Hello everyone. Since my ownership of the 2001 Range Rover HSE 134K miles, I have given it a major tune up. All fluids have been changed, plug cables, u-joints greased, new thermostat, new radiator, MAF cleaned, throttle body cleaned, and IAC valve cleaned. The SUV runs great except the gear whine is very apparent. I am guessing that is normal...maybe? I changed the diff fluid with 75-140 Lucas diff fluid and the noise is still there.

Anyways, the SUV runs great but just yesterday on my way home, the EAS fault message came on and the EAS LEDs are all lit. The good thing is the suspension air bags are fully inflated and are sitting high. It has been sitting like that overnight without deflating.

I looked through various threads and searched online and what I have came across so far were people having trouble keeping the air bags inflated. That's not the case with my Rover at the moment. I do hear clicking and pump activities under the hood.

When I start up the engine, the suspension goes through the usual self leveling act and the right front starts to dip down and then re-raise. That's where it stops. The dash shows the EAS fault message when the key is switched to position two.

If I continue to drive the Rover will it go into the Hard fault mode and then I would have to get it reset at the dealership? Is there a way to pull codes without a code reader (like switching the key in the ignition back and forth a few times...etc.?).

Any advices or suggestion are greatly appreciated and thank you in advance for reading my long thread.

Cheers,

Chris

 

You can try having codes scanned at local auto parts store, most national chains do it for free.

 

In a nutshell the p38 model eas ecu has 2 failure modes
If the eas detects 1 fault it will try to default to standard ride height.
If it detects 2 faults or more it will go to the bumps.
Sometimes the faults are tricky to track down since the code(s) stored may lead you to believe your problem is electrical (such as RF sensor out of range) which i would suspect your vehicle stored code would be. Air spring leaks are common. Leaks at the valve block where the hoses enter are common. The air spring rubber bladder cracks and will leak like a bicycle tube with a hole in it. They can deceive you, they will pump up and hold sometimes and then leak at a certain ride height all the way to flat. Soapy water sparyed on anything air related is your best bet to find leaks just look for bubbles



Heres some good reading for you.
Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes

This guy makes a fantastic product (eas buddy) that will read and clear eas faults.
it really works! A must have if you insist on saving your suspension
He also has a computer interface program that works great for
more in depth diagnosis and system calibration.
http://www.rswsolutions.com/

Heres another great site where you can purchase valve block oring kits and more
TruePoints4x4.com

 

Thank you for your replies Savannah and Thereakassmikeg.

The PO owner said he had something done in the valve block storage area as well as the suspension air bags. What I really hate was the fact he did not retain the papers for the work done and advised me to go to the dealership to get the history. Unfortunately, the dealership has closed down. But this is a whole other story.

In the morning when I start the car, I hear a very audible high frequency whining coming from what I think is the compressor (black round unit under the hood on the passenger side). It goes on for about 15 - 30 seconds or so.

At the time of the EAS light flashing, the GPS screen went into a freeze mode...the screen still lit but no characters shown, the radio was playing but volume was low and could not be turned up or down. That was the weirdest thing. I wonder if I got a short somewhere.

Unfortunately, it gets dark much sooner now and by the time I get out of work, it's not worth looking at the fuses. I'm hoping to have more time this weekend to look over the car in the garage. I've been working on the car 2 weekends straight (mostly all maintenance work).

I read about the threads on the buddy software and suspension override kit. I'm glad you're pointing me to that as it's probably something worthwhile to invest into.

Thank you again gentlemen.

Chris

 

if it goes down on the ground then its air part of the system. if it doesn't go down look at the height sensors. if they aren't broken then have them read at a shop that can actually read them. LR independant or a dealer.

 

The air suspension went down to the bump stops while I was on my way the wine country with some friends. I had to turn back home and get my other SUV.

Last night, I was able to make a serial cable and downloaded the freeware (thank you RWS Solutions) online. I hooked up the cable to the OBDII and erase the stored EAS fault(s). The air suspension is back up and running and the Hard Fault cleared up. It's quite a nice and life saving piece of software.

I also ordered the M.A.R.S piggyback system to double the insurance against EAS ECU failure while on the road. Thank you everyone for your input.

On a side note, I pulled the IAC valve out and sprayed it with throttle body cleaner until the gate moves freely inside (very similar to my BMW IAC). I was also able to replace all 8 spark plug cables within 2 hours work. The result is much better idling and acceleration and the motor runs so much smoother. I'm really loving my Rover.

Cheers,

Chris

 

The eas unlock suite is great software, but please don't
use it as a band aid. read the faults, use the program to real
time monitor the height sensors, analyze the data, make a diagnosis,
and then a permenant repair.
What were the stored faults?

 

Hello Mike. Your advice is well taken and thank you. I did the stop-gap solution very late last night and it was cold. I didn't take the time to check for fault codes thoroughly. I looked through it quickly but the software did not show any faults. Next time the system acts up or showing signs, I will plan the task more thoroughly. Also, I plan on making a nicer OBDII cable as the one I made last night was just to get me up and running. I had already ordered some OBDII connectors for the new cables I plan to make. They will be kept in the car with the computer on long trips. I don't plan to do any off-roading activities any time soon and the most off-roading activity I would ever do is on snow...yes I know. @:-)

Cheers,

Chris