04 X5 4.8 SELF LEVELING SUSPENSION PROBLEMS
 

OK, this is my first X5, and right now it has self leveling is inactive.

Dealer told me that my EHC Module is bad this part here

Part 37146773999 (AIR SUPPLY CONTROL UNIT) was found on the following vehicles:
E53: Details on E53
E53 X5 3.0i SAV
E53 X5 4.4i SAV
E53 X5 4.8is SAV

And also was told that my front air suspension is leaking. So, my questions are:

1. Where the hell is this module located? i could not find it for nothing! I know its in the back, where the spare tire is. But where is it exactly? Any one know? Also, where can i get this part at the best price, i could not believe my ears when they said it cost 850.00 at the dealer! Any used yards you can recommend? or a good new parts retailer?

2. I was told i can buy just the rubber "air bags" and replace them instead of buying the entire air strut. Dealer does not sell these things but i hear you can get them aftermarket?

Thank you all for your help!

You can find the part number you want here www.realoem.com

I only order my parts from these places: www.ecstuning.com (this forums sponser) or www.bavauto.com

anyone know the location of this module?

go to getBMWparts.com (Ticsher bmw) before going through any local stealership. trust me.

the strut and the bag are 1 piece and are about 900 each. after u change the module u have to program it.

an 04 4.8is with leveling problems? what else is new :rofl:

Excellent suggestion there dude! It looks like the prices are much much much cheaper then anywhere i seen so far! Thank you so much for that! :) Now that is a helpful reply! :)

so anyone has a clue?

most of the airride suspension stuff is located in the trunk under the spare !!

Under the spare tire there is a black plastic cover that is behind the battery. remove the few phillips screws to pull the cover off and it's down there.

But the module will need to be programmed/encoded, then taken out of "assembly line mode" and have the ride heights set via GT1 after encoding. You may need to either bring it to the dealer or find a good BMW specialty shop that has experience with that kind of work.

i belive its underneath the spare wheel in the black metal drum typejust above the battery but im not 100% sure

you think you have problems
look what happened to this guys suspension .

thats a huuugeee bitch...!!!!

but to get back on topic... as few pointed under the spare tire...

I don't see the problem :dunno: She'll get me into the carpool lane, and I KNOW she can point me to the nearest buffet. :thumbup:

Were you stomping your feet when you posted this....each time? If you need to know RIGHT NOW Xoutpost.com - Search Forums, otherwise hurry up and wait. Also, if you'd have read and done what you were told to in THE SECOND POST!!!! RealOEM.com shows you where parts are located.

USELESS reply BUT THANKS :) Yes, i was stomping my feet when i read useless replies and waste of my time reading them :) Real oem does tell you jack. :) Just shows you cute pictures I KNOW ITS IN THE BACK OF THE CAR :) but thanks for that

Thanks man you are always on the subject, i always appreciate your input man. Ill look for it, so i have to remove the battery tray then correct? Or there is probably like an access door.

:rtfa: Weasel never said anything about removing the battery :thumbup:

man, I guess the 04 4.8is had a lot of air ride issues. Not uncommon as that was the first year for the new suspension on the 4.8is. Seems like this is normal for all BMWs in the first year or two of production. Everything seems to get sorted out by the 3rd or 4th year.

Good luck with your repairs. The air ride can be very expensive to fix once it goes haywire. I was lucky most of my issues were replaced before I took ownership but when I viewed the service history, it could have been a nightmare to pay out of pocket.

Just a few months ago I replaced the front drivers strut and that ran about $750 (parts discount from friend at the dealer). Thankfully that is just a plug and play fix. The module will take time to code as others have pointed out.

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

here you go . this should help .
buy the service manual from Bentley Publishers Home *-* Bentley Publishers - Repair Manuals and Automotive Books and save yourself a lot of hassle . :wow: EDIT - move on a few posts to find the EHC2 module for cars with front and rear air . it`s behind the glove box , photos in post 32 .:thumbup: OK I just added photos for EHC2 here .

So , do I receive a thank you or what :thumbup:

;)

:beerchug::hug::yourock::high5::thanks::kiss3:

How's this :) I need to get my hands on one of those manuals...dragging the laptop around the engine bay scares me sometimes!

yeah but if things get serious between you I recommend placing a plank across your buttocks to prevent you falling in and dog tags around your feet for identification if the plank fails .:thumbup:

NOW THAT IS THE BEST HELP I GOT EVER THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME DUDE NOW I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT IS NOW! SWEEEEEEEEEEET! YOURE AWESOME :)

Well guess what guys, i opened that compartment up, and its i don't see it in there, there is a parking module there and a small relay and there is also one emply plug with part number 1382566 but the EHC module is NOT there :( i am so sad about it, i was so excited to find it....

Are those instructions above for a 4.6 by any chance? Or is it possible that that module is somewhere by the pressure accumulator in my car?

I had to study the manual a bit more , just a wee bit mind , it says 2002 onward EHC2 module is behind glove box . that is EHC2 for cars with front and rear air .

aha! Huuum Thank you very much for researching that for me. I will be taking that out next! :)

OK , this is your lot , you need to buy a manual to repair these cars .

I got it now! Cool. I will let you all know what happens. Thanks dude

get some info if you change the air spring , dangerous job , fuse needs removing etc .

OK PEOPLE I AM READY TO SHOOT MY SELF AND THE ENTIRE DEALERSHIP! LOL JUST KIDDING!

Ok, so i took the car to the dealer they told me my air bags in the front are leaking and the module is no good, i got a new module installed it and took it to the dealer again, they programed it i pick up the car drive less then a mile away and its goes INACTIVE AGAIN!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, how can these dealers work and how are people taking this shi it this is ridiculous! How can this be happening! Do they know anything over there or is this just a normal thing they are just keeping them selves buisy by riging stuff or what in the hell is going on.

Can some one give me a sugestion on what else i should try? Is it possible that because i have a small leak in the front air bags it will deactivate the system?? I was under the impression that it will simply keep pumping it up when it goes down. Or did the dealer just automaticaly assume and its their most common thing to do is to tell you to change the module??!!!!

Some one please help me i beg you!

There is a relay in the "hump" in the rear, and there is a decent possibility that it is not letting the pump activate. You can easily pull the cover off of the compressor housing and remove that relay, bring it to the dealer's parts counter and get that part# relay to replace it with. (need the part numbers off of the relay because there are different relays of the same design made for different amperage systems)

Thank you so much, will give that a shot its the cheapest thing i can do at this point. And thats what i need i have spent to much for this thing!

The first thing I would check is the fuse to the self level pump. It's #87 on my 01 4.4i. The fuse box is in the passenger side rear compartment.

Well, it all continues. I went to check on that relay. And its number 6 on the passenger side, the one that is on the very back part number 61366901469

But guess what in that place, i have a relay with part number 6138 1388911 i looked that one up and its not even suposed to be in an X5 all together. The 61366901469 is located next to the battery instead wreapped up in some foam conected to a plug! What the hell is that? So is my car weird or different?

Does any one have a 4.8L 2004 and can check what they got in that number 6 seat? This is killing me. I did replace the 61366901469 the black one and nothing happened.

Anyone has an idea?

same problem here
 

sorry, can't offer any solution, but I'm following this thread closely. I got a 2003 5X, 3.0l with the same Air Supsenion problem / error message. My front left is low and it looks like the air strut is bad. Seems to be hard to eliminate if it is the strut, the compressor, a relay etc.
Also the light on my switch that raises / lowers the suspesnion is out.

http://jrn640.tidewaterwebsolutions.com/1a.jpg

If the light on the switch is out it most likely has either a blown fuse or bad control module... If the suspension sags it has a leak, the system doesn't just collapse on its own.

Best to check first thing in the morning and see which air bag is down
SWITCH ON THE IGNITION and the suspension will pump up but sometimes it will pump right to the top then you hear ssssssssssss it lowers off to the correct height
Only problem is that if this has been allowed to pump up and down for mmmmmmmmm depends on when or how far you travelled
If it has pumped up to the top 9 times out of 10 it will have knackered the level sensor that is connected to the back axle and the body of the car(just inside the rear struts)
The sensor on the front shocker or suspension is for the bi-xenon headlights and this has nothing to do with the suspension
Check the 2 back sensors for broken wires
if problem persists ill ask my autoelectrician

next steps?
 

Thank you Weerab and Weasel for your replies - I sincerely appreciate the feedback, as I'm a bit lost in all this - but like the challenge to figure this out and to resolve it.

Here are the exact symptoms (seem to be similar to Nitrogass2000):
1) Front left (only) is very low > fender is about 1 inch above tire
2) Errors message reads: Suspension is inactive
3) The Air Bag on the front left Strut is completely collapsed (see photo in previous reply)
4) Vehicle rides "hard" and bumpy
5) When I turn on the engine, no pump is activated, car does not seem to rise or change elevation.
6) Checked a series of fuses in the glove box, high-amp behind spare tire and right hand compartment in the trunk (based on instructions found in another thread) >> All fuses seemed to check fine
7) Dashboard switch to raise and lower car does not light up and does not seem to work.

Wow, that is a lot of stuff :saad:

I guess I'm trying to avoid ordering a bunch of parts that actually dont need to be replaced.

What is your best guess what steps I could take to narrow this down and troubleshoot?

Again - thank you for your insight.

Control Unit
 

Is this the Control Module you are talking about?
Control unit EWS IVEWS 4.3161359145097$125.69

Link? And EWS isn't the height control, that is anti-theft... you would need EHCII.

But regaurdless you will need the strut that is collapsed. The one that rides stiff and bumpy, because it is bottomed out and the airbag on it is completely blown out by this point.

makes sense
 

yes, replacing the blown strut makes sense to me. That sounds like a good place to start with this venture.

I read in PDF document titled "X5-Self-Level___Air_Suspension-EHC.pdf" posted in a different thread that working on this air suspension system is a complicated deal - meaning: the system has to be depressurized and pressurized properly (6x) with diagnostic equipment, etc

I think I should be able to replace the Air Strut by myself, but how about these pressurizing steps etc.?

Is it really necessary to follow these steps?

I also read that my LED's on the level switch might be out, because that vehicle is in "BELT MODE"

hi
 

it is located in the back. there is a unit that looks like a bun cake that sits on top of the battery. i believe that is in there. i had mine replaced it cost me a total of 650 bucks. but guess what, you can do it yourself. it's plug and play. call randy at 8474286872 he'll tell you where it is. the leaking you'll have to get fixed at the dealership.

GUESS WHAT PEOPLE I HAVE FOUND IT! THIS SOUNDS LIKE A VERY GOOD DEAL!

BMW Air Suspension Parts - X5 2000-2006 (3.0, 4.4, 4.8 Liter w/air suspension)

I think i will be all over this this is half price or less then BMW and LIFETIME WARRANTY!

Or does ANYONE know another company that maