2006 lr3 109k miles.


Was pulling into my driveway today and went a bit further than normal driving a path into 1 foot of fluffy snow. The suspension went into "extended suspension lower when clear of obstacle"


After backing out and heading down the street, the whole car dropped - like zero suspension at all. I pulled back into my spot and tried to put it into Normal Height and all I hear is was what sounds like multiple puffs of air - then suspension fault.


Is this a fault or a suspension bag that some how popped? The LR3 is literally sitting on the tires at this point.

 

Sounds like you high-centered on the snow and the LR3 went into Extended Height to get itself un-stuck. In the meantime, it's possible that some of your height sensors and/or associated wiring got wet and has thrown the system into a tizzy. Just a theory...what has happened since your post?

You can try a hard reset if it's not at Normal height already. I doubt it's a mechanical issue with the EAS...the system has proven to be a lot more robust than that.

 

Thanks for your response, it is very much not at normal height, in fact it looks as though it's sitting on all four wheels at the moment.

When I try and raise the height I get what sounds like a lot of air releasing from the front left portion of the vehicle. I hear the compressor kick on but its all puffs of air- as if its releasing straight out and not filling the air shocks.

What's this about a hard reset?

 

The hard reset instructions are as below. It costs nothing to try it and nothing bad ever happens as a result of the hard reset and sometimes, problems are resolved.

In your case, I think something mechanical has broken so a hard reset will not resolve the problem. A little bit of fluffy snow should not cause the 3 to go into extended mode but that it did by the sound of it. As such, as a result of the extended lifting, perhaps an air spring bag has torn, and that is what you are hearing - air escaping as fast as the compressor can make air. And, yes, your 3 will be down on the "stops" as a result.

I think you may have to find a shop that knows something about air suspension to effect a repair.

Within the link below are a couple of files showing the air system layout.

DISCO3.CO.UK Photo Gallery - FASKIT Air Suspension Installation

Hard Reset Instructions

In brief, to start the hard reset process, open the hood but close all doors and let your 3 go to sleep - no radio display etc and no key in the ignition.This will take a couple of minutes and do not open any doors until the reset is completed.(I find that it is often a good idea to have the drivers door window rolled down and the key in my pocket whenever fooling about the vehicle.)

Also when I play with a car battery, I remove any rings I have from my fingers, also my watch.

Disconnect the ground battery terminal from the main starting battery.
Disconnect the positive battery terminal from the main starting battery.

The reason for this order is if a wrench or loose battery cable ends grounds to the body, no arcing or other bad things happen.

(I assume that you only have one battery in your 3. If not, disconnect the others as well and leave them disconnected until after all is done.)

Connect the negative cable to the positive cable. (NOT the battery.) To do this, you will need a short length, (a foot or so), of light gauge, (14 to 18 gauge AWG, insulated stranded copper), wire to span between the battery cable ends as there is not enough slack in the positive and negative battery cables for the ends to touch each other.

Hold all together for about a minute or more, (at least two minutes), as you are discharging memory modules within the engine computer and elsewhere.Then it is suggested you then just let all sit disconnected for say ten minutes, (minimum five minutes), prior to commencing to put the battery cable ends back on the battery posts per the following order.

Reattach positive terminal to the main starting battery positive post.
Reattach negative terminal to the main starting battery negative post.

Start engine and hopefully none or at least fewer warning lights and the radio when turned on plays music rather than being silent.
Reset time on the radio - note that the station presets are still there as not everything is erased.Nothing much else needs resetting either.
You can also now connect up the other batteries if you have a multiple battery setup.

This is a link to a thread in disco3 re the hard reset procedure. http://bit.ly/14WXXR1

http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic19547.html

This is a link to a thread on Disco3Club re the hard reset procedure.
http://www.disco3club.co.uk/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=3374

 

No air is vented from the front of the vehicle (vent is in the rear), which means the air you hear from the front is due to a leak, more than likely due to a blown air spring. Often times, there can be a tear in the air bladder that doesn't surface until the air spring moves into a certain position.

 

YES YES, the LR3 is a stupid computer that is easily "thrown into a tizzy" but sometimes things actually break as well.

The simple solution is often the over-looked. Everyone fears the big cost and huge time involved in big repairs, but as a result we forget to check the obvious first.

Why assume it is an air spring first? The air travels through air lines and valves, it is more likely that an air line has been broken or disconnected. The front valve block is on the right side of the vehicle, so as per your description of air leakage on the front left, this leaves two things: the lines and the air spring. Air lines are plastic and plastic and cold never add up to flexibility.

Remove the fuse F26 (EAS) from the engine bay fuse panel. Jack up the front left following ALL jacking and lifting SAFETY guidelines (block wheels, use appropriate jack and lifting point, use jack stands, etc) and remove the tire for access. Inspect the air bladder. Inspect the air line connection at the spring and the visible parts of the air line. (On my 3 the line is bright green, so it is easy to follow along the route, hopefully they are all like that.) If all seems well so far, remove the mud liner from the wheelwell. Continue air line inspection.

If nothing obvious shows up, replace the fuse, let the vehicle run and listen for the leak. If you find the area, but still can't find the leak, you can use windshield washer fluid in a small spray bottle to find the leak by watching for bubbles (washer fluid will not freeze like soapy water).

If you can't do this type of work or if you do and can't find the leak the only other option is to bring it in to a shop. If you can't drive it (because it is on the bump stops and the tires are rubbing) then it will have to be towed.

Good luck, be sure to update us on your progress/solution. The same situation is bound to happen to someone else, eventually.

 

Thanks for your input, as well as the others offering the hard reset route.


We've received 70 inches of snow in the last two weeks and I'm currently without a garage so I'll be sending it off to J. Whites Land Rover shop in Framingham Massachusetts. I'm going to suggest the air lines to be checked and air springs.


It is very much coming from the front left quadrant of the vehicle, the compressor kicks over and then stops pumping air after 10 secs or so of trying.


Any idea what type of cost we are talking here if it's air spring vs air lines? Do shops use OEM air springs can I suggest Arnotts?


Thanks all and I will keep you updated once I or a shop gets a handle on whats going on.


Aaron

 

Also wondering if anyone knows the estimated cost for an air spring replacement? Not at a dealer but a land rover specialist.

 

Check the simple stuff first before assuming the worst. Seems to be pretty rare that people have had complete shock assembly failures on this car, but it's certainly possible. My thoughts are the following:

1. Could be an actual air leak. My first guess would be that an air line got ruptured or "disconnected" from somewhere as opposed to a catastrophic shock failure. All of the air components are along the driver's side of the vehicle (except for the front valve block), so are you sure it's the shock that's leaking? Do us a favor and get down underneath the car to see if you can pinpoint where the air sounds is coming from... does it come from the front wheel well (shock related), does it come from underneath the driver's door (reservoir related), or does it come from just in front of the rear wheel (compressor related)? Wherever you hear the air escaping from, do a visual inspection and see if you can find a disconnected air hose or a ruptured hose.

2. My other thought is that there is a pressure sensor (but I don't know offhand where it is located... other than on the reservoir somewhere). Perhaps this got damaged somehow, so the computer doesn't know the pressure, thus it is releasing air because it doesn't want the tank to explode? Just a thought...

 

Oh, and to actually answer your question... you can view the pricing of Arnott springs on their website (https://www.arnottindustries.com/). I would always replace them in pairs though, so plan on doing both front shocks. The Arnotts seem to get generally favorable reviews, though people claim the ride may be a bit stiffer than the OEM shocks. As far as labor, I have no idea, but would assume maybe 3 hours for both shocks? Just a guess there...