Jump to content

P38 EAS Problem .


P38 Paul

Recommended Posts

Hello peeps , Just wondered if anyone has heard of this problem before ? Every night I park my car everything seems OK with the suspension , I come out in the morning & everything looks good untill I start the car , Then 70% of the time the rear drops on to the bump stops & the front stays where it is , The back comes up again within 2 mins of running the engine so the compressor must be Ok , Has anyone experienced this before ? The car is a m/y 2000 DSE if that helps . All the best , Paul .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

had this on wifes p38 I cleaned connections on tailgate slight corrosion green flux stuff if not connected becm thinks tailgate is open and goes into easy access mode work for me rangie long gone 3yrs now

Isn't the easy access mode on all 4 corners & not just the rear ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I had to guess you have a leak at the tank, which causes the rear to drop down while it's trying to level. A bit strange though, I thought there was a non-return valve there.

It doesn't do it every time , Do you think it could be a faulty non return valve " intermittent " ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely a non-return valve in there:

attachicon.gifeas.PNG

Just opening the inlet valve shouldn't cause it to drop down, unless that NRV is sticking.

Do you hear any air escaping as it does this?

It only happens on first start up in the morning , I am sitting in the car when this happens & being an old diesel I cant here myself think with the racket it makes , Is the NRV in the box with the compressor , or located somewhere else on the car ? If I can get close to it with someone else starting the car up I could have a listen for it dumping the air .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...
On ‎7‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 8:20 PM, P38 Paul said:

Hello peeps , Just wondered if anyone has heard of this problem before ? Every night I park my car everything seems OK with the suspension , I come out in the morning & everything looks good untill I start the car , Then 70% of the time the rear drops on to the bump stops & the front stays where it is , The back comes up again within 2 mins of running the engine so the compressor must be Ok , Has anyone experienced this before ? The car is a m/y 2000 DSE if that helps . All the best , Paul .

Hi everyone , I hope I find you all well .

After all this time I still haven't tackled this EAS problem but have discovered just by chance a way of stopping the back of the car dropping on to the rear bump stops in the morning & here's how its done :- 

I get into the car & switch the ignition on , I give it a few seconds so all the warning lights go out & the glow plug light , then immediately open the drivers door , fire the car up & ' ' ' hey presto ' the car does the P38 dance & all is well 😲

I have been experimenting with it over the last 2 months & with the drivers door shut it drops to the bump stops nearly every time 😉

So there we have it , not a proper fix but it works for me until a later date , hope this help someone with the same problem , all the best Paul .

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 10:05 PM, Blanco said:

Well if it works....I won't knock it;... I don't have the same trouble but   I do need to get back to my valve block one of these dim days, I have been running schraders for too long. 

Hi Bianco , I don't know what it is but the valve block seems such a daunting task to attempt when I don't even know what I'm looking for or what it looks like , so until it goes all together I think ill leave well alone . Good luck with yours when you get around to it . 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎9‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 12:09 PM, Blanco said:

Under the black plastic cover on the LH front inner wing, it not too bad when you get into it. Small bits of dirt and powder from the dryer wreak havoc in older vehicles though. 

Sorry blanco but you misunderstood me , I know where the valve block is , I just fear the worst if I try & strip it down & it wont go back together again , I have put a bid in for a used valve block on flea bay so I can practice on that first , regards Paul .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Its a good plan, and it will give you spare solenoids if any look suspect when you get into yours.. Top tip when you are doing yours for real is to fit a new Dunlop dryer and to keep it sealed against moisture until the last minute and if you have to open the system again after then seal / isolate the dryer. HTSH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Blanco said:

 

Its a good plan, and it will give you spare solenoids if any look suspect when you get into yours.. Top tip when you are doing yours for real is to fit a new Dunlop dryer and to keep it sealed against moisture until the last minute and if you have to open the system again after then seal / isolate the dryer. HTSH

HTSH ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you keep a door open, or your foot on the brake, the EAS will not level the car. But the compressor will run and build pressure. I think Elbekko is right: you have a leak in the NRV and a (possibly small) leak between valveblock and tank. Therefore when the EAS wants to raise the rear, there's not enough pressure to do so and the faulty NRV actually lets air flow from the bags to the tank. Once up to pressure, there's no problem. A valveblock rebuild should solve both problems.

Filip

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Escape said:

If you keep a door open, or your foot on the brake, the EAS will not level the car. But the compressor will run and build pressure. I think Elbekko is right: you have a leak in the NRV and a (possibly small) leak between valveblock and tank. Therefore when the EAS wants to raise the rear, there's not enough pressure to do so and the faulty NRV actually lets air flow from the bags to the tank. Once up to pressure, there's no problem. A valveblock rebuild should solve both problems.

Filip

Ah , got what you mean now Filip , thanks for explaining it in a way that I could understand what was happening .

So if I got a repair kit that should do it then ? Is it an actual 'O' ring that has gone faulty or something else ?

Thanks again for your input & thanks everyone else for helping out with this one , best regards Paul .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The valve block rebuild kit a a bunch of O-rings, not difficult to install, just take your time. It does include the seals for the NRVs, but not new NRVs (they hardly ever fail, usually just leak). The leak from the tank could be in the airline or coupling at the tank as well, but with a rebuild valve block most if not all of your problems should be fixed. You do have to make sure all the airlines going into the tank seal properly, sometimes you need to trim the ends to get a good seal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can get pinhole leaks in the pipes, too - it's worth checking for any damage where they run near the exhaust (particularly where they cross it above the rear axle - which is also a common place for the exhaust to corrode through, though I can't remember if the line to the reservoir runs across there). Feel for rough patches where the pipe has melted.

If you do have a damaged pipe you don't have to replace the whole of it - you can't get push fit joints so you can just cut out and replace a section.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, geoffbeaumont said:

You can get pinhole leaks in the pipes, too - it's worth checking for any damage where they run near the exhaust (particularly where they cross it above the rear axle - which is also a common place for the exhaust to corrode through, though I can't remember if the line to the reservoir runs across there). Feel for rough patches where the pipe has melted.

If you do have a damaged pipe you don't have to replace the whole of it - you can't get push fit joints so you can just cut out and replace a section.

Indeed, I've seen this on 2 cars: the pipe just after the center muffler corroded through and over time both the line to the tank and to the right rear bag melted and all pressure was lost. Not fun when that happens on the M25 while towing a cartrailer!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Just a quick update on this problem , I had the car in the air today & sprayed everything I could see with a soapy water mixture but found no leaks whatsoever , Do you recon my next port of call is the non return valve in the main valve block or can I look for anything else ? note how I am avoiding the valve block like plague LOL .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy