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There is stuff called PTFE tape that plumbers use to seal joints, but I do remember using this when I was on a student summer job at a large paper mill near Newbury. The mill has long since gone, of course, but I worked as a "fitters mate" in the instrument section. Almost all the instrumentation in those days was pneumatic, and I remember using this tape to make sure of a good seal on the air lines. We connected up a load of plastic pipe carrying air under pressure, using compression joints as well.
I had a pesky slow air leak at the air line at the reservoir tank and used the PTFE tape with success....
Thank you so much for the suggestion. This is a crazy situation, I have to sit and wait while the car warms up. I will let my friend, a Rolls Royce Mechanic, know about this and maybe he can put it right for me. I really appreciate everyone who has posted assisting comments. I LOVE MY BLACK BEAUTY.
SUSAN
i changed the compressor rings last weekend ( using bagpipeandy's kit) and we are having a bout of 30f weather at the moment. So far the car hasn't dropped and i am pleased.
Maybe my leak was at the point where the brass knuckle entered the compressor because that is the only nut i loosened to remove and refitted?
So that nut, maybe a culprit for leaks too? I have some pictures too that i may post if i can find them..
just wanted to thank you for your helpful suggestions
susan
I had a pesky slow air leak at the air line at the reservoir tank and used the PTFE tape with success....
HI FRASER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUGGESTION, I WILL LET MY FRIEND KNOW. I hope this works it is very frustrating. I do not want to have to spend a fortune on this and the local Jaguar quoted me $9600 to put it right, go figure........
As we've covered already, finding the air leak is priority 1, and it's not normally difficult - it just takes a little persistence. In addition to the air hose fittings on the tops of each of the four air spring/damper (shock) assemblies, there is an air hose fitting on the air compressor, which is accessible from under the car by removing the radiator splash guard (the compressor is left of the radiator when viewed from the driver's seat), and there are several air hose fittings on the valve block and air reservoir in the trunk hidden under the spare wheel/tire.
Our front right air spring has a slow leak from its top seal which I'm just living with for now. See the photo in the first post of this thread:
While your mechanic is looking for the leak, it would be worthwhile to have him separate every electrical connector and flush it with zero-residue electric contact cleaner spray and let it dry before he reconnects it.
A contributing issue is that the piston ring in your compressor is definitely worn and the compressor is no longer able to pressurize the system as efficiently as it did when new. Replacing the piston ring in our compressor has overcome most of the problems we've had with the suspension - the compressor can pressurize the system faster than the slow leak in the front right air spring. I only have trouble on cold days, but I've learned to just let the car idle for a couple of minutes until the compressor shuts off, and usually the car has achieved proper ride height. If not, I turn the car off for 45 seconds, then restart and let the compressor run again. I rarely have to run it twice since I replaced the piston ring.
Here are links to photos showing how I replaced the piston ring in our compressor using bagpipingandy's inexpensive kit. Most owners don't bother to replace the desiccant in the air dryer as I did, but in addition to the tasks I illustrate, your mechanic should open up the exhaust valve and clean out any corrosion he finds:
Just a quick question guys, if the two struts are fully deflated, and there is no pressure in the reservoir, how much time should it take to fully inflate the shocks back? Mine is doing the job in a minute, which seems too much to me...
Just a quick question guys, if the two struts are fully deflated, and there is no pressure in the reservoir, how much time should it take to fully inflate the shocks back? Mine is doing the job in a minute, which seems too much to me...
help,help,help, i just changed the 2 front struts and put arnott as-2890, i am in ohio the car is inside an unheated garage, which the temperature had been below 40, after installing the air struts i started the car and the car front went up and the air suspension fault message went away, so
1- i disconnected the battery and left the car for 3 days and went back to check on it, the car was down in the front so i hooked the battery and started it, it went back up, i looked at the dashboard, no air suspension error message,
2- i left the battery hooked and went back to check on it after 3 days which is today, the car was half way down, I left it alone to see if its gonna drop more.
