Hi everyone,

I know this post might seem rather redundant as it is reminiscent of the numerous suspension related issues out there, however, wanted to try and be as descriptive as possible for the problem I have right now...

My LR3 has been having suspension issues for quite sometime now. The front would always be lower when I wake up in the morning, BUT ALSO, WHILE I am driving. When I drive, about 5 minutes later, I will get the suspension fault warning and when I park the truck to look at it, the front is lower. As soon as I turn the car back on (could be immediately after shutting off), it will raise to regular height and then same thing, drops while driving or sitting. THEN, recently, I drove it one day and it was the entire passenger side of the car that dropped (as opposed to usually the entire front). When I started it up, the problem went away but the front continues to be lower. Now, I've noticed the FRONT PASSENGER ONLY is going up about an inch at start up and then dropping almost immediately after at a slow pace. I changed my front valve block yesterday and while it looks like the front driver end is not dropping, the front passenger side is basically not raising. When I put it into off-road height, all other three corners will raise to the appropriate height as well. Now I am wondering, should I buy and change the strut, or could it be something else (which I am hoping is cheaper, e.g., sensor)? I don't mind buying the strut and swapping it, but with this tight economy right now, I would hate to change it and it does not solve the problem. Any opinions? I greatly appreciate your input. Thank you in advanced!!!

 

Major leak, system will only fill at start up.

 

What sort of suspension fault indication do you get? Amber? Red? Does it happen at a certain speed? Does it affect Terrain Response? It could be a sensor/calibration issue, it could be a leak, it could be the compressor.

The last thing I think it is, is the strut. One way you can check is to jack up the front end. If the upper control arms make contact with the shock, then it's bad. If you can get your finger (or part of your finger) between the control arm and the shock, it's still okay and the EAS issue is something else.

 

Hi houm_wa, sorry for the delayed response. When I am driving, I get "Suspension Fault" with a solid amber. However, since the front right will not raise, about 1 minute after start-up, I get the suspension in extended mode message (used to be suspension raising slowly, until recently). I will try and do what you say tomorrow. Last week when I raised the vehicle, I put it in off-road height and the front right didn't go anywhere, but the other three when all the way up, so then I jacked up the front to the same height as the rest to see if I could see anything (and do the "spray" test) but I couldn't discern anything problematic. When I released the jack, the corner feel without any tension or resistance as it there were no air at all in there. I will try what you say and get back to you. Thanks for your reply!!!

 

Yes please let me know. My process isn't the end-all be-all for determining if the shock is failed, but it's one way at least.

 

Ok, so, I lifted the LR3 today and took some pictures (posted below). I lifted it to about off-road height - THEN - started it to see if I would get error messages about the height thinking I could trick the sensor since it was technically at the appropriate height. The message I got was still vehicle raising slowly, though it seemed the other three were already at height. Despite the the raise, when I lowered it, the corner fell again, which I assume is because no air is going in there. Anyways, here's the pictures. I tried to take some from different angles hoping it would help.

 

Jack that thing up (I mean with a jack) and see if the control arm contacts the strut. At least jack up that corner where you think it's failed. It will take you 10 minutes, man! Just use the scissor jack that comes with it.

 

Hey houm_wa, that was using a jack that I got it to that height before starting the LR3. The pictures posted above were taken while that corner was raised and prior to starting the vehicle. Should I have gone higher? In the last picture, you can see the jack on the left side - should I have jacked it at another point? I'm wondering, since you mentioned other EAS issues, are there any specific fuses that might come to mind that I should check as well - if that makes any difference... Also, how many valves does the suspension system have? I replaced the front one - which seemed to have been rather corroded. Are there others that would connect to that one or does the front valve connect directly to the compressor?

 

I mean you have to jack up a corner until that wheel/tire is completely off the ground. Then look for contact between the strut and control arm.

There are 3 valve blocks; front, rear and one where the compressor and tank are, I think called the "gallery" or something like that. Someone will correct me.