Dreaded AUTO LEVEL SUSPENSION INACTIVE grrr!

[Ricky Bobby]

Yes. If it is EHC 74 "Accumulator filling requested pressure remains constant" that is a fault from a weak compressor. Either buy the "bagpipingandy" $50 repair kit or a new compressor.

You WILL need to reset the faults again when the compressor is fixed, its a hard fault and takes software, not just a reset of the battery.

[X5monsterBMW]

Hi again & thanks...

With the diagnostic connected the fault code was indeed ECH 74....
Accumulator pressure remains constant (accumulator filling requested)

I cleared the fault code and it came back over the weekend...

Diagnostic said...
(with ignition on)
Accumulator pressure 12.72 bar
Compressor temp 9 deg C

(with engine running)
Accumulator pressure 12.48 bar
Compressor temp 13 deg C

Any idea how many 'bars' the system should be running at?

I had a kit that I had bought from e-bay a while back - brand new seal/compressor ring.

I fitted the new one and the 'bar' reading went down to 8.4 bar.... obviously throwing up more problems - so I have put the old one back in - compressor went back up to around 12.5 bars..... do you think I should try another make of seal......................is 12.5 low for this system?

PS: Since putting the old seal back in this morning, the SLS warning has stayed off but my hunch is it is only a matter of time!!!

As usual, all advice & wisdom greatly appreciated!

best
malc

[Ricky Bobby]

So you put a new seal in and the pressure went down?

I don't know what the spec is but unless it was defective I wouldn't expect replacing the compressor seal to make it worse, how long did you run with the repair kit before swapping it out to the old one again?

[X5monsterBMW]

yes - so......have just bought the kit from bagpipingandy on your advice! £25
Spoke to him on phone - he reckons some on e-bay were made out of a nylon material that did not seal properly.
His are a PTFE material (soft) more like the original
What a great bloke to speak to!
M

[Ricky Bobby]

Yes PTFE is Teflon so I'm sure that its the right part you'll need, let me know how it goes

[X5monsterBMW]

Good news as you know I bought the compressor ring kit from bagpipingandy on e-bay... also had a chat with him on the phone - very knowledgeable guy on compressor matters eh!

I replaced the seal/piston ring this afternoon and had the fault codes erased again.

The system seems back to it's old working self - thank heavens!

The diagnostic clocked the compressor pressure at well over 15 bars at the accumulator... which probably means that the pump itself was running around 17 bars ish?

The compressor rose to around 100 deg C on 1st 'raising of the car' on the dash button... apparently this is normal and the safety temp cut out is way above this value.

Did a few bumpy roads and and put some weight in the boot...

All seems stable... will tell for sure over the next week!

Once again thanks to advice on here - particularly Ricky Bobby !



Malc

[Ricky Bobby]

Glad to be of help and I'm glad it was solved properly without too much hassle, enjoy your working suspension again and no more glaring error on the dash!

I will be buying Andy's kit to preventatively replace my seal probably next year, as my original compressor is 8 years old.

[mowog67]

Hi all!

It is my turn to deal with the X5 suspension problems.
I have a 2004 4.8 - and I've looked for a few days to find info which led me to post here. I'm thankful for this forum and hoping someone can lend a hand.

Issues:
Rear suspension is jacked up all the way.
Front suspension is down all the way.

Fuses - all good.
Battery box and module area in rear - dry.

I checked the hi amp fuse panel and metered the 50 amp pump fuse - good.
I can hear the pump come on for a few seconds to fill the reservoirs ( I first thought it should run longer, but I popped the air line to the passenger rear reservoir ball to see if it had pressure - I DID! Very loud. Don't do this! So I assume that the pump is good ?

I also assume that the rear module is good, since the rear of the car is way up. ?

I jacked up the front of the car and removed the wheels to have a look at the bags. The left side "looked" full with the weight off the wheel but was empty. The right bag was all "sucked in" like it was holding negative pressure. I made the assumption that the left bag had a hole in it. I ordered 2 new bags.

I removed both front air struts today and checked them (blew them up with my compressor), sprayed soapy water on them - no leaks. Wow.

So now, I'm thinking:

Relay or module for front ? I heard it's behind the glove box but I haven't dug around yet. Which is it ? Relay or EHC Module? Top of the foot well? Any pics?

Am I right that the rear module next to the battery controls ONLY the rear bags?

Am I right that since the rear is jacked up, that the pump, both rear bags, and rear EHC module are in working order?

I don't think a ride height sensor gone bad would drop both front bags,
but...?

Thanks for the time.

Jeff B

2013 M5
2004 X5 4.8is
1958 XK 150 FHC

[SlickGT1]

did you scan it for codes?

[mowog67]

I am borrowing my buds MaxiDAS DS708 tonight. Hopefully it will read what I need it to read



Jeff B

2013 M5
2004 X5 4.8is
1958 XK 150 FHC