Sensor spotting
 

Here are some pictures of the sensors. There are 2 pictures of the back and 2 pictures of the front. The sensors on my car are driver-side front and passenger-side rear wheels. This is from a 4.8is but i think later model E53 X5s have the same setup and it only differs for earlier X5 (99-02) The other picture is from RealOEM.com Online BMW Parts Catalog It is for earlier X5s in the rear.

I hope this helps,

Adrian

I had a similar problem regarding my rear air suspension . I drive an 02 X5 3.0d euro version. I already changed the left rear air bag and thought it would solve the problem. However, I observed after one day overnight the rear left side was slowly sinking ( same air bag I replaced). Based on my research about this topic, I guess my next step is to check the sensors and fuse for possible replacement ???

If you can't get a good diagnosis from a dealer or shop:

1) I would assume that it wouldn't be the fuse because if its the fuse then the airbag would not get filled at anytime, right? Its either working or not. It worth checking though, just in case, since its an easy check.

2) Since you replaced the airbag its safe assumption there's no leak.

3) Sensors ... hmm not sure how to troubleshoot this as the airbag does fill-up initially and when the X is being operated. Guess if these are cheap you can try and replace them. I guess this would be the next logical step. Maybe there's an adjustment that needs to be done, like ensuring its in the proper orientation.

4) Compressor I assume is good as it pumps up.

5) Maybe its a module. You can read up on the air suspensions more in these PDFs:

RapidShare: 1-CLICK Web hosting - Easy Filehosting

RapidShare: 1-CLICK Web hosting - Easy Filehosting

Can someone please tell me why I can't change the Editor modes? I can't change the description for the links. :dunno:

http://images.carsforsale.com/280990...1LH17960_3.jpg
http://images.carsforsale.com/280990...1LH17960_2.jpg
HERE'S MY BABY PICTURES!
I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU ADRIAN FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO SEARCH FOR THOSE SENSORS PICTURES AND POSTED ON THE FORUM FOR ME AS EVERYONE CAN ALSO CAN SEE IT. HOWEVER I USUALLY SEE THOSE PARTS AS I GET UNDER THE VEHICLE, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT THEY WERE SOME KIND OF SENSOR SPECIFICALY MADE FOR (SELF LEVEL SUSP. ISSUE.

IF THIS IS THE CASE FOR MY(SELF LEVEL SUSP INACT) THAT KEEPS APPEARING ON MY DASHBOARD THAN I THINK IT WOULD BE PRETTY MUCH EASIER FOR ME TO REPLACE AND AFFORDABLE AS WELL

ONCE AGAIN!
THANKS ADRIAN!!!

Can we do a sensor test by disconnecting the sensor arm and change the angle? I was thinking is we can make the EHC control module to do certain things when changing the angle.
For example, if one of the sensor is bad I would think it will send a too low or too high voltage to the EHC, but how EHC knows that is not the right info. Should I assume that the EHC measures the pressure in the air springs?
So, what should we expect if we "lower" the sensor arm? Would that tell to the EHC that it needs to pump more air? until when?
What is going to happen if we "lift" the sensor arm?
What is going to happen when you disconnect the sensor? I read somewhere that the EHC will pump air to the max. This will not help. to diagnose.

I am looking for a combination of the above so if we know what to expect we might be able to locate the faulty sensor or the control module.

Just an update on the status of my X5 at the indie shop.


My car has been at the shop for one week now trying to recalibrate my rear self leveling suspension. The guy told me that the level is still a little uneven on the left rear side of the car. They are trying to diagnose and make other adjustments in the camber,alignment and checking of sensors....left rear side lowers a little bit after 2-3 days overnight ....Indie shop measures height level first thing in the morning to check if there is any decrease in height..

I am getting a little frustrated already....any of you guys experienced similar problems...:dunno:

However my friend! I have also this following message going back and forth in my dashboard; and sometime wake-up in the morning specially when my car has not been started for 24hrs, but seems to be lower than normal @ the right rear side.
It happened yesterday morning when I started the engine, while standing outside from the passenger door, less than 30s after starting the engine I can feel and notice the rear vehicle slightly lifting-up by itself.

