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Disable EAS leveling

6529 Views 19 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  private_user, 
P
Just to add another way of disabling the EAS....

In my case I just wanted to manually level the vehicle occasionally when it needed it. I didn't want it to relevel on the move (and certainly not in the middle of the night), which perhaps differs a little from some drivers.

This was prompted by a failing pressure switch or pump, or an over-enthusiastic ECU wanting to prove its worth. My original solution was to remove the 10A fuse from under the bonnet, this worked admirably well, just re-insert whenever I wanted to level the vehicle - but it's not a particularly elegant solution.

In order to make it easier, and keep it tidy, I decided to use the existing EAS inhibit switch to switch the ECU on or off. This was a neat solution, it had a nice light to show when it was enabled, and of course it properly inhibited operation whenever it was turned off - so there was no loss of function :)

For anyone that wants to try this it's fairly easy. First remove the seat escutcheon, remove the EAS delay relay complete with socket (it just slips on a tag mount so lift up), remove the relay and locate the black (ground) wire from the relay socket and snip it a couple of inches back, heatshrink the wire leading back to the loom (just to be neat and prevent any possible shorts) and strip the end of the wire coming from the socket. Remove the EAS ECU plug, take the cover off and snip the wire leading to pin 15 a couple of inches back. Heatshrink the wire end going to the plug and pull the other (loom) end back through the harness sufficient so that it can be neatly joined up with the black wire from the delay relay socket.

Strip the end and connect it to the black wire leading to the socket. I soldered mine and slipped some heatshrink over it to make a neat job.

Put the cover back on the EAS ECU plug, re-insert the plug, put the delay relay socket back on it's mount, reinsert the delay relay, put the seat escutcheon back on, cleanup anything else you messed up and you're good to go.

How does this work? The inhibit switch grounds pin 15 of the EAS ECU whenever a driver wishes to inhibit the EAS operation. There is a small light on the switch that will illuminate whenever the switch is in operation. Separately to this, and for the EAS to be powered up, the EAS relay needs to operate - this is done via 12v supplied to one side of the relay coil, the other obviously going to ground. If the ground line is cut the relay can't operate and neither can the EAS. From there if the relay coil ground line is connected to the inhibit switch the EAS will only be powered up if the switch is operated - and conveniently it will light up to let you know that the EAS is in operation :wink:

Of course the 'not above xx speed' warning will appear on the LCD instantly if you power off the EAS ECU, but there's a way to deal with this too, if you want. Before putting the EAS ECU plug cover back on you can connect a line from pin 1 to 25, and pin 18 to 7. I should add that I've not done this on my machine yet, the warning message doesn't particularly bother me, but I believe this should work.

Finally, during the course of this, I've decided that if my EAS ECU should ever fail I'd replace it with an Arduino and some opto's or relays. Total cost probably in the region of a tenner + time to knock some code into shape. The beauty of this of course is that one would have full control and be able to do all sorts of things - including weighing the machine (I think), but that's another story!

PU.
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RRToadHall
Wow PU, way too much work to just add a manual button.

Simply replace the EAS relay with a standard relay. Self leveling is disabled with ignition off. No need to butcher wires or change anything.
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Richard_G
private_user said:
I didn't want it to relevel on the move (and certainly not in the middle of the night), which perhaps differs a little from some drivers.
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I agree you've gone the complicated way of overcoming what you see as a problem but why don't you want it to relevel when moving? That is one of the many beauties of the EAS system. When you've been travelling at over 50 mph for more than 30 seconds it lowers the suspension to greatly improve stability and handling (by lowering the centre of gravity), driving at normal height at 70 mph feels decidedly unsteady to me. When you slow down it rises back up to normal height. What is the problem with it doing what it was designed to do for safety reasons whether it is day or night?
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Apologies for not responding earlier - I should have checked to see if anyone replied.

@RRToadHall It sounds a lot more complicated than the job actually is, besides I also wanted it disabled on the move (which replacing the timer relay won't do of course).

@Richard_G Where I am you're not allowed to do 70mph!

FYI my reason for posting was simply to describe what is in fact a very simple and tidy way of disabling the suspension operation when you don't want to operate. This works well for me and I'm happy with it, but others may not be (which is why it's a description rather than recommendation!). If you want it to do the things you're talking about, and you'd done this mod, then you can just push the switch in and it's then operates as an entirely standard machine
:)
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Richard_G
If you want it disabling on the move, you simply press the inhibit button in and select whatever height you want to set at, that's what it is there for. Unless you are wanting it to stay in high profile in which case it will ordinarily lower as soon as you reach 30 mph, again for safety reasons. I'm not criticising I'm just trying to understand what you are trying to achieve and why as there may be circumstances when the mod would be useful.
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@Richard_G Yes, that's right it should do that, however it will still remain 'alive' after the machine is turned off, which is less than desirable, and perhaps you want to do more than 30mph in high.

