With all of the problem posts, what is considered normal operation on an x350 system? My car has 160450 miles on the clock. It seems to hold a correct inflation for at least ten days without use. Every time I do use the car, it levals and fills the system within a minute. If two people get out of the car, the nose will lower after parking a bit. It seems to adjust to maintain a stance depending how the car is loaded and emptied. Is all of this normal? I have a 2004 vin G25071. Brandon. let's hear from people who have a no problem car so we can compare!

 

Hi Brandon,

Sounds like your suspension behaves quite normally! I wonder if the mild climate of Northern California has anything to do with it? It will be interesting to see if we hear from owners in colder climes whose suspensions are issue-free.

Cheers,

Don

 

Sounds like it's working like it should.

Guus

 

Sounds like the way mine works.

 

That's how mine is working (now that the air lines have been properly secured to the front struts w/ new attaching nuts & olives)

 

Also after a run, you should hear a "whoosh" of air being released at the front as the system blows out the water trap. I don't think this happens every time, it seems to depend on how long the run has been.

 

Yes, I do hear that sound often. I thought it was just the reservoir tank topping up, but what you describe makes sense, expel any moisture.

 

I personally think it has more to do with the car letting off air to lower it again after the people have exited. The venting to remove air is usually after the compressor has run because it has added new, water vapor containing, air to the system.

Guus

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fraser Mitchell
Also after a run, you should hear a "whoosh" of air being released at the front as the system blows out the water trap. I don't think this happens every time, it seems to depend on how long the run has been.


Fraser & Guus,

You are both correct. On our '04, the exhaust valves opens most of the time when I arrive home after a drive, shut off the engine and open the passenger door. I believe this is to backflow dry system air through the desiccant beads in the air dryer to partially reactivate them, as described in the manual.

Also, according to the manual, the suspension adds pressure depending on the number of passengers or the load in the trunk/boot, and relieves the extra pressure once the load is removed.

BTW Fraser, just for clarity, in the U.S. the term "water trap" refers to a device with a jar or vessel into which water vapor condenses into liquid. All of the aftermarket air suspension systems seem to come with one or more of these, and I am considering adding one to our X350. The component in the Wabco compressor is, in U.S. nomenclature, an "air dryer," in which water vapor is adsorbed in a condensed layer on the surfaces of desiccant beads housed in a cylindrical bed. In all the manuals I have, Jaguar uses the term "air dryer" when describing this part of the compressor assembly. Is the term "water trap" used in the U.K. to describe this sort of device filled with desiccant beads?

Cheers,

Don

 

Don
The short answer is I don't know, I use the term 'water trap' to indicate what the dryer does, trap water. I know the kind of 'trap' you're talking about as I've seen them on workshop airline compressor equipment. Of course the use of a dessicant is down to Wabco who make the compressors. They clearly consider this better than other methods but some degree of water does get into the system, the dessicant doesn't remove it all.

 

Hi Fraser,

Wabco isn't the only air compressor manufacturer to use a desiccant-filled dryer: many of the shop compressor manufacturers offer both air dryers and water traps and if I understand correctly, they recommend using both in systems where water is particularly undesirable, such as in spray painting rigs.

I agree with you that the air dryer in the Wabco compressor cannot, and does not adsorb all of the moisture from the air it inhales, which is the reason I keep thinking I may add a true water trap in the system, perhaps just ahead of the valve block. Aftermarket air suspension vendors offer water traps with electric solenoid valves that allow them to be cleared at the press of a button, and the prices are reasonable - under USD $100.

Cheers,

Don