Greetings

So ... I have an issue with my 2012MY L322 air suspension. According to 4Dcan, it goes like this:

0x1A20 C1A20-00 Pressure increases too slow when filling reservoir
0x1A20 C1A20-64 Pressure increases too slow when filling reservoir - Signal plausibility failure

It appeared to me that the compressor was past it's best (original AMK BH42 3B484-AA), so I opted to buy a replacement. not a genuine factory replacement (because I'm not made of money, you understand) but something described as suitable "LR041777" from a well-known UK auction site.

At first sight, although not identical (the listing *does* say "AMK updated"), it looked like it was just what I needed. And that turns out to be nearly the case (I think). I have thus far not been able to fit it, most likely because I'm too stupid.

The new compressor comes with a pre-fitted short black hose which needs to be connected to the valve block which is mounted on the end of the compressor assembly. Not quite. The new hose has no brass ferrule thingy which needs to screw in to the valve block; the brass ferrule thingy which is on the end of the black pipe fitted to the old compressor is TOTALLY uninterested in allowing me to remove it and swap it to the new unit.

SO ... now to the questions:

1. Am I too stupid?
2. Should I just try harder to get the one off of the old compressor?
3. Is there somewhere I can just buy a replacement brass ferrule thingy?
4. Is there even a remote possibility that the compressor is actually the cause of my heartache?

I appreciate you reading this rubbish I've just posted. If anyone has a clue what I should do next, I'll be really grateful!

Thank you so much!

Hello gm0rdi,

I recently went though a not so similar process.... but hopefully I can help (maybe!).

My issue was leaking air, so I took the compressor apart to replace the desiccant. Then rebuilt all of the control solenoids. But I digress.

I wont comment on your codes 'cause I'm no expert!

The screw fittings to which you refer (I think they are called VOSS - £27 each on the bay £5 each from china) wont come off, or at least from what I saw you will need new ones if you take them off. There's an olive (if the terminology is correct) that clamps on to the hose, a bit like brass water pipe fittings.

Personally I would send it back, say it's NFG and rebuild the one you have - but then I like rebuilding things and saving money.

Can you not use your old black line complete with fitting?

I used 4x4airseals for parts. The chap was very helpful on the phone and by whatsapp. He has kits relating to all codes on his website. He also has videos of how to rebuild the various parts of all of the compressors. I should point out there's no affiliation here, I am just a happy customer.

So the answers:

1. No.
2. No.
3. Yes. Maybe speak to the bloke I mentioned above.
4. Maybe

As said before, the OE compressors are actually pretty good quality and if you are mechanically minded (which is pretty much a pre-requisite to owning an LR product) then once you get it apart you'll see why.

The Compressors work in the same way a garage piston compressor works but - much to my surprise - there is no lubrication.

There's a sealed bearing on the crank and no oil to lube the piston rings.

I rebuilt mine and now the suspension literally springs up. It takes about 2 seconds to raise from access to standard after engine start.

Don't forget that the relays on the compressors also suffer when the compressor starts to fail as they can burn out. I took the cap off mine and inspected it and the contacts are fine. But then again I repaired my compressor as preventative maintenance, it was still working fine. Christian.


Current Cars
2011 Range Rover Vogue SE
2020 BMW M4 Competition
2019 BMW X4

My RR Blog: www.facebook.com/L322Project
or
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic61540.html

Well, I am grateful for the two gentlemen who took the time and trouble to respond - thank you both. I have a resolution, and the answer was "none of the above". However, your responses DID shore up my determination to get to the bottom of the issue without being bled dry by a main stealer

This is going to turn out to be a long post, but I think it's worth sharing the unexpurgated story, since it might just help some other poor soul along the way. It's my estimation that the root cause of my troubles probably turns out to have been a puncture in the O/S/R tyre. But in the end, that's conjecture (and you'll see why if you read the whole sorry tale).

I have been at periscope depth while I worked through this particularly irritating issue. What I didn't mention previously was that this fault came hot on the heels of having suffered faults with both "variable damping" (first) and "maximum speed 30mph" (second). Those two were unrelated to each other, but there is an outside possibility that the second was somewhere in the mix, but we're never going to know for sure.

Let's dismiss the "variable damping" issue right away. That was "the usual" suspect - wiring to a front sensor that had previously been (badly) repaired. That was sorted in a heartbeat. Now, the "maximum 30mph" fault was a real puzzle. It started as what seemed to be a "once-a-week" suspension fault message that turned up initially as I ascended the rough track to our cottage, and went away after restarting the car. Over a period of about a month it gradually got worse, to the point where it degenerated into the "maximum 30mph" scenario about every two minutes, and the ride felt like driving a pogo stick! Since I was now faced with either sorting it out or driving wifey's Freelander 2 for the rest of my days, it was time for action.