As I expect you know there's numerous threads on the interweb re the EAS, some with quite complex 'fixes', and various people of course that advocate replacing the EAS with coils. While I have a set of coils to put in this car I've resisted it, and when the pump started to work more often than it should (and got rather hot) I thought I'd investigate ways to deal with it before going down the drastic route of changing the coils in. That said I prefer the simplicity of coils, after all the classic works fine with them , as do various other Land Rovers I own, so the idea of switching the ECU off completely had some appeal. Also, where I am, it usually takes several weeks for parts to arrive and the postage cost can be somewhat prohibitive...

In the end I did what I've described; it is zero cost (no other relay required), it's neat, it's easily reversible, you can do it late at night before the week ahead without additional parts, and it properly disables the EAS from operating. It may not be a mod for everyone but it suits me and in describing it I thought it could assist others who may be in a similar predicament - or frame of mind.

It also got me thinking about using an Arduino to replace the EAS ECU. Certainly it has enough analog and digital I/O to do the job, it costs very little, and it fits with the Land Rover owners tradition of finding ways around issues, or improving something, particularly whenever you're a long way from the Solihull parts dept (as I am)!

That of course led me on to thinking about talking to the BECM etc, as I've been somewhat surprised there's been little in the way of detail about this, but that's another long story...

Not sure if that helps explain, but in any event I've shared what I did, which is one things these sites are for IMV. Cheers, PU.
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C
I for one certainly wouldn’t want to do over 30mph in high , I would imagine it wouldn’t be that stable, I could see a bag getting dislodged quite easily, hence it’s a safety feature.
but each to there own devices,,
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chris no 10 said:
I for one certainly wouldn’t want to do over 30mph in high , I would imagine it wouldn’t be that stable, I could see a bag getting dislodged quite easily, hence it’s a safety feature.
but each to there own devices,,
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Interesting - what would make an airbag 'dislodge' more on the high setting than any other? Is there any evidence of this happening at any other setting?
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Ecco
RRToadHall said:
Wow PU, way too much work to just add a manual button.

Simply replace the EAS relay with a standard relay. Self leveling is disabled with ignition off. No need to butcher wires or change anything.
Click to expand...
..thats 4 terminals relay, yes?
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9
it is nearly impossible to dislodge an air spring if you run unmodified suspension height. it would be and it is nearly impossible to do so even under extreme articulation as the axle will not go beyond mechanical limits, furthermore the air pressure much like a tire keeps the springs in place and the height sensors maintain inflate pressure.
the cause of dislocation normally occurs on, defective leaking springs coupled to a modified suspension and over extended articulated axle.
the spring looses pressure the spring leaks fails to maintain seat and the extended over articulation pulls the spring from perch.
unless the locks on the perches are not present and the spring leaks, dislodge of an inflated spring from axle perch is nearly impossible during normal limits of full articulation.

extended height settings, hard programmed will cause misbehave of vehicle as vehicle becomes top heavy I/e its center of gravity raises. land rover programmed the safety of the system to lower to standard setting over 50mph in order to avoid litigation resulting from top heavy condition. thus it is up to operator to feel the behavior of the "lifted" suspension at speeds and act accordingly.

sorry reads like a ramble but just clarifying some mis-information.
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@Ecco I'd originally replied to a thread in which this was mentioned, along with various other things [http://www.rangerovers.net/forum/7-...bypass-eas-self-levelling-timer-relay-3.html], but essentially the answer is yes.

@95classiclwb Thanks for the info, this is much more what I'd expect - hence the gentle challenge and enquiry of chris_no_10. I quite agree that it will change as the machine ride height changes and so one should drive with this in mind but in an otherwise normal (eas) system I'd be extremely surprised (and dubious of the design!) that unseating of an airbag would occur.
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@95classiclwb Sorry for replying to my own post but some reason the site didn't seem to like my acronyms (cog = centre of gravity, agl = above ground level)... So to 'fix' the earlier post and make it clear: "it will change" should be "...centre of gravity above ground level will change..."

Cheers, PU.
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P
Will be interesting to know how long the suspension stays inflated while driving with ECU disabled ? Unless you have zero leaks it's going to droop after a while.

To be honest, I cannot see the point in disabling things just to save the pump !! If the system is properly maintained, the pump, etc. lasts for years. Also, around £25 for a refurb kit every few years is well worth it.
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pwood999 said:
Will be interesting to know how long the suspension stays inflated while driving with ECU disabled ? Unless you have zero leaks it's going to droop after a while.

To be honest, I cannot see the point in disabling things just to save the pump !! If the system is properly maintained, the pump, etc. lasts for years. Also, around £25 for a refurb kit every few years is well worth it.
Click to expand...
Presently it stays at a reasonable level for a few days (say 3-4) before I need to re-level. I think there's a very small leak somewhere in the R/R circuit but it's not calamitous so I've not investigated further.

