SelfLevel SUSP.INACT warning appears...why?

[SlickGT1]

Originally Posted by PUREVIL

***Update***
I pulled the bottom cover off from under the passenger side again tonight and soaped up every inch of the air system from front to back. I shot soapy water up on the front and rear bags and every fitting. I took the trunk apart again and soaped up the lines and fittings there too. STILL NO LEAK FOUND...

I was continually running back to my laptop to air up the system and then checking the dripping lines while the car dropped.

Now we get to the part that I'm almost embarrassed to admit...

I had left the trunk lid and driver's door open long enough to wear down the battery. So I popped the hood to put the charger on. With the hood up and the laptop connected, the air system inflated yet again and there it was. The faintest hiss coming from the passenger side strut tower. I shot some of my spray solution at it and sure enough, bubbles...
I pulled the large black cap off and applied more solution, big bubbles.

Now is when I discover that the 14mm nut in the center is nearly ready to fall off due to the F@#*ING idiot that improperly installed it.

The dealership I bought the car from had the strut replaced just before I picked it up. Apparently they damaged about half of the threads on the nut and didn't have another one to install. So rather than getting another one, they ran it down until it stopped which was about 4 threads in.

Now, I know the bag is BRAND NEW as of 3 months ago. Does anyone have hope that a new nut and tightening this thing down will allow it to reseal??? There is noplace open this time of night to get an odd metric nut so I'm on hold until morning...

Damn idiots. If the nut was run down against the threads, then the threads might be damaged. You might want to get a thread cutter, and re-cut them so that you don't have a problem when tightening. I mean you can try running a new nut, but you risk doing the same thing. Maybe damaging the threads even more. A good shop will be able to fix up the threads for you in 5 minutes if you just bring them the part.

If you are just going to try to run a new nut. Clean out the threads first. Use a pic, thin screwdriver, whatever you have to get the old crap out. Spray some penetrating oil on it. Stop tightening when the resistance get decent and back off. If the nut gets hot, take it off and use a different one. Hot nut, the threads are going to go on it. I've done this before, not fun, but doable.
Spray some penetrating oil on it

By the way, which software are you using?

[PUREVIL]

Slick - Luckily my shop is equipped with the tooling needed to fix/chase threads. The bolt is still in good shape so I'm just going to do a quick clean/lube and try the new nut. When the idiot reused the old nut it wouldn't go on past a couple of turns and he either wasn't man enough to force it further or had at enough common sense not to force it.

I'm going to take the whole strut out before trying the new nut and make sure it's not damaged on the top from slamming around in there.

The software I have is BMW Scanner 1.4.0
I purchased it on ebay from germanautorecycler for under $150.
It came with the interface cable and a disc containing the program.
So far I have been able to read and clear every code and use it to reset the air ride (EHC). It DOES NOT do ride height calibrations but I'm very happy with it so far.

[SlickGT1]

Originally Posted by PUREVIL

Slick - Luckily my shop is equipped with the tooling needed to fix/chase threads. The bolt is still in good shape so I'm just going to do a quick clean/lube and try the new nut. When the idiot reused the old nut it wouldn't go on past a couple of turns and he either wasn't man enough to force it further or had at enough common sense not to force it.

I'm going to take the whole strut out before trying the new nut and make sure it's not damaged on the top from slamming around in there.

The software I have is BMW Scanner 1.4.0
I purchased it on ebay from germanautorecycler for under $150.
It came with the interface cable and a disc containing the program.
So far I have been able to read and clear every code and use it to reset the air ride (EHC). It DOES NOT do ride height calibrations but I'm very happy with it so far.

Yea I too am looking for a diagnostic tool to have on hand. I don't really need to tune anything, just want to make sure I can diagnose when something does break.

[Ricky Bobby]

i really like the idea of being able to read and reset the faults, for 150 on ebay it may be worth it to me.......

[PUREVIL]

Well - I can vouch that it works. I have had it for about 3 weeks now and am loving it.

[PUREVIL]

***Update***
Thursday night I didn't have any success fixing up the 14mm nut on the top of the strut so I had to wait until morning to get a new one.
Since I had the time, I removed the strut assembly to clean/inspect for damage and lube the o-rings that seal the bag.
I found the top two o-rings rolled and cut, one of the two plastic rings smashed, the main shaft (that the 14mm nut threads onto) worn badly on one side, and WORST OF ALL the cause of all this failure.

Although the instructions on the Arnott website are perfectly clear, they were not followed when the original repair was made. The "puck" that sits atop the airbag and gets compressed in with the 14mm nut was installed upside-down. It looks like it should go in that way but it will never seal properly (which it didn't).

Soooo, rather than call up Arnott and order another strut as my first impulse told me to do. I decided to try and see if I could salvage this one or at least make it through the weekend. I got new o-rings for the top, lubed the two at the bottom, put it all back together with the puck right-side-up and torqued the new nut to 55 ft/lb. It's now after midnight on Tuesday and my air suspension has been sitting perfectly level since Friday morning. The self level inact. light is still on and the switch just blinks 3 times when pressed but at least I'm holding pressure now.

I still have active codes for the valve and pressure sensors but I doubt they are accurate. I replaced the reservoir sensor with a new one and there was no change. I'm guessing either a damaged wire or the module has failed.

[SlickGT1]

Great news. Glad you are updating this. Would be even better if there were pic. I have a hard time visualizing the parts without pics.

Can you reset that susp inactive, and maybe clear all the codes. Is it possible they are just all stored in there, and nothing is messed up anymore?

[johanas007]

Jeez! Reading through this whole thread has me expecting the worst! I recently got the "Selflevel Susp Inactice" after I took my X5 4.6is in to have a scratch repaired on the hood and my rims repainted (had to get rid of the curb rash). As I am driving away from the repair shop (Magnum Collision north of Atlanta) the error pops up. They have since took it to the dealer only to call me back and say it's my EHC module. I find it hard to believe that this just poped up at the same exact time they were messing around with it. He told me that the vehicle was up on blocks so they could remove all of the wheels/tires and repair/repaint the rims. My guess is that this has somehow screwed something up.

I sourced a new module for under $100 but then read about the reprogramming that has to be done via dealer or indy shop w/ the right equipment.

Any suggestions on what else I might try? I will check the fuses tonight. I also have a new battery cable coming for the negative terminal which I broke the nut off of when I was installing the Mediabridge last week. Could that be the culprit?

Thanks for any help and great thread!

[johanas007]

Great news! Although the dealer was trying to tell me that I needed a new module, it turned out to be a burned out fuse. Everything is perfect now. Dealer/Stealer! Thank God for website like this and people like you guys for posting. Thanks everyone!

[PUREVIL]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

Great news. Glad you are updating this. Would be even better if there were pic.

Ask and you shall receive! I had taken these photos with my cell phone during the process but didn't get around to uploading them now.

The first two pictures are of what I was dealing with when I started. Then some shots of the galled shaft and finally a reinstalled air strut, inflated and still holding air.