[Bobert]

Just a report of what happened to my 2011 L322. I'd appreciate remarks or comments.
Last week I went out to get some stuff at the store after two or three days of not driving at all. We bought the Rover for the ability to lower the suspension for Mom and whomever to get in and out easier and, of course, the L322 offers a lot of 'luxury' stuff that wouldn't be on other cars for under $20K. So I kind of got in the habit of lowering the Rover every time I parked.

So, I get in the Rover and it was lower than the lowered position. It would not raise to the low or normal position and eventually gave the message of suspension fault - do not exceed 30 miles per hour. Friends said that it must be a fuse. I checked almost all of the fuses including the 10 Amp fuse that seems to be for air suspension - maybe to run the pump. I didn't find any bad fuse. I put all the fuses back in after checking and put the fuse box cover back on and started the Rover to check for any more information. It raised itself up to the normal height and now it seems to be able to go up and down properly. I think it might have a leak in the front because the front will be a tiny bit lower after being parked for 12 hours.

Maybe that leak drained all the air from the system and it decided it couldn't raise again? Pulling the fuse reset the status ???

So I don't lower it when parking any more. Probably need to find and fix a leak...

 

[RRToadHall]

lowering every time puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the compressor. When you think about lowering vents air out of the four bladders. When you raise back up you use all the air in the reservoir. this in turn requires the compress to top off all four bladders and fill the reservoir.

Moving your post and this response as it is off topic.

 

[RRToadHall]

Additional info. If you have received a hard fault once, it is likely you will again. The 30MPH max warning is pretty serious. It means that your compressor is weak and has been over worked. The EAS completely shuts itself down to prevent further damage.

At eight years old, how many miles are on your rig and are the front struts original? EAS bladders leak at the point of most use. For most folks that is where the bladder rolls between normal and highway mode. You may have increased cracking beyond the normal/highway range. If you are going to do leak checks with soapy water, start by parking with front tyres on ramps if you or a buddy have them. and lower to access mode. saturate the front bladders with soapy water. not only look for bubbles but listen for them.

Just as a labour saving measure, rear air bags rarely fail unless there has been damage from a road hazard.

 

[Bobert]

lowering every time puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the compressor. When you think about lowering vents air out of the four bladders. When you raise back up you use all the air in the reservoir. this in turn requires the compress to top off all four bladders and fill the reservoir.

Moving your post and this response as it is off topic.

Oops. Sorry - Thanks for the help. I probably have no business owning an L322 because of my low income (ability to pay for repairs)

It has almost 110K and I'm not sure about the history. Bought it from an upscale used car lot who got it from an auction after two rounds of lease. This is the first sign of any trouble since I bought it. Carfax report says suspension was checked periodically but doesn't indicate any replacement. I'm guessing that it would be wise to replace the compressor. Any advice about the bagpipingandy repair? Or is there a budget fix you recommend?

 

[leftlanetruckin]

I had to look that up....
What you need to do first is address the problem, not throw parts at it in a vain hope of fixing it.
If you have a bag leaking, it will just screw up another compressor.
What Carl said costs nothing but a spray bottle and some dish soap and water. If you can replace parts for cheaper let us all know....
YOU will have to see what happened before anyone here can accurately help you solve any issues. Anyone who posts anything else is guessing with your money. Listen to who you choose, just be careful that not everyone here is good at diagnosing problems in a way that is cost effective.
Your income has nothing to do with owning these rigs. Your ability to search here, read, comprehend, and then put that knowledge to good use does though. Learn your vehicle, get dirty while fixing it yourself, enjoy it. With a little effort you can keep an early L322 in tip top shape

Martin

 

[Bobert]

Thanks Martin and Carl ! I really appreciate your strategic approach.

Bob

 

[RRToadHall]

At 110K miles you are most likely on your original struts from the factory... that's pretty dang good! The only thing I would be concerned with is the compressor. There are rebuild kits available, but if that kind of work makes you nervous, there are new units available from Suncore Industries for about $260. They are out of Florida so shipping should be fairly quick.

Now for front struts I would bypass Arnott products. Thankfully they no longer "rebuild" struts. They are producing new struts for L322s but the are having issues with the collets at the top leaking... and from an ORing situation. It is the actual fitting leaking. There is company in the UK with very competitive pricing that several members have used, exchange rate is favourable and shipping is quick... Apologies I don;t remember who it is but they do come up in EAS threads on a regular basis.

Hopefully someone will hop on and advise

 

[leftlanetruckin]

https://island-4x4.co.uk/

 

[brad s1]

Fix the leak but if you want to lower it every time you park it that really shouldn't be an issue. The compressor goes bad from being overworked trying to compensate for leaks and running continuously to a point it overheats. Under normal operation refilling the reservoir after a suspension command won't damage it. My rig is almost a decade old, I lower it every time I pull into the garage. No sign of the compressor giving up anytime soon. Worst case you just rebuild/replace. Personally I think using the suspension often keeps it in good working order.

As for the leak raise it up and spray soapy water on the bellows, look for bubbles. If you can't find any raise it up and listen for leaks at the hoses/valve block. Also when you experienced it deflated was it really cold out that night? That can also cause issues occasionally where valves end up freezing resulting in the car sinking.

 

[Bobert]

Again, thanks everybody including Burcin. All this help is appreciated. Of course it generates more questions.
1. Many parts websites offer struts (or other parts) for the L322 but if I look further, do they apply to a 5 L Supercharged Rover. Like Island 4X4 says their struts are for L322 with 4.2 L engines. Does the 2011 Supercharged use different struts than other 2011 Rovers?

