Got a really perplexing problem with the Air Suspension on my MY05 FF. Haven't got a clue what's wrong.

About 5 weeks ago, started getting the Front LH Xenon bulb going out with the Check Low Beam Message. Turned off the headlights and turn back on again, LH headlight would come back to life and operate for a minute or two, then go out again. No problem I thought, replaced both Xenon Bulbs and normal operations resumed, or so I thought.
Then over the last week or so, I've noticed the suspension on the passenger side has been dropping slightly, both front and rear. Start the FF and it immediately self-levelled. HMMM, possibly a slight leak in the front airbag?
Put the IID BT tool on the FF on saturday and checked for error codes...none recorded. Checked live values for EAS, everything looked normal (Heights in Standard, Reservoir Pressure and Compressor Temp.), so tried to put into Off-Road Setting. Back end rose as expected but front end stayed at Standard Height. Reservoir Pressure had dropped to 140ish PSI then returned to 188PSI and Compressor didn't overheat, but orange Off-Road Light on dash just kept blinking. Turned EAS knob to return to Standard Height and light on dash returned straight away to Middle position, then the orange hold light came on the knob.
The orange hold light stays on and nothing worked on the EAS, until I either press (and hold) the brake pedal or switch on the lights, then the hold light goes out and the EAS goes into Access Mode, Motorway Height or Standard height, but not Off-Road height.
Then this morning, on my way to work in the dark, the LH front Xenon starts going out, with the bong and message, switch off and on and it works for a brief time. Next thing I know, the front suspension just drops straight to the bump stops and won't do a thing. Checked for error codes and nothing comes up for EAS ECU, but LCM has 0x57 Air Suspension Active/Inactive message stored. Cleared code, but now all four corners have gone to bump stops and EAS is totally inactive. When I do a fault code read and reset, the EAS tries to rise a bit and then drops straight back down.

So my question is, has anyone experienced anything like this and could it be a faulty LCM causing the EAS not to work?

Checked battery voltage, 14.1V on tickover. Checked for water ingress in the back, all dry. May need to get the LCM out and check that, but any suggestions greatly welcomed.

P.S. The LH headlight is back to working normally without problem!

Hi dt could be lcm would have a look for water ingress.
other than that I don't know.
Good luck with fixing.

Might be worth checking if you have an intermittent connection and earth.

As I understand it the LCM logs faults but doesn't cause them, the problem will be somewhere else, maybe a leak or faulty height sensors, chaffed wiring.... etc Pete
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This sounds like a leaky bag playing a game of "How not to be seen!" I seem to remember similar symptoms when I sprang a leak at the front. Not sure that the headlight has anything to do with it - possible headlight failure considered safety feature by car therefore shuts down other parts such as EAS (e.g. low brake fluid sensor will disable EAS)

Try battery reset procedure along with resetting all codes?

I could be wrong, but that is where I would look first. .
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^ +1 John
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Are you seeing valid height sensor readings on all corners?
Are all supply voltages correct?

If you're not getting logged errors as such, then for the system to not work, it has to be thinking or seeing some reading that is out of the ordinary. I'd be going through every sensor and switch reading and asking is that what it should be?

As for getting the eas back, try reset it with the door open so that the tank fully charges without trying to inflate a bag, then close the door and see how much it lifts before giving up. That way your not relying on slow lift by the compressor. You can do that in stages too, so after the tank has dumped a load into the airbag ( you hear it empty ), then open the door again to allow tank to fill full and repeat. V8 or else ...

Many thanks for the ideas and suggestions guys, much to ponder and investigate.
Unfortunately, it's gonna have to wait for a few days, what with Xmas being almost upon us, but I'll get to work at the weekend when I've got a bit of spare time (and weather allowing...it's been horrendous up here in Cumbria over the last month). I'll report on any findings when I've got some news.

Thanks again everybody , hope you all have a trouble free Xmas!!

DT

it may be unrelated but I had an issue with bulbs on my 54 plate.. The build would flicker and sometime stay on or sometimes go off. Turned out to be a ballast on it;s way out.

Unrelated to the EAS though but maybe worth a look. Ash
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Well, initial update.

Finally got a chance to have a good look at the FF and the issues. Did the hard battery reset...no change to the problems, except that when I pressed the 'hold' button on the EAS (even though it's still lit) got a message on the dash stating 'TRAILER MODE'. Hmmm, did a bit further searching on here and thought...Could it be the Trailer Module causing part of the problem.

So, emptied the boot and opened the spare wheel well to find...water, not a lot but obviously something that had caused/contributed to the failures. Removed the spare wheel to find that one of the large grommets had been damaged and 'pushed through' the floor pan, so that water has got into the wheel well. I've disconnected the Trailer Module (in the right hand electronics cubby in the boot), the hold light on the EAS button has now gone out, but the EAS is still not functioning (although it seems to try and then gives up, but with no Faults being recorded on the IID Tool).

