Jump to content

How much of a leak?


NeilF

Recommended Posts

After a couple (3?) of days of not using the car, I noticed the suspension was down quite a bit on the drivers side. It pumped up ok, and went up to off road height easy enough. Overnight, it doesn't seem to have gone down; does this constitute a leak in the air bag? How bad does it need to get before you need to replace? Do you need to do both sides at the same time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes it is most likely a leaky bag, no you don't need to do both sides, I suppose you can leave it till it won't go up but the wear and tear on the air suspension compressor will be considerable as it isn't designed to keep pumping air into a leaking bag.

A £2 garden plant sprayer with a dilute mixture of fairy liquid and water is the best way to check, stick it up into off road height and spray all around the spring, pipes etc, you will see lots of bubbles where the leak is, usually at the point where the spring folds over on itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes it is most likely a leaky bag, no you don't need to do both sides, I suppose you can leave it till it won't go up but the wear and tear on the air suspension compressor will be considerable as it isn't designed to keep pumping air into a leaking bag.

A £2 garden plant sprayer with a dilute mixture of fairy liquid and water is the best way to check, stick it up into off road height and spray all around the spring, pipes etc, you will see lots of bubbles where the leak is, usually at the point where the spring folds over on itself.

Thank you very much, I'll do the spray test, but if it takes a day or two to go down, will I see much?. I need to do a longish drive next week; Is it likely to get worse quickly or will it wait 'till I get back?

Addendum: Just called the Dublin main dealer - 290 +VAT for one air spring! Arghhh!, I feel online shopping coming on......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Less than £100 for one, i just changed one on mine.

The new one had a quick fix fitting on so i just chopped the top off the old one with a screwdriver which took a bit of time off the job.

I do however still have a problem with mine leaning, gonna put a topic out today see if anyone can help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine was going down intermittently for a while before I changed it . Sometimes stayed up for days , then could go down when parked for an hour . But always came up .

IF on any occasion its not inclined to inflate I found that driving back and forwards a few metres always got it to work .So I don't think you need worry about the bag giving up completely any time soon . But as bogmonster pointed out the compressor is working overtime - so don't leave it too long .

I live in Galway and asked the main dlr for a price - I think it €250 + VAT then .

I got mine from Paddocks in a few days - just over a €100 all in I think .

Fitting is easy - just cut the air pipe as close as possible to the old union and then just insert the end into the fitting on the new airbag.

I didn't know this at the time and screwed the old union out of the old airbag and into the new one . I read later that the union in the new bag is pressure tested so I was lucky I didn't have a leak afterwards . Hasn't gone down since .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never tested mine with spray but at first it could be fine for a few days in a row including overnight parking etc - and then I'd park it and come back in an hour to find it had gone down .

Very intermittent and unpredictable . I noticed once that when I was trying to replace a light bulb and spent some time in and out of the boot with engine off it went down . You could try sitting in the boot for a few minutes with engine off and see if it goes down .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never tested mine with spray but at first it could be fine for a few days in a row including overnight parking etc - and then I'd park it and come back in an hour to find it had gone down .

Very intermittent and unpredictable . I noticed once that when I was trying to replace a light bulb and spent some time in and out of the boot with engine off it went down . You could try sitting in the boot for a few minutes with engine off and see if it goes down .

Well, it's started to go down much more regularly, and although it certainly starts at the drivers side, the other side seems to go down too, in sympathy. Is there full separation between the two sides? New one on order from Craddocks - even with postage, it's one third of the price of one from the dealers here.

I was thinking of having a go at replacing it myself, is there anything particularly tricky about it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as I know the sides are independent of each other - it's possible that you need to change both as it stands to reason they would both wear out together .

When I bought my Disco the LH (nearside) one was replaced just the week I got it - the owner told me it was gone down every morning .

The drivers side (offside ) began to go down about a month after I got it . I carried on for a while and eventually replaced it . Have had no problem since .

They are easy enough to change - just see my earlier post re cutting the air feed pipe .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as I know the sides are independent of each other - it's possible that you need to change both as it stands to reason they would both wear out together .

When I bought my Disco the LH (nearside) one was replaced just the week I got it - the owner told me it was gone down every morning .

The drivers side (offside ) began to go down about a month after I got it . I carried on for a while and eventually replaced it . Have had no problem since .

They are easy enough to change - just see my earlier post re cutting the air feed pipe .

Thanks for the feedback! The car stayed up overnight and went down when parked during the day. While the drivers side was worse, the passenger side was also down. Is there no cross talk at all between the two side? If not, and bearing in mind the negative fairy liquid test on the air bag, could this suggest another problem area? I will replace the drivers side and see how it goes. If that cures it, well and good; if not (and if it stays up on that side, but goes down on the other) then I'll replace the other side. If it still goes down....lets not go there yet :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you consider that a side can stay up for a few days , then go down in an hour , then not go down again for a few days it would indicate that a leak can be sealed temporarily - and if you test it while its sealed then all will appear fine . :unsure:

Leaks generally appear to occur where there are folds in the airbag - maybe if you have the suspension at its full height you will have access to all the bag . At normal height the lower part will be folded .

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