Hi,

My 2004 XJ8 85,000 miles, sits in my garage basically 24/7, except when I drive it to Church.

Within 3-5 days it most always has a LOW vehicle message - but no error codes.

The LR sits low but I have not found any leaks using soap and water on top of the strut at the air line.

Will it damage the air strut if it goes "flat" but is NOT driven?

My husband has been putting a block of wood or a jack under the frame, just in case.

It always pumps up to a normal height and the pump never runs over a minute...

Drive it until something else happens? What are your thoughts on this?

Sincerely, Ruth

 

That made me smile!

You most likely have a leak, and it will first reveal itself when it is very cold. So when you try to find it later in the day with soap it might seem fine. Over a period of time it will get worse and put a strain on the pump so I wouldn't just ignore it. I also have an '04 and if the air struts are original, you have lived well and gone way past the replacement life of the struts. Many will recommend replacing the air struts with standard coil-over shocks, but I prefer to keep things stock. If you have replaced some of the air suspension, it might be just finding the leaking one, or it might be time to consider replacing all four struts.

The right path will depend on whether you or your husband are doing your own work, or if you are at the mercy of paying a shop to maintain the car. As well as your expectations of how long you want to keep the car. Let us know and I'm sure you'll get some good advice to consider.

 

I will second what @Mac Allan said!
I also have 04 VDP NA. I drive it on weekends, not in winter. it has 65k on the clock. To the best of my knowledge shocks are original. In winter in 3-5 days front will come down and trigger "vehicle too low", in summer it will go weeks without showing anything. In winter car will raise itself in 2-3 minutes.
I am preparing funds to replace shocks when it will becomes significantly worse, for now, I am living on borrowed time.

 

Hi Ruth,
Just a couple of quick comments:
- Your soapy water won't reveal air bladder leakage (which is 95% of strut leak down issues). The bladders are inside those strut cans.
- Replacement air struts available from Bilstein (OE) or Arnott (aftermarket). I wouldn't use anything else. CATS only works with Bilsteins. Figure ~ $2.5k - $4.5K (Bilstein)
- As mentioned, leaky struts put a big strain on the air compressor. Figure ~$1K to replace
- I got fed up with fussy air suspension system and replaced with Arnott spring retrofit about 7 years ago. Works well and v reliable. Figure ~$2K to retrofit
- My $ estimates may be pretty dated by inflation, etc, but probably proportionately correct
- DIY is reasonably easy, or find an experienced indie Jag shop. Do not use Chinese or rebuilt air struts, etc
Hope this helps!

 

also have a 2004. will the CATS error display on the dash with Arnotts?

 

Two of the struts were replaced by a Jaguar dealer as well as the compressor with a rebuilt unit plus a relay.

The pump rarely runs. It ran for 45 second today.

My husband is a mechanic so he can do most anything.

We did not see bubbles anywhere. Can it leak anywhere else, other than the air lines?

We assumed (maybe wrongly) that it might be the end connector at the solenoid block and ordered one just to try (https://www.ebay.com/itm/205725295025)/
Others on this forum said that it was a common to have a leak there,,

We also got on CD but there was only information about replacing the solenoid valve block which assumes that the air lines and end connectors are still in place on the air lines! I need to replace the airline connector, so I will keep hunting for the answer.

I like the air suspension as well. )

Keep smiling!

Sincerely,

Ruth t

well.

 

As far as I know, Arnot supplies a box, should be 4, with resistor network. You plug cable that normally plugs into shock absorber into that box. The boxes make computer happy and there is no message/light on your dashboard.
There are number of folks here with first hand knowledge/experience.

 

Sounds like mine!

Do you think it hurts it to go low like that if not driven?

I seems like you are saying that it has been fine the rest of the time?

My pump only ran 45 seconds today.

I would like to keep it original and put off anything major, until absolutely needed!

THANKS! Ruth

 

THANKS!

