Hello All,

thank you for welcoming me in this new forum.
Don has already sent me some thoughts about an issue I face.
below, you will find my message and his reply.
do not hesitate to tell me more in order to make a proper troubleshooting.



Thank you for this post and the attachments.

very useful and detailed.

I am an owner of a 2007 xj8, equiped with this air suspension system. This car mileage is 30 000 only, so very low.. the car is in very good condition.

I live in northern Scotland, so quite cold this time !



I bought this car last year, and I have noticed that after at least 24 to 48 hrs, the front side level dampers (both) goes down to the lowest height. Complete bleeding off ..?

however, the rear ones, remains at their normal height.



when I open my car, pressing the key button to unlock the door, I hear and observe a level adjustement on the rear ones (maybe to compensate with the front dampers depressurization ??, switching the another mode as per the manual)

The first obvious approach would be to think about a leakage.



however, when I turn on the engine, roughly, one or two times out of three, the compressor starts up and the front level directly rises up.

but !! Sometimes, even if the level is low in the front (no error message in the dashboard), When I start up the engine, the compressor does not start up. I wait 10-20 mins, still nothing happens.

then, I start to drive a bit to pass the threshold of 40km/h, and then, once parked back, the compressor starts.

it is very inadvertent and random behaviour.





could you advise me on What other checks can I do ?



I went to Jaguar today, for a servicing. They kept the car 24hrs, not enough time to have the phenomenon of lowering down the car.

they did not find any fault/defect in their system ....



Would that be the manifold block valve which is in fault in the reservoir line ?

Lets go for troubleshooting !



Thank you all for your help.



Regards

Antoine

REPLY FROM DON BELOW:

Hello Antoine,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us.

I have moved your post to start your own thread.

The most likely cause of your symptoms is a leak in one or both front air spring top seals. The top seals are large rubber moldings that wrap around the aluminum upper plates in the assembly and seal the top of the air bladder. As the rubber seals harden, when the aluminum plates contract in cold temperatures, small leaks open between the seal and plate. Since both front air springs are inflated and deflated together, when one leaks, both units sink.

You can test for a top seal leak by spritzing soapy water into the recess in the tops of the front air spring/damper units, taking care not to wet the electrical connector for the ECATS adaptive damping. Bubbles indicate a leak.

Other potential leak points are the air hose fittings, and the O-rings that seal the pressure-retention valves to the air springs.

Please visit the New Member Area - Intro a MUSTand post a required introduction so we can learn something about you and your Jaguar and give you a proper welcome.

Cheers,

Don

 

Welcome to the Forums.

 

Welcome to the forums Antoine,

Good to have you with us.

I can see you've already found your way to the X350 forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues. You can also use the UK & Eire Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/uk-eire-68/ to find other members in your region.

I've added vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. If you want to change these, go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Welcome Antoine. Sagging like yours is (apparently) a very common problem with the x350. Mine suffers from it too. I have swapped front units and got good but incomplete results. But mine was an easy diagnosis- the right front had a big hole in the side which I could see from just taking the wheel off. Don is "the guy" so I would try his suggestion before spending too much money chasing guesses. Good luck.

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!!

 

Hello, Antonine,
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

Welcome Antoine!

I'll see you in the X350 forum, which is the proper place to discuss the issues with your air suspension.

Cheers,

Don

 

Hello All,

thank. you so much for this warm welcome. I am very pleased to see how many replies I have already got.
Great support !

As recommended by DON, I have carried out the test of soapy water. No bubble neither on the damper top nor on the fitting of the air supply line. (videos in the link)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dek84pzrv...WMKofKyua?dl=0

Should I try a visual QC on the damper block as recommended by jerry_hoback ??
We can also hear a whistling sound, which only occurs when the engine is ON. (second video)

Cheers
Antoine

 

Welcome aboard Antoine.

 

Antoine,

I've removed your email address from post #8. No need to give the spammers who trawl the web looking for personal details any help!

Graham

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Antoine,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help