I ordered the 4Dcan software from Storey and a USB OBD scanner from that online store that sells everything from A to Z. Life's too short for reading all of the suspension faults that were logged, so I just cleared them all and drove the car down the drive. Now we have an articulation fault, with its old friend "signal implausibility failure". So, it's clearly sensor-related, then. A quick check of the "4x4 info" screen in the dash showed the likely suspect to be the O/S/R wheel sensor. Hmmm ...

In the local village we are lucky to have not a garage, but a family-owned Motor Engineer business. They do stuff like actually fix things rather than part-swapping and deliver coal / bread / milk / whatever free of charge to little old ladies who are stuck indoors because of COVID-19, the snow, etc. GOOD FOR THEM! They are GREAT at mending our menagerie of vehicles, but are not absolute experts in air suspension issues - but they're game for a laugh.

When I mentioned this to the lads, they suggested that the O/S/R ride height sensor could well have been damaged by the odd angle and height I had to jack the car up at to swap the wheel when I had that puncture (you remember me mentioning that, right?). So, I ordered a pair of rear ride height sensors from (name your favourite pattern parts supplier here) and they fitted them for me (I'm way too old and infirm for crawling around under cars, and I can't really be bothered anyhow).

What then followed was about 10 days of absolute bliss. Until ... the dustbins / recycling bins are at the end of our drive (a half-mile rough track, down hill to the road), and I needed to stop and drop off some rubbish. I hopped out of the car, threw the bags in the bins, got back in, and there it was ... "SUSPENSION FAULT". We're now finished with the back story, and at the point where I started asking for advice here on this forum -"Pressure increases too slow" scenario.

So, I checked everything I could easily physically get at (compressor / valve block in the boot / compressor relay) and that all appeared to be fine. Nothing for it, but to ask the lads at the Motor Engineers to put it on their ramp and have a look at the air lines / tank / etc.

After about 10 minutes of me clearing the fault to make the compressor run so they could squirt things with soapy water, Robbie found a connector in what I assume is the main line from the compressor to the air tank; picture of what he found (in the state he found it) is attached. Since no joint is shown on the parts list, I am going to assume that this is the result of a fix before I owned the vehicle. Of course, it was tucked away right above the axle on the O/S/R, and looking at the dirt on the crack, I suppose it is not beyond the realms of possibility that it too was damaged during the wheel-changing episode previously mentioned.

The object in question is a "6mm 2 Way Straight Tube Hose Pneumatic Air Quick Fitting Push in Connector"; £5.49 including free next day delivery (under certain circumstances, of course) for a bag of 10 of the little blighters from the aforementioned online store

The moral? It is probably not what you think it is. Never give up. Don't throw money at it - ask here first

Click image to enlarge

Thanks for the answer to your problem, its always good to hear of a positive outcome. 2 of those connectors and a roll of the 6mm pipe live in my emergency kit and have been there since my p38a days. 2007 TDV8 VSE
2003 TD6 gone.
2002 P38a gone
1999 P38a gone
1997 p38a gone
1993 VSE gone
1992 VSE gone
1966 Series 2a with V8 conversion gone

First off, I wish I could write clearly and logically like you mate, very clear.
The only thing I don't understand and hope you can explain is after you had the new sensors installed you had 10 days of it working ok? So do you think the connector failed after the sensors were installed?
Thanks Kev.

Hello Kev.

Yes - it is clear that the connector hadn't totally failed at the time the sensors were replaced.

I spent an hour the day following the sensor replacements recalibrating the ride height, so I must have had it from access height - standard height - off-road height and back again twenty times while all that was going on. That could never have happened with that connector being broken.

At the back of this is a variant of what I learned during 40 years of software development: "There's always one more bug!". Well, with a Range Rover, there's always one more fault

Glad you got it sorted mate.

I've had a good look through the workshop manual and it does not show any couplers on the main line from the compressor to the reservoir valve block, or from the reservoir valve block to the reservoir itself.

One could only conclude that this coupler is the result of a previous repair. Christian.


Current Cars
2011 Range Rover Vogue SE
2020 BMW M4 Competition
2019 BMW X4

My RR Blog: www.facebook.com/L322Project
or
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic61540.html