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Hi, I am the lucky owner of a Canadian spec 2007 XJ8 VDP. I live in Nova Scotia and garage the car from mid November to the end of April. The car starts and runs normally but after about 10 minutes the 'Air Suspension Fault' warning light comes on and the ride hardens noticeably, going from the smooth waft of the healthy XJ suspension to a choppy, bumpy ride as if the shocks had suddenly stiffened. Any ideas as to what the problem could be?
There is not a simple answer to this. The system is very advanced and if you have a warning on the dash, you need to have someone with a proper scan tool tell you what is being seen by the computer. Your post sounds like the car is not dropping but is simply getting stiffer in ride. I think I have attached a dealer training PDF that I had downloaded a while back. If you look near the end there is a paragraph indicating that the system will default to stiff if an electrical fault is detected.
Sorry for some reason I can't get attachments to work. Here is a cut and paste of the paragraph from the training book.
Damper Switching -Some of the main changes to the ECATS system is governed by the adaptive damping software and its control over the damper solenoid switching.The damper operation and design are carry
over, each unit having a 400Hz PWM, two stage (open / closed) 5.4 ohm solenoid. Control over damper solenoid switching can be one of the following: • All Firm • All Soft • Front Soft / Rear Firm • Front Firm / Rear Soft. General Functionality- At system start-up the dampers are set to firm. This is also the default condition should an electrical fault occur within the system. Below a predefined lower threshold speed, the setting will be switched to firm. However, above this pre-set threshold the dampers are switched to soft for vehicle ride comfort. Above the pre-determined upper threshold speed the system is switched back to firm. This provides vehicle stability for higher road speeds and reduces the wallow effect that a comfort setting would have at these increased road speeds.
From my own experience if you have a CATS fault, you get a CATS System Fault message on your dash.
An Air Suspension Fault is very often caused by either a leaking Air Shock or a worn piston ring in the Air Suspension Compressor.
If you do not have a code reader capable of reading Jaguar Suspension Codes, I can recommend the following which offers at least diagnostic information at a reasonable price:
However if you do want to test your Dampers, if you unplug them you should get (from memory) 6 ohms resistance across both the pins in the head of the Damper; if you get open circuit, the Solenoid may be U/S?
Yes and please post the codes if you can. Now the problem is you need to use the right scanner as posted above.
Not all scanners can get to the air suspension codes.
Just a bit of advice as I am waiting for my spring conversion kit to arrive for a 2008 XJ.
The air suspension is expensive and now after 12+ years it is all shot. You can easily spend thousands of dollars and still have problems.
Do you plan to keep the car?
I fought the air stuff for a while and even have 2 after market Arnott air struts that were changed out.
I got additional failures and finally threw in the towel and ordered the Arnott "comfort" springs/struts.
This is a new option as Arnott now offers the spring conversion in both Sport and Comfort. About $1100 for all 4 wheels.
One symptom of a failing battery causing a spurious fault alarm is if it occurs when starting the car 'first thing in the morning' but ... if you then drive it for a short time, switch off, and then restart ... it doesn't recur; the generator has given the battery enough charge to temporarily raise its voltage sufficiently not to cause alarms.
Spend some time reading the suspension description and troubleshooting in X350 - Workshop US003 - 2. Chassis.pdf - If you don't have the shop manuals there is a link to download them in the stickies at the top of this section. From your description, your symptoms unusual. There's many cases of leaks, and compressor issues from age or a worn piston ring, but all of that happens slowly or the car sits too low before you drive off. To have it happen suddenly while driving would make me consider a malfunction in CATS as well, in spite of no warning. It seems like the system has gone to the stiffest setting or even beyond that, or has suddenly released a lot of pressure.
You don't get any other errors, such as "Car too low" ? EsRay had a good suggestion to test the resistance and he has good memory. Its 5 Ohms, not 6, but he was damn close! The section in the shop manual - It provides test values for the shock valving solenoids, relays, etc. in extreme detail.. The key to all of this is getting any codes to know where to focus your efforts. As jluvscars discovered its difficult to attach documents to a post or I would just post US003 - Canadian cars should be the same or close to US models. As for hard ride, the troubleshooting section says:
Whatever happens, let us know how you get along. These outcomes are good to know. I try to always go back and provide a summary if I can. Kind of annoying when someone gets some good info here, and that's the last post in the thread, which is like reading a mystery novel only to get to that part where the detective says: "I asked you to meet me the old estate to show you something fascinating." Then the last 2 pages have been ripped out of the book.
