Greetings, all! I've searched and read through the forums for possible reasons for the reason the shocks are stuck all the way UP on my 2004 vanden plas. Here's what happened last night on my way home from work: I stopped at a stop light, and suddenly a warning on the dash read "AIR SUSPENSION FAULT". I didn't feel anything different as I started moving again ... until the car felt like it wanted to veer right. I pulled into a parking lot, got out, and saw that the left rear end was considerably higher than the other side. Went inside the store for a drink, came out, and saw that both rear sides were VERY high. Waited a bit, then re-started to see if it would correct itself, but no luck. Drove it over to a mechanic friend's house (very slowly- could feel every pebble in the road). Tried unhooking the battery for a few minutes, but rear end still stuck on hyper-extension. Let it sit overnight, still no change. Getting ready to take it to the Jag mechanic I used recently. But I called him this morning, and strangely enough, he said he had never heard of this issue. He specializes in Jaguars. Not sure I'll take it back to him!

Any thoughts on what it could be? Front suspension is fine. problem started with left rear, then both rear sides. Any help would be appreciated! Oh, not sure if this matters or is related, but the only error codes that we have been getting are 0171 and 0174.

Thanks in advance!

 

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to X350 forum. This is the place to post technical questions about your model.

Graham

 

This is truly odd - and I have never seen it either. Initially I was going to fault the height sensor - a very simple device that clips onto the suspension arm and measures the position of the arm, calculates the height and sends the value to the ECU. That made sense when it was just one side. But when you said both sides were affected, the theory went out the window. There are two sensors with tiny swing arms in the rear - strangely and to my great annoyance Jaguar switched to a single front sensor (drivers side in US, not sure about ROW or UK cars) during 2004 after chassis number G26872 - so almost all of these resly on a single front sensor. The car sets front ride height I imagine siwth a single channel, yet there are two channels for rear.



I HAVE heard of sensors getting knocked off, they are only clipped on to the suspension arm. When it falls off though the car rides LOW. Your idea of resetting is exactly what I would have been trying , though I imagine a battery disconnect, (even one where you take both battery cables off, then touch the cables together (with NOTHING touching the battery of course) is claimed to clear memory more extensively - I haven't seen that in my informal testing, but desperate times/desperate measures and all...

You really need to get this on an SDD system if someone near your has it set up, or failing that get a dealer to connect and see whats happening. There is a calibration routine where you measure (there's even a special tool that measures from the wheel center to the fender lip) and then supply the values.


There are DIY methods to lower an X350 with the calibration routine car by providing a higher value than it really is, to get the system to drop the car 15mm
How to lower Jaguar X350 air suspension with JLR mangoose SDD | OBDexpress.co.uk Official Blog
- interesting, but probably has negative effects on ride quality. Good luck - please let us know how you are making out. I wouldn't fault your Jaguar mechanic for not having seen this. I have been deeply involved with these cars for a decade and I can't recall seeing this exact issue either.

 

Since you probobly dont have access to sdd and measuring tool let the air out of the rear air springs because it sound like stuck in jacking mode or you do have sensor fault showing that the car is too low and raises to what it thinks is correct as read from the height sensor. Either way its wortha try and when i get a car like this is have fround its a height sensor reading or the module just decided to do its own thing. The easiest way to let the air out is just take out the spare to access the valve block with air lines going in and out the 2 smaller lines go to the rear spring. Undo the lines with a 10mm while you have the battery unhooked . Hokk them back up and the battery. Start the car and run at a high idle so the air compressor will for sure run and see what happens

 

+1

Physically depress air system and if it does not come up drive around for up to 20 mins.

This has worked in the past.

 

Sorry to take so long to post reply, and thank you for your responses. Here's what I did to fix the problem: I disconnected the battery cables, waited a while, re-connected the cables, and air suspension went back to normal... no problem with it since!!