EAS is no longer filling with air. The compressor does run, for three short cycles, before an amber suspension fault shuts it down.

Background: Over the past two years, the system would indicate an amber suspension fault warning and cut off the compressor, almost exclusively during cold temperatures. Nearly flawless all summer. No sagging. Easily fixed by shutting down and restarting.

A few months ago, the fault returned during warm weather, accompanied by the front end sagging, both overnight and while driving. Fixed by shutting down and restarting. The sagging became progressively worse, losing so much air at the front that the ride quality was affected as the LR3 approached the bump stops. Then one day a 'pop' and that was the end of the system filling with air.

Upon opening the compressor cover, desiccant beads spilled out, along with the drier filters, both paper and metal. I have not yet removed any components, but a visual inspection of the drier, as much of it as I can see, does not show any damage. The end cap with the two air lines is not damaged and appears connected.

Could the desiccant and filters, intact, have been ejected by the drier without damage to the housing?

Will the LR3 remain drivable if the compressor unit is removed (for further diagnosis without the need to immediately reinstall it,) or will the system detect a missing compressor and immobilize the vehicle?​​​​​​

 

Your dryer blew apart, especially since you see the filters from inside. Guessing at the opposite end of the cap where two plastic parts are welded together. Second time I heard about this happening, someone just posted about it.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/lr...lew-up-109792/

So you need a new dryer. The question is why did it blow? The system itself protects against over-pressurization. But in theory the dryer itself could have had a severe restriction. It is also possible the dryer was defective or a cheap defective replacement. It could also have been a lingering issue causing performance issues with the compressor. Meaning the dryer failure could have started as a leak at first. Either way, compressor comes out and a new dryer goes in. See how it works then. Issues continue then its not just the dryer at fault.

You can operate without the compressor, but if you have a leak it will drop of course. You certainly want to disable the system, pull a fuse, to prevent the valve blocks from opening and possibly loosing more air. You do NOT want to drive on the bump stops unless you have a strong desire to get all new air struts installed too.

 

That was my LR3 that blew up the dryer. I'm gonna say it was most likely a cheap amazon part that had a flaw in it. I replaced mine with a genuine LR part and my compressor works just fine. I actually found another issue with my front air valve. It had a very slow leak on one of the lines. When I replaced the air valve I apparently didn't tighten the line as tight as it could go (was scared of overtightening). It eventually started leaking more to a point where I could hear it leaking out behind the bumper. Pulled the inner fender trim and cranked it down and all is good.

 

The exhaust end of the drier had exploded.

I decided to replace the entire EAS compressor with a Dunlop unit. There was already a Dunlop compressor fitted, but I do not know its age. Cost and suspension issues considered, I opted for the entire unit. The new compressor is only slightly quieter. I suspect the clam shell cover not being fully closed is partially to blame. The tabs do not meet and there is no bottom bolt fitted to the lower portion of the cover. I now have a vibration through the floor when the compressor runs. Notably, there are two issues with the mounting bracket. First, the upper bolt is not fitted. It was missing when I removed the bracket and I was unable to attach a new bolt in that spot, so the bracket is held on by only the two bottom bolts. Secondly, the bolt that passes through a rubber damper at the end of the compressor motor had to be cut out and the captive end (the circled part on the picture,

) was cut off, so there is now a nut, bolt and a series of washers in its place. Could this be affecting the vibration dampening? Also, with the two side bolts securing the compressor to the bracket, the compressor swings freely inside the bracket. I assume this is correct operation.

Because there is still a leak present at the front, the compressor cycles on and off constantly. Sometimes it runs for a minute, other times mere seconds, shuts off, and restarts almost immediately. The leak must be substantial. When the amber suspension light is triggered the compressor no longer shuts down. The remaining fault code is

C1130-66 (AF) Air spring air supply - Algorithm based failure - signal has too many transitions/events

so, it appears I need new front air springs.

Also, at startup the vehicle continues to occasionally think it is in extended mode.

 

1 - I am missing upper bolt on the bracket too, just a paint to get to without some magical assortment of swivels. If the lower two are snug, I don't think there will be an issue. The covers though need to be snug, so if loose that will cause some noise. I don't have the lower bolt either, but unless the cover is in direct contact with the bracket there it is probably not a noise issue. I will say that new covers that have nice new foam are quieter than old beat up ones where the fog is saturated with grime and lost its acoustic properties.The actual compressor mounts would probably affect noise too, three of them. Not sure if the compressor came with new ones. Some do, some don't.

If you have a leak that big, you likely can hear it. And it wold have to be after the valve block since, in theory, the valve block is sealed when not in use. So it could be a line attachment point to eh block, a damaged line or the strut. Pump it up, turn off the truck and try bouncing the front end. Listen for leaks. The struts typically leak at the very top.

 

I'd fix them all, in the reverse order you have them listed...and I'd keep the EAS.