I don't believe the strut itself is leaking because it it such a slooowww leak; 3-5 days to trigger the low vehicle message. 2 struts and the pump were replaced, quite a while back but I only drive 4,000 miles a year - at the most!

Do dealers possibly use a different method of finding leaks?

It is a minimum of $170 and an hour there to have them look.

Thanks,

Ruth

 

Ruth, what makes you say that air pump in your car runs only 45 seconds a day?
You can try dealer, most certainly they have more tools to their disposals than you! Just cursory diagnostic will cost you significantly more than $170, even at independent mechanic.
From what I know about airsprings in our cars do leak and from accounts in this forum it starts small like yours and mine and then in time develops into something that you can't effectively drive the car. I will not drive my car with "vehicle too low" message displayed.
"compressor working harder" I do not know what is the basis for this statement other than logical supposition. Even then, if I will have to go with coil overs, that is definitely not my first option, I will not need compressor.
I will not give an advise what to do in your case, I have shared what my plan is.
BTW where I live, temperature in garage is below freezing and few week ago it was in single digits. My understanding is that larger leak manifests itself at higher temperatures. I am going to use this factor to monitor shock condition.
Also, I advise you to look at this thread:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...t-away-143111/
You will learn that leak can developed on many of rubber seals, nit just at the top of airspring.

 

Have you called a dealer? It's very doubtful at this late date any Jaguar dealer would even look at your car. They have stopped providing any service for cars over 10 years of age in most area's. JLR has completely abandoned their customers and it's a real shame. Your best bet is to find an independent shop that has experience with Jaguars. This is not always possible so you will need to do some research.

I will wait for wfooshee to post as he is an expert on the air suspension. BUT I along with many others dumped the air suspension and installed the Arnott steel spring kit.
Your car does indeed have codes. You just don't have a good enough code reader to see them. The gold standard is the JLR system called SDD. This is what the dealers used back in the day. That is now also obsolete and JLR has moved on to Pathfinder.
.
.
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The leaking strut pumped up, presumable with the air in the tank and the compressor ran for 45 seconds THAT day - not every day.

I never drive it it says it is low, which is why I asked it a strut can damaged by going flat but not driven.

I may be wrong but it seems like something other than a strut leak because of the 3-5 days leak-down.

Will a dealer have more sophisticated testing equipment to test for a leak? As clubairth1 said, a dealer may not even touch it!

Looking at some photos, it looks like that were seals to deal with and your link will help! Thank you.

I KNOW it isa a long shot but I would like to replace the end connector at the solenoid block I bought the 4mm connector for the solenoid block, near the air tank.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205725295025

I mistakenly thought that the Jag shop manual would have the instructions but there was only information about replacing the solenoid valve block which assumes that the air lines and end connectors are still in place on the air lines! I just need to replace the airline connector. Would anyone here have any knowledge on that or the instructions anywhere?

Thanks in advance.

From the manual. Not any help:

The shop manual does not herp.

 

Expert? Hardly. Informed, yes. Opinionated? ABSOLUTELY!!!!

Be aware that the suspension in your 2004 is over twenty years old, except for those pieces recently replaced. Its intended design lifetime was 10, maybe 15 years.

The biggest flaw in my mind with the air suspension system is the complete inability to remove water that gets into the lines. There is a dryer chamber in the compressor, and that should be serviced regularly by removing and replacing the desiccant beads, but that's not a scheduled service item listed anywhere. Once the desiccant is saturated and water gets past, it's in the system forever. Valves will rust and their operation will be affected, as they will be slow or completely unable to open and close properly.

Give it up and install some Arnott coilovers, and stop spending money in blind pursuit of a nearly-impossible result. Even if you somehow did get the air system close to fully functional, you'll be right back here in a few years. Once on steel springs the car will be completely drivable, and the loss of self-leveling is not really even a loss at all. The Arnott strut kit comes with a module to connect to the Air Suspension Module to remove the CATS error on the dash, but I don't think that's even necessary on a 2004; you simply unplug all the connectors on the Air Suspension Module (which is located on the boot wall behind the rear seatback.)