One day, both side were lower than normal where you could'n even drive it without getting hite on top of your head while moving. Amazingly! cause of this forum I found out there is a 30 amp. fuse located in the back passenger side, and it was blown out. As soon I replaced it, after 45 mntes to 1hr. I noticed the entire rear vehicle has been lifted-up by itself.

This vehicles (BMW X5) they all seems to be very frustrated with problems issues time of time... I wonder why they're so cheap compare to (LEXUS RX350 with the same year as the (BMW X5 that should have been way more expensive than Lexus.

I'm not even going to worry about this ignoring message, as long my rear vehicle is lifted-up to normal height position.

looks like basics aren't good after all :(

james does your ride height correct itself after some time? or its permanently lower on one side?

you mentioned after 2 to 3 days overnight then it lowers, those 2 to 3 days was the car used?

either the bag they fitted has a small puncture or they did not install it properly.

do the auto level test by putting a lot of stuff, it should auto adjust itself

I got my faulty sensor identified by a indy shop using Autologic. Carsoft does not read the EHM module and I couldn't figure out on my own how to do it. So, I replaced my faulty sensor and after 2 min of driving the error was gone.
I was looking for a procedure to identify the faulty sensor without the need of a GT1 or these specialized tools. Here is what I found, too late for me but it might help some of you that try to diagnose the self level inactive problems.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kurt Leman
Originally Posted by Kurt Lehman on the bmwe34m5 yahoo group

"RE: [M5] Help ... "Suspn Leveling" warning ...


Let me de-mystify the SLS sensor for you. Despite all the info to the contrary, it's just a switch. In typical German fashion, a fancy switch with non-contact sensing (so it has an easy-to-define "on" band, and won't wear out under constant high-frequency suspension motions), but it's still just a switch output (technically an open-collector transistor switch output.)

The operation is very simple: Centered, the output is grounded. Too high or
too low (spec'd as suspension height +/- 10mm) and the output is open, pulled "high" (near 12V) by the instrument cluster input. You can easily check this circuit and sensor operation as follows:

1. The sensor passes through a 21-pin connector next to the battery under the rear seat. This is an easy place to probe. Looking at the back of the
connector where the wires coming out of the rear floor enter the connector, the 3 wires in the center row of pins on one end are the sensor wires, pins 12, 13, and 14. Pin 12 (three from the end of the middle row) is a black wire with brown stripe and yellow dashes -- this is the sensor output. The next pin (13) is the ground, and the end wire in the middle row (14) is +12V power. You can easily probe with a DVM in the back of the connector.

2. Turn the key to the first "on" position. You should see 11-12V on pin 12
with respect to ground, and 0V on pin 14.

3. Turn key one more click to the "run" position.
STOCK: With car at nominal height, you should now see ~0V on pin 12 (~.35V) and +12V on pin 14.

LOWERED: If your car is lowered you will see voltage on pin 12 still. -A/E

4. STOCK: Jack up the right rear of the car, and at some large height, the output on pin 12 will rise suddenly to near 12V again.

LOWERED: Jack up the differential carefully by an inch or two to simulate "stock" ride height, you will notice that the voltage on 12 has now dropped to ~0V. -A/E

5. STOCK: Lowering the jack should bring pin 12 back "low". If you load the car enough, you can trip the sensor to "high" state again. You can also undo the one 10mm bolt holding the sensor on (leave linkage attached) and turn the sensor to see the above readings.

LOWERED: Lowering the jack will cause pin 12 to go back high again. -A/E


6. Cars with no SLS simply ground pin 12 to defeat the warning. You can do the same thing if you want to ignore the message if your sensor is bad and you don't want to replace it, or if your car is lowered with an SLS delete kit. You can simply place a jumper wire between the wires leading to pins 12 and 13.-A/E



http://www.unitedbimmer.com/forums/e...el-delete.html