Well folks, another day another adventure in RR ownership

So.... for the past week or so Ive been getting an Air Suspension Fault bong at some stage almost every day. Once the ignition is switched off it usually clears itself and Im able to lift or drop the suspension and all appears well again, although when lowering height the suspension will nearly always revert to Extended Mode telling me to clear obstacle before allowing me to drop it to road height again.

Today however, all was fine until I called in to get it washed and freshened up. Now this may just be a coincidence, but when I got home 10 minutes later and went to reverse in to park I got another bong only this time the dash message was HDC Fault - System Inactive along with an amber exclamation warning light and an amber traction control warning light and I can now do nothing with the suspension. It also appears to be sitting higher than normal, the engine cooling fan is constantly running when the ignition is switched on and when I switch it off and get out I can hear a squeaking sound five or six times coming from the drivers side front wheel arch, something which Ive never heard before.

Can any of you knowledgeable folk tell me what causes the HDC warning, do I need it diagnosed to resolve it and could it be anything to do with the height sensors as these were the next items to replace on my list as the suspension has always been temperamental since I bought the car a year ago.

As usual any and all advice is greatly appreciated  Current collection :

2007 Vogue TDV8 Stornoway grey, black on black
1982 JCB Sitemaster (resto)
1970 MGB
BMW R1200GS

IIRC the cause of the car going to extended height when trying to lower is that it is taking too long and the car thinks it's on an obstruction. The remedy seems to be to check the exhaust silencer (filter) on the suspension compressor as it may be blocked, causing slow lowering. Drill a 2mm hole staight through it and try again.

I'd suggest try that first and then see what problems remain.

The other problems may clear but if not then it may be coincidental low battery. Check the charging voltage and battery condition and the connections to it.


HTH Cheers
Richard

(there are no such things as an ordinary FullFat, an ordinary cat or too many tools)
2011 TDV8 Vogue Santorini Black
Gap IIDBT

And don't forget most suspension faults are hard faults and need to be reset to clear the showing errors, not just fixed, so you may need a diagnostic tool that can sort out a fatty...  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

First off as suggested check the battery is charged low battery sends out all sorts of spurious warnings.

However, when mine did this exact same thing, it was the steering angle sensor that had worn and stopped doing what its supposed to. Its a doughnut shaped thing that sits around the steering column under the dash tells the ecu which way the wheels are facing, its a to change but that sorted mine. For some reason it renders the air suspension inactive.

Check for vacuum leaks too. PCV valve and the vacuum tube to the brake booster.

Thanks for all your replies guys. It really is appreciated

The battery was only replaced 12 months ago and is reading 12.7V not running and 14.4Vish running so Im gonna discount that.

I take it the exhaust silencer is the little brass coloured cone on the compressor? Ive removed that and air moves through it freely. As you look at it in situ theres a hole through it top to bottom. Would that have been there originally or has someone already been in there and drilled it?

To save a lot of future poking about and guess work I'm gonna ask Santa for an IID tool but for now I'll just pay the £45 and book it into my local indi for a diagnostics report and fault reset next week then get anything faulty sorted then move onwards to the next RR challenge. Might get him to remap it when Im there......just dont tell the wife

Can anyone recommend where to get the replacement height sensors from and is it best to refit LR's extortionately priced originals or will after market sensors suffice? What about Ford, BMW or Jaguar? Any of their sensors do the job?

If it wasnt for the fact that I love driving the beast Id park it in my field and treat it to a gallon of petrol and a match  Current collection :

2007 Vogue TDV8 Stornoway grey, black on black
1982 JCB Sitemaster (resto)
1970 MGB
BMW R1200GS

GrunterNI wrote:

Thanks for all your replies guys. It really is appreciated Thumbs Up

The battery was only replaced 12 months ago and is reading 12.7V not running and 14.4Vish running so Im gonna discount that.

I take it the exhaust silencer is the little brass coloured cone on the compressor? Ive removed that and air moves through it freely. As you look at it in situ theres a hole through it top to bottom. Would that have been there originally or has someone already been in there and drilled it?

To save a lot of future poking about and guess work I'm gonna ask Santa for an IID tool but for now I'll just pay the £45 and book it into my local indi for a diagnostics report and fault reset next week then get anything faulty sorted then move onwards to the next RR challenge. Might get him to remap it when Im there......just dont tell the wife Whistle

Can anyone recommend where to get the replacement height sensors from and is it best to refit LR's extortionately priced originals or will after market sensors suffice? What about Ford, BMW or Jaguar? Any of their sensors do the job?

If it wasnt for the fact that I love driving the beast Id park it in my field and treat it to a gallon of petrol and a match

Don't cheap out and use a flare instead. You're welcome

Seriously though, get the IID. It's worth every penny

I’m just about to buy a Gap Diagnostics IID tool.. does any one know if there is a forum discount code or anything similar?? 2010 RR 4.4tdV8 Autobiography
1966 Series 2A 2.25 Petrol SWB - Sold

Hi Grunter

Yes the silencer is the brass bit and it does appear someone has done the mod earlier

The voltages look fine and sorry to not be more help.

The iiD is the way to go and I'm going to leave sourcing sensors to more knowlegeable folk who'll be along. Cheers
Richard

(there are no such things as an ordinary FullFat, an ordinary cat or too many tools)
2011 TDV8 Vogue Santorini Black
Gap IIDBT

For the height sensor I used OEM replacement (not original lr but looks identical) from island 4x4, and it works great  RR HSE 4.4 2006 LPG

i need to save this info
thanks every one RR 2005 4.4 petrol
Any spelling mistakes are the fault of spellchecker
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