Unfortunately, where I live, these things are not necessarily so reasonably priced (if at all obtainable), and the postage costs can be quite significant (for some reason many factors insist on using v.expensive 'priority' airmail and offer nothing else). This is sometimes a factor in what I decide to do, but in this case I simply didn't - and don't - see the need for the system to be working all the time.
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Richard_G
If it droops after 3 or 4 days, it's leaking and even with it disabled when the ignition is off the pump is well on it's way to wearing out. One of my cars hasn't been started, or had a battery on it, for 6 weeks now and it might have dropped half and inch all round if that. Even with the cost of postage your time might be better spent sorting the leak(s) and getting and fitting an O ring kit for the valve block and a replacement seal and sleeve for the pump.

The background to the EAS is that when the Classic started to become a luxury vehicle rather than just a utility vehicle, with things like the SE and Vogue editions, it started to be bought by people instead of an S class Mercedes or similar. Unfortunately they expected to be able to drive it like an S Class and a few of them rolled after a swerve and brake to avoid something. LR had to do something so they introduced the EAS, a developed version of that fitted to the Routemaster bus (the traditional London bus), for safety reasons. High is for low speed off road use, that's all, not for driving around at anything much above walking pace. Switching it off rather than repairing it is downright dangerous.
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I don't agree with you that it's 'downright dangerous', and I'm happy with preventing the EAS from altering ride height while the vehicle is moving (which, given the crudity of the design is possibly more risky IMV). I'm also happy to hear your machine doesn't deflate as much as mine over time, nice.

Cheers, PU.
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RRToadHall
Text Photography Poster Font Adaptation


Yawn......
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Daniel13
private_user said:
Just to add another way of disabling the EAS....

In my case I just wanted to manually level the vehicle occasionally when it needed it. I didn't want it to relevel on the move (and certainly not in the middle of the night), which perhaps differs a little from some drivers.

This was prompted by a failing pressure switch or pump, or an over-enthusiastic ECU wanting to prove its worth. My original solution was to remove the 10A fuse from under the bonnet, this worked admirably well, just re-insert whenever I wanted to level the vehicle - but it's not a particularly elegant solution.

In order to make it easier, and keep it tidy, I decided to use the existing EAS inhibit switch to switch the ECU on or off. This was a neat solution, it had a nice light to show when it was enabled, and of course it properly inhibited operation whenever it was turned off - so there was no loss of function :)

For anyone that wants to try this it's fairly easy. First remove the seat escutcheon, remove the EAS delay relay complete with socket (it just slips on a tag mount so lift up), remove the relay and locate the black (ground) wire from the relay socket and snip it a couple of inches back, heatshrink the wire leading back to the loom (just to be neat and prevent any possible shorts) and strip the end of the wire coming from the socket. Remove the EAS ECU plug, take the cover off and snip the wire leading to pin 15 a couple of inches back. Heatshrink the wire end going to the plug and pull the other (loom) end back through the harness sufficient so that it can be neatly joined up with the black wire from the delay relay socket.

Strip the end and connect it to the black wire leading to the socket. I soldered mine and slipped some heatshrink over it to make a neat job.

Put the cover back on the EAS ECU plug, re-insert the plug, put the delay relay socket back on it's mount, reinsert the delay relay, put the seat escutcheon back on, cleanup anything else you messed up and you're good to go.

How does this work? The inhibit switch grounds pin 15 of the EAS ECU whenever a driver wishes to inhibit the EAS operation. There is a small light on the switch that will illuminate whenever the switch is in operation. Separately to this, and for the EAS to be powered up, the EAS relay needs to operate - this is done via 12v supplied to one side of the relay coil, the other obviously going to ground. If the ground line is cut the relay can't operate and neither can the EAS. From there if the relay coil ground line is connected to the inhibit switch the EAS will only be powered up if the switch is operated - and conveniently it will light up to let you know that the EAS is in operation 😉

Of course the 'not above xx speed' warning will appear on the LCD instantly if you power off the EAS ECU, but there's a way to deal with this too, if you want. Before putting the EAS ECU plug cover back on you can connect a line from pin 1 to 25, and pin 18 to 7. I should add that I've not done this on my machine yet, the warning message doesn't particularly bother me, but I believe this should work.

Finally, during the course of this, I've decided that if my EAS ECU should ever fail I'd replace it with an Arduino and some opto's or relays. Total cost probably in the region of a tenner + time to knock some code into shape. The beauty of this of course is that one would have full control and be able to do all sorts of things - including weighing the machine (I think), but that's another story!

PU.
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Sent you a personal message!
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Richard_G
PM'ing someone who hasn't been seen since Sept 2018, is pretty pointless. He probably killed himself by messing around with thigs he didn't understand.
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P
@Richard_G Haha, came back from the dead just to haunt you.

The EAS mod continued to work fine, the vehicle didn't fall over, no dire predictions came to pass. And given what I do/have done in the past I understand very well...

@Daniel13 Apologies for missing your PM, however I believe you've got a different vehicle (L322?) which means this mod isn't for you.
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