Next step is to finish drying out the wheel well and then checking all connections for moisture/corrosion. Compressor is still operating fine though, just no movement on the air springs. I reckon I may have a leak on the LHF air spring which could be an extra contribution to the fun and games, but will need to double check tomorrow.

Anyhoo, it's now too dark and wet to do any more, so time for a beer and further searches for clues on the forum. Soon as i have any further info, will post it up.

DT

Not sure on this but worth a check, there is a "re-enable EAS" choice on the IID, don't think you have to do it after clearing faults but it can't hurt....  Pete
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Unnecessary quote removed

Unless you've been driving through deep water (entirely possible in Cumbria at the moment!) then water won't travel uphill, in other words it's unlikely the water in your wheel well will have come from the grommet on the boot floor.
I too had about an inch of water sitting in the wheel well after finding trouble with the EAS (error of overheating compressor that wasn't, the damp caused issues with the temperature sensor). After drying the boot and connectors out and forcing the compressor to run to dry itself out (using the IID tool) I haven't had any issues since (2-3 years).
After much tracing the water was getting in from the bolt holes for the rear bumper beam, I sorted those when installing a tow bar (comes with gasket) and I also replaced the bootlid seal. It's been fine since but I still leave one grommet in the boot floor out as a drain for any future issues...I don't get any water coming in and that includes after driving through some Fords.

I think if you dry the compressor and connectors out, sort the suspected leaking airbag and reset everything then you should be OK but need to sort where the water is getting in.
I would check the operation of height sensors on the front as the LCM also uses those for leveling of the Xenon headlights which might be related to your other issue.

As Haylands says you can try a re-enable of the EAS but I think that is only needed after you disable it using the diagnostics or getting out of Transport mode, it certainly won't hurt trying it.

Hi Weejock, the problems had started to rear their head after two trips through deep floods on the way back from Carlisle, the weekend of the serious flooding. There was a lot of dirty water in the footwell which I dried out and cleaned up. Have noticed though that there has been small quantities of clean (rain) water getting in to the well, but they have been below the compressor, so I think the troublemaking water has got in through the grommet hole. Have checked the boot seal and found a split which would justify the small amounts getting in, so a new tailgate seal is needed first.

I don't have the headlight levelling ecu fitted, so I can rule that out. Just waiting for all this rain and wind to stop, so I can dry everything out fully and start checking connections. I've tried the EAS re-enable with the IID Tool, but to no effect. Strangely, I've been monitoring the height settings with the EAS partially inflated (at least as far as it will raise) and don't seem to be getting signs of a leak as the heights remain stable over the course of several hours.

Thhe puzzle deepens.

If you have had water in the foot wells then the BECM which is under the passenger seat, in a hole, will have got wet or been covered in moisture as the carpets dry...

The carpets have up to 8" of open cell foam on the back of them, they will not dry out on their own and there are quiet a few connectors etc under the carpets, you need to take the whole interior out and the carpets to dry it out properly, took about a week with a dehumidifier when mine went swimming in Wales and filled up...

You want to remove all the ECU's and electrical items you can, clean them in distilled water if they have dirty water on them and dry them properly, preferably in the airing cupboard for the week the insides are drying...

I have moved the large loom from it's trough, there is two inches of water left there, this is under the front passenger seat..



Full inside out, these pics are after mopping up ltrs and ltrs of water that was just sat there





These are the connectors for the BECM, all were totally soaked



Dehumidifier, after drying all the puddles it still pulled out over 6ltrs of water...!!!



The carpets will NEVER dry out if left in situ, they will just rot the floor and the wiring out...



Very thick in places...



To get the front carpet out in one piece you have to remove the entire center console and the lower dash, I loosened them and cut the carpet as high up the transmission tunnel as possible, then they came out in two pieces, you can't see the cut when all back together...

I really wouldn't leave it too long, at least take off the aluminium scuff plates and ram your hand under the carpets to see how bad it is but if you saw water on top of the carpets it will be very wet everywhere....

Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  Pete
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2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

I think I've been lucky (touch wood) in that it's only the spare wheel well that filled up with water. Just been out and checked the front and rear carpets and they seem to be bone dry. Gonna do a more thorough check tomorrow (if this rain will just stop!!) depending on my state of sobriety after tonight.

I am wondering if the water in the boot got to a high enough depth due to the damaged grommet and the majority of it then drained out as soon as i got out of the floods (would also explain the dirty 'tidemark' in the boot wheel well), but enough water has been left in there and then the moisture from the remaining liquids (plus any additional leakage from the split tailgate seal) has then permeated the electrickery connections, causing the cascade of problems.

P.S. Haylands, just noticed in my post I had said footwell, meant to say spare wheel well.