2. I intend to start by checking for leaks. But if I rebuild the compressor and fix/replace the dryer, what sources do you recommend for these items? It looks like compressor rebuild kits are not all the same.

You folks on this forum have restored my opinion of my Rover. I've always loved it with reservations.

Thanks
Bob

 

[Ramigojag]

lowering every time puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the compressor. When you think about lowering vents air out of the four bladders. When you raise back up you use all the air in the reservoir. this in turn requires the compress to top off all four bladders and fill the reservoir.

Moving your post and this response as it is off topic.

Fix the leak but if you want to lower it every time you park it that really shouldn't be an issue. The compressor goes bad from being overworked trying to compensate for leaks and running continuously to a point it overheats. Under normal operation refilling the reservoir after a suspension command won't damage it. My rig is almost a decade old, I lower it every time I pull into the garage. No sign of the compressor giving up anytime soon. Worst case you just rebuild/replace. Personally I think using the suspension often keeps it in good working order.

As for the leak raise it up and spray soapy water on the bellows, look for bubbles. If you can't find any raise it up and listen for leaks at the hoses/valve block. Also when you experienced it deflated was it really cold out that night? That can also cause issues occasionally where valves end up freezing resulting in the car sinking.

I tend to agree with brad s1, I lower mine to access mode everytime so far so good, Yes you use the compressor more, but it should be within its realm of capability.

I like to think whilst the car is sitting for a while in access mode there is less pressure/stress on the air bags.

Thats how my mind works anyway, and I'm aware the systems Land Rover design however clever don't always work like they are supposed to.

 

[leftlanetruckin]

Again, thanks everybody including Burcin. All this help is appreciated. Of course it generates more questions.
1. Many parts websites offer struts (or other parts) for the L322 but if I look further, do they apply to a 5 L Supercharged Rover. Like Island 4X4 says their struts are for L322 with 4.2 L engines. Does the 2011 Supercharged use different struts than other 2011 Rovers?

2. I intend to start by checking for leaks. But if I rebuild the compressor and fix/replace the dryer, what sources do you recommend for these items? It looks like compressor rebuild kits are not all the same.

You folks on this forum have restored my opinion of my Rover. I've always loved it with reservations.

Thanks
Bob

The SC has adaptive dampening, so different struts.
I put new bags/bellows on our '11SC struts from Arnott, zero issues.

 

[RRToadHall]

Again, thanks everybody including Burcin. All this help is appreciated. Of course it generates more questions.
1. Many parts websites offer struts (or other parts) for the L322 but if I look further, do they apply to a 5 L Supercharged Rover. Like Island 4X4 says their struts are for L322 with 4.2 L engines. Does the 2011 Supercharged use different struts than other 2011 Rovers?

The question is not in the the engine, the question is if you have adaptive dampening. If you do have adaptive dampening the the struts are the same for 2010- 2012... they are about $1200 State side. If you don't have adaptive dampening then the struts are the same for 2006-2012 no matter which engine you have... They are about $600 State side.

Side note, rear air bags are the same on all L322s from introduction to end of run. They easily out last 2 sets of front struts.

 

[mylife1903]

The question is not in the the engine, the question is if you have adaptive dampening. If you do have adaptive dampening the the struts are the same for 2010- 2012... they are about $1200 State side. If you don't have adaptive dampening then the struts are the same for 2006-2012 no matter which engine you have... They are about $600 State side.

Side note, rear air bags are the same on all L322s from introduction to end of run. They easily out last 2 sets of front struts.

i believe 2006-2009 4.4 and 4.2 engines has different front struts

 

[Bobert]

The question is not in the the engine, the question is if you have adaptive dampening.

Is there an easy way to tell whether this Rover has adaptive dampening? (it says up there that I'm a newbie)

 

[buba]

if you have this then you do have VDS.

Attached Images

 

[Bobert]

if you have this then you do have VDS.

So yeah, it's an SC and yes, it has those caps on top of the struts.
And replacement struts for VDS/Adaptive Damping are too expensive for me. Can I replace the air bladder or fix the leak?

 

[leftlanetruckin]

Can I replace the air bladder or fix the leak?

Are you bothering to read the replies that have already been posted in your thread?
I answered this question on page 1.

 

[Bobert]

Are you bothering to read the replies that have already been posted in your thread?
I answered this question on page 1.

So Sorry... It isn't a bother to read each and every post. This will be my 15th post, yours was 8,888. You have obviously seen and thought about a lot (really a LOT) of Land Rover problems and issues. You know exactly what you meant by:

"The SC has adaptive dampening, so different struts.
I put new bags/bellows on our '11SC struts from Arnott, zero issues."

Maybe you meant that you got 11SC struts from Arnott that you had to put new bags/bellows on.

Keep reading and don't ask stupid questions. OK

 

[leftlanetruckin]

Pretty clear I though, but I'l make it easier....
When the wife bought her new bargain basement '11 SC, it was on the stops.
A front bag was leaking, and like you I was not buying new adaptive dampening struts just for a piece of rubber with a hole in it.
I got new bellows from Arnott. Installed them, and they have been flawless.
One of each of these is what I installed.
https://www.arnottindustries.com/pr...sion/range-rover/l322-w-vds-supercharged/2011

My other issue was a broken plastic front height sensor arm. I remedied that by sliding marine heat shrink tubing over the break. Then glued the two pieces together and slid the heat shrink over the joint. Been perfect since the repair.
The bellows are easy to do, just follow the instructions.

Martin