3- any suggestions are very apreciated, thank you!
help,help,help, i just changed the 2 front struts and put arnott as-2890, i am in ohio the car is inside an unheated garage, which the temperature had been below 40, after installing the air struts i started the car and the car front went up and the air suspension fault message went away, so
1- i disconnected the battery and left the car for 3 days and went back to check on it, the car was down in the front so i hooked the battery and started it, it went back up, i looked at the dashboard, no air suspension error message,
2- i left the battery hooked and went back to check on it after 3 days which is today, the car was half way down, I left it alone to see if its gonna drop more.
3- any suggestions are very apreciated, thank you!
This thread has been dead since 2015, I suggest posting a thread of your own
help,help,help, i just changed the 2 front struts and put arnott as-2890, i am in ohio the car is inside an unheated garage, which the temperature had been below 40, after installing the air struts i started the car and the car front went up and the air suspension fault message went away, so
1- i disconnected the battery and left the car for 3 days and went back to check on it, the car was down in the front so i hooked the battery and started it, it went back up, i looked at the dashboard, no air suspension error message,
2- i left the battery hooked and went back to check on it after 3 days which is today, the car was half way down, I left it alone to see if its gonna drop more.
3- any suggestions are very apreciated, thank you!
Hi tanios,
I'm sure dangoesfast means well, but it's really no problem to revive an old thread since your subject is similar and the replies to the original poster (OP) are also relevant in your case.
There are a limited number of places the air suspension normally leaks. Since you have replaced both front air spring/damper assemblies, you have hopefully eliminated the dampers themselves, which typically develop leaks at the top seals.
If you reused the original pressure-retaining valves (the brass cylinders that thread into the air springs and into which the air hose fittings thread), the O-rings leak and must be replaced.
The next suspects would be the air hoses and fittings. If you did not replace the compression rings or "ollives" and cut the hoses back about 1/2 inch to give the new olives an undamaged hose surface to seal against, it is possible if not likely that air is leaking between the hoses and fittings.
Check those and report back and we can work through other common leak points.
Hi and thank you for the reply.
1- i do not know how to start a new thread, and i wish someone can instruct me from the jaguar forum main page when you first sign in.
2- the AS-2890 arnott struts come with instructions and a fitting that screws to the new strut air valve, with instructions to remove the compression brass and the nut from the existing supply air hose and push the air hose in the new fitting untill it snaps , then by pulling on it ,it wont come out or loose. and i did all that , however i went today with some soap and water and started the car,and sprayed soapy water all over the air fitting and all over the top of the strut.
3- one or 2 air bubles popped off from around the bottom of the air fitting where it is coming from the strut itself and not from where the connection is , and thats on both sides.
4- i had taken many measurements from the floor to the bottom of each fender, and from the top of the rim center cap to the bottom of the fender on each side, overall,
a- the car is higher 1/2" on the passenger side and thats after i start it and make sure its up, then i shutt it and measure.
b- after leaving the car for 3 or 4 days, the driver side drops by 1 1/2" and the passenger side drops by 3/4".
thank you!
sorry i forgot something, i did check to make sure that the valve on both sides was tight, the valve provided with the air strut to screw on the air inlet coming from the strut, I tighted both sides just a smudge, and theyre both tight.also no air error message on the dash,thank you!
The O-Rings at the ends on the right help seal the valves to the top of the air spring/damper, and should be replaced any time the valves are removed or if they are already leaking. Off the top of my head, I think the inside diameter of the O-rings is 8 mm and the cross-section is maybe 1 to 2 mm.
The pressure-retaining valves allow the Air Suspension Control Module (ASM) to inflate or deflate the air springs, but will not allow the pressure in the air spring to fall below 3 bar / 43.5 psi to help prevent the air bladder from collapsing and being damaged.
For more information about the Air Suspension, see this link:
thank you for the reply, the right side of this valve was already installed on the as-2890 arnott strut, and the left side of this valve was supplied in a plastic bag with the strut with instructions how to install it, basically it screws on to the right side so according to your reply the pressure retaining valve which is the right side , let the air in and out of the strut but will not let the air pressure go below 3 bars/43.5 psi so the strut does not collapse and get damaged, if thats the case, then after i had installed both struts while the car was supported by car jacks on both sides, and i let it down one side at a time, upon letting the second side down both struts collapsed , because the car was all the way down on the floor jack that was stuck, so i had to start the car, which it was my first time starting the car after installing the new struts, and wait till the car rose so i can get the floor jack out.
