Both sides are LOW. Rear looks fine. Compressor run time error and red warning light.
Cannot hear the leak, suspect drivers side air spring. There was an intermittent squeak the last month or so.
I looked at the Areosus site. These look to be Chinese copies. Might go with RMT rebuild. Also thinking about the factory coil overs that have CAT system. These can fit.
Some of the changeover kits have cheap shocks for a grand. Will fix the air springs ibefore going there.

 

Hi Panelhead,

Your symptoms could be similar to ours. Our front right air spring has a top seal that leaks when temps drop to 40F or below. Since the air lines for both front air springs communicate in the valve block, both front corners drop if there is a leak on either side. Replacing the piston ring/seal in the air compressor has mostly resolved the problem: the compressor can usually overcome the leak in the air spring after running once after startup.

On really cold mornings I may have to start the engine but leave the transmission in Park, allow the compressor to run as long as it will (up to 120 seconds), shut off the engine, wait 45 seconds, then restart and allow the compressor to again run as long as it will. I'll have to address the leaking air spring eventually, but this process has been working for two years, so I just live with it in cold weather.

You might try spritzing some soapy water on the top seals of both front air springs and watch for bubbles. The edge of the seal can be seen around the circular recess in the top of the air spring around the ECATS solenoid electrical connector. Take care not to wet the connector. Also, it may help to run the air compressor for one or two cycles before spritzing the soapy water so the air spring has sufficient pressure to force air out of the leak.

In the meantime, if your leak is small, restarting the engine a couple of times to allow the compressor to run one or two additional cycles may allow you to drive the car safely.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don, I was wondering how, with a compressor in good shape (as yours) to do the job in these circumstances, the leak can be overcome.
Is it due to the fact that maybe once under pressure the seals on top of the shock seal better and therefore further impose a lessened load to the compressor (requiring a restart only on a less frequent basis)?

I have noticed on my car when resting for several days that the possible low suspensions under cold happen on a non consistent way.
Sometimes they seem not to move, other times they move up and down when time passes (due to the tank replenishing the shocks at every daily check by the ASM) as if it depends on the way some seals find their right place or adjust their shape to ensure leak tightness.
Meaning that the bladders are still good but the sealing is not perfect especially under cold.
I am wondering whether this weakness of the seals (excluding here the compressor and the bladders failures) was also observed in the early years of the X350 with shocks quite new (so a flaw in the design) or if it happens only under age. Unfortunately not easy to trace back and in any way not repairable...

 

It failed on the way to work. It is 70 degrees. Tried the soapy water and see no bubbles at top of shock.
Also it does not raise any. Leak is large enough that compressor cannot raise the front end. When from no issues to bottomed out.
My mechanic can pressure up to check for a leak. Suspect it is driver side front air spring. It started to squeak a little.
Will figure out what is needed.

 

Are you sure your compressor is up to the task?
It may be the culprit if you see no bubbles on top and hear that noise on the driver's side.

 

The volume of air is very low with these compressors. The volume of air from a ruptured bag may not be loud enough to be heard over the engine noise.
My mechanic has a fitting that screws into the air spring. He uses it to check for large leaks. I need to get it over for diagnosis.

 

We'll look forward to hearing what your mechanic discovers. For the record, the way the system is designed the compressor does not pressurize the air springs directly. Instead, the compressor pressurizes the reservoir via the valve block, then the valve block apportions air to each air spring from the reservoir. I think you are right though that the volume of air that flows through the pipes is small, since a number of members have reported that they could not hear air leaking from an air spring that turned out to have a ruptured bladder. I hope that is not what has happened to your car.

Please keep us informed!

Cheers,

Don

 

I had heard an intermittent squeak from the drivers side. Started about two weeks before. The front end dropped.
When air was applied with engine off the mechanic could hear air escaping from air spring.
I had an Arnott rebuild in the shed that the previous owner installed. It is not the sport version and I replaced it with a used XJR.

Plan on sending the failed shock to Rebuild Master Tech to be rebuilt. There is a sale going on, 271.15 that includes round trip postage. This is a reaonable price. They replace the top section, hopefully this addresses the leaking top seal.
The shocks on my car are low mileage 2004. The air bladders may continue to fail due to age.

 

I had heard an intermittent+1