite of the "EAS FAULT" message continuing to be displayed. Ron
them disconnected the connector again and drove off with the vehicle
maintaining normal height for the entire trip. .
Dennis Altman's Experience
Dennis Altman
of Rover
Renovations (a new US supplier of low cost EAS parts) expanded on
the above method after having a hard fault in his EAS
(2006). He tried to level the system manually by disconnecting C117 and
jumpering the individual solenoids, but found the LF was on the bumps 3
mornings in a row even though the valve block had just been rebuilt.
Then he realized he had accidentally
interchanged the LF and RF air hoses, probably causing the hard fault
to appear in the first place. After installing a jumper from pins 7-18
to stop the annoying "beep beep
beep" every 30 seconds, he decided to de-pressurize the system so he
could swap the fronts to where they belong. Dennis re-connected the ECU
and started up (accidentally leaving the jumper on), assuming that the
ECU would let all the air out and drop the suspension to its bump
stops. Instead, the compressor fired up,
and she "rose majestically" to normal height. He got 3 sets of hard
fault
beeps, then the dash cleared up. He still had the christmas tree, but
she went up and leveled on her own!!!!!
Other Owner Experiences
In 2005 another owner wrote in to say he tried the procedure described
by Ron Beckett above, but found that when he reconnected C117 the car
majestically stayed put, right on the bump stops. Most likely, in his
case the car had already entered the "extremely hard fault" mode in
which the "slow-20mph" message appears. Indeed, this brings up another
observation by Dennis (from bitter experience) -- if the cause of the
fault still exists when you attempt the above recovery procedure, you
end up with an even harder fault with a "slow-20mph" message after
about 20 minutes of driving.
Summary of Unofficial Recovery
Procedure:
Combining the owner experiences related above, we come up with the
following procedure that I consider most likely to succeed:
1. Repair the cause of the problem (blown airbag, etc).
2. Instal jumper from pins 7-18 to stop the annoying "beep beep
beep" every 30 seconds. Put it in from the back of the connector, so it
won't be in the way
of jumpering the solenoids if you want to (see the
manual pump-up of
air suspension page).
3. Jumper the compressor to fill the tank -- ie connect pins 1 (power
feed to ECU from delay turnoff timer) and 8
(power line to compressor). Note: (Note: To
avoid overpressurizing, you can also monitor pin 13 -- when it switches
up to 12 volts you are up to pressure).
4. Re-connect to the EAS ECU, start up and let it level. At this
point, you can drive it away, but it is safer to continue with steps
5-7.
5. Shut off the engine.
6. Disconnect the ECU (Connector C117 under the LH front seat)
7. Drive into the sunset and get it fixed ASAP!!
Please do not blame the contributors if these methods don't work; see
cautionary note above!!
Clearing Faults with a Notebook
Computer
As of late 2007, breakthroughs in interfacing with the Range Rover's
internal software were made by sRangerovvers.net member Storey Wilson.
As a result, anyone with a computer can now
download some free software for monitoring and clearing air suspension
faults (and calibrating the air suspension) via the Range Rover's
diagnostic connector port without going to
the dealer or buying an expensive TestBook, Rovacom, Autologic or
similar diagnostic system. The software is
now being made available for free on the SourceForge site. You can make
the necessary
cable very inexpensively and reset the fault using a notebook computer.
The
details of this method appear on the separate page on "Clearing EAS Faults with a Notebook
Computer and free Software". Details on the EAS ECU and interface,
and how to make a cable to interface your computer to the EAS
disgnostic system, appear on the "EAS
Communication Interface and Cable Details" page.
The Ultimate Solution
We are still awaiting the Holy Grail -- another jumper to put in
for a second or 2 that will
"convince" the ECU to release the hard fault.....!!! If you have any
other ideas or experience, please email me so we can share
the results with other owners!!
More EAS Information
Range Rover
Suspension Details and Mods
Replacing an Air Spring
Air Spring Replacement
(Bladder
Only)
Arnott Generation
III Air Spring Upgrade: firmer on hwy, softer off road and more
travel
Clearing EAS Faults with your
Notebook Computer
Compressor Diagnosis and Replacement
Compressor Rebuild Procedure
Compressor Field Repair / Temporary
Rebuild
Valve Block Details and Repair
Disabling the EAS
Emergency
Bypass of EAS
Extended
Profile Selector
Lifting the Air Suspension
Manual
Pump-up of Air
Suspension
Parts Sources for EAS Components
Repair Details
Replacement
with Coil Springs
Low cost and generic parts sources
(including
suspension parts)
Strutmasters
US maker of alternative air suspension parts; low cost supplier of
Range Rover air spring bellows.
Airbag
Man (Low cost Australian supplier of RR air suspension
springs, compressors, parts. Worldwide shipping).
Arnott
Industries (makers
of air spring bladders)
Rover Renovations
(US supplier of low cost RR EAS parts and components, including rebuild
kits)
Andy
Cunningham's Air Suspension Operation Page
Andy Cunningham's
Air Suspension Troubleshooting page
Mechanical and Electrical Upgrades
Page last updated February 2007