1- the struts shouldve had some air in them , because the instruction did not say to start the car before lowering down, does that mean the pressure retaining valve is defectif, but whats puzzling me both sides went down, and is it possible these struts were not tested b4, i mean Arnott industry does have a good reputation, any suggestions would be much appreciated , thank you!
- the struts shouldve had some air in them , because the instruction did not say to start the car before lowering down, does that mean the pressure retaining valve is defectif, but whats puzzling me both sides went down, and is it possible these struts were not tested b4...
The air springs cannot hold air without the pressure-retaining valves (PRVs) installed, and even with the PRVs installed, the air spring must be at least partially inflated to have any pressure at all. It is unlikely that your air spring bladders were damaged just from collapsing one time. The bubbles you found when testing with soapy water are the real clue.
hi, I just installed 2 front new struts arnott AS-2890 the sport ones, and I installed them myself, I had the car on jack stands in the front and i used the floor jack to drop it one side at a time, i dropped the passenger side first , then as i was dropping the driver side , the whole car dropped down right on top of the floor jack and i couldnt get the floor jack out till after i started the car and the car was raised.
1- my first question is to the menbers that had installed brand new Arnot As-2890 struts ,
a- did it happen to any of you
b- was i suppose to start the car while still on jack stands ?, note: i had inspected the struts according to the instructions that came with them, and they were properly inflated. so i am assuming they were inflated to a minimum so that they dont collapse under the weight of the front car .
c- what im getting at is why did the car drop all the way down to a point where i couldnt get the floor jack out?,
2- my 2nd question to the menbers who had installed AS-2890 arnott sport struts,
a- the car is inside an unheated garage in ohio, after the installation and starting the car and the car was raised to its normal height, I let the car sit for 3 days and went back to check on it, the temperature was below 32 F and the car was down on the driver side to a point where the fender was overlaping over the tire, note: the tire is straight, so basically you can not steer the car b4 it an inch or two.
b- i rad a lot uh threads and the biggest problem with the air struts is the cold weather and temperature dropping below 40 F, and one thread it says that the air struts are rubber and rubber shrinks in cold weather, my question s to the menbers who had installed new Arnott AS-2890, and they live in a cold climate, is this normal? I mean both sides were down but the driver side if the car was left parked and the steering was steered all the way to the left , the fender may have been hitting the tire.
d- i am reaching out to all the menbers and especially to the menbers who used Arnott AS-2890,
thank you!!
I had a pair of AS-2890 installed yesterday, and the mechanic reported the air-pump did not wanna do its thing at first.
He started checking fused, during which process he caused minor damage in the interior and tried to hide it. (I informed him about my finding and so far he does not respond. Thus I have no way of asking him for details about how he convinced the car to cooperate.)
In the end he made it work.
I believe I read somewhere someone recommending to lower the lift so the wheels touch the ground (but there's no load on them), and then to start the car and thus the air-pump as well.
Not sure what value such information has for you, as you did not have a lift. 😒
My garage is an unheated one too, and we had 40°F (4°C) last night. The car did not drop at all.
But I believe even the seemingly leaking air-strut did not drop completely over a single night with ambient temperatures above zero (32°F.)
I should know more in upcoming days:
(day/night)
But I won't be able to leave the car sit for 3 days. On Wed I should be able to report what 2 nights of sitting in sub-zero temps do with the new air-struts.
When shipped, the Arnott's have a minimum amount of air to keep the bladder from being damaged when installed. Not enough to be at ride height after installation. The compressor has to fill them to the proper height. As far as the jack goes, it could be several things. The slope of the driveway, how big your jack was etc. I did have a similar situation when I replaced my entire suspension and used a large roller that required a low-profile roller to get the big jack out after removing the jack stands.
I do not have a problem with Arnotts leaking air out. I would check the air fittings for a leak on top of the unit. They should not leak if the hose you inserted was not crimped and out of round. The hose should be straight and you should hear a slight click when pushing into the fitting on the unit.
Thank you trosty for your helpful suggestion