I replaced the right side air shock two years ago, the symptoms that caused me to replace it (the car sank on the right side when parked) have not manifested themselves on the left side of the car. I will certainly update the forum when I find out what's up with it. Thanks for the input everyone!
So, I can't say I ever really got to the bottom of this issue. With the Covid apocalypse I didn't drive the car much last summer, put it away for the winter and sent it to the garage in April. She had many issues, literally everything going wrong at once. Brakes, alternator, battery, and a raft of smaller problems. The verdict was 'C$5000 to get it roadworthy and then we can look at the suspension issue.' Took it to another garage, same story. The problem is there isn't a lot of value left in the car. She looks great, but she's closing in on 200,000 kms and she was written off 3 years ago when a tree fell on her (only superficial damage, paint and small dents but a lot of them) so I don't even know if she's worth C$5000. There's also the fact that the Covid apocalypse has beaten me up financially limiting my willingness to throw money at her.
Looks like I'm going to have to let her go. Breaks my heart, but there it is. Best car I've ever owned. The kids named her 'Fuzzbuzz,' She was the car I took on my first date with the wife. Ate up the miles, Grace, Pace, Space. Drove her to New Orleans one time (3500 km from my home in Eastern Canada), Key West another time (3700 km), Montreal in a day, New York or Toronto in a day and a half. Easy driving. What was that they said on Top Gear about X-350s? 'There is no better car, if you want to cross a continent in a hurry.'
You may want to reconsider selling it.
You have fixed many of the normal wear & tear items.
You love the car, best car you have owned.
Fixing these things yourself, saves you 2/3 or more on cost.
You just may live to regret selling it if you do.
She had many issues, literally everything going wrong at once. Brakes, alternator, battery, and a raft of smaller problems. The verdict was 'C$5000 to get it roadworthy and then we can look at the suspension issue.'
Hi Nick,
I'm struggling to understand why brakes, alternator and battery could come anywhere near C$5000, even if the raft of smaller problems is a big raft.
The alternator job is a bit advanced because it requires supporting the engine and removing the right side engine mount, but with a few extra tools such as a floor jack and block of wood, and long extension and flexible joint for your 3/8" drive ratchet, you can definitely do it yourself.
The brake parts can definitely be changed yourself with basic tools and help from information posted in these forums. Check Rock Auto and Parts Geek for good prices on brake pads and rotors (do you need rotors or just pads?).
The battery is very easy to replace yourself, and, at least in the U.S., most auto parts stores will replace it at no extra charge.
Listen to Don Nick
Misread your post, that you have YET to do the work.
Which are all pretty much do it yourself jobs.
Take your time, ask questions, and you will get to keep your Jaguar
I'm struggling to understand why brakes, alternator and battery could come anywhere near C$5000, even if the raft of smaller problems is a big raft.
The alternator job is a bit advanced because it requires supporting the engine and removing the right side engine mount, but with a few extra tools such as a floor jack and block of wood, and long extension and flexible joint for your 3/8" drive ratchet, you can definitely do it yourself.
The brake parts can definitely be changed yourself with basic tools and help from information posted in these forums. Check Rock Auto and Parts Geek for good prices on brake pads and rotors (do you need rotors or just pads?).
The battery is very easy to replace yourself, and, at least in the U.S., most auto parts stores will replace it at no extra charge.
What are some of the smaller issues on the raft?
Cheers,
Don
Hi Don, first off the C$ is quite a bit weaker than the US$, inflating the dollar value of the bill. The other problem is the 'raft', as you say, is a big raft! Worst of all, there are few people round where I live who will work on Jaguars. I don't have a garage or a workshop, not much in the way of tools and a huge deficit in knowledge. Apart from the local dealership there is one other person who will work on Jags, the nearest alternative dealer is in Boston, 650 miles away, but the border isn't open and they are twitchy about Canadian spec vehicles so its Montreal, at nigh on 800 miles. That said, I'm going to take some time to think about it and see if I can do some of the work myself and source after-market parts. I don't want to let this car go. I'll keep the board updated. Thanks for the advice and support everyone!
So, I found the money and repaired the car. Just couldn't let it go. Call me a mug...
Well you certainly kept this thread alive for awhile. Happy that you fixed and saved your Jag. Don't feel badly. Used cars are worth more than ever at least here in the US. I figured it might be time to part with my XJR. It is a spare fun car for me and I had some debt I wanted to clean up. I tried several times to get it listed and just couldn't do it. I just can't part with it yet. I ended up taking a small loan to pay off the debt while the Jag sits under a car cover for the winter here it CT. Makes no sense...I don't care. The Jag makes me smile. Congrats again on bringing yours back to life Happy New Year!
Odd suspension issue with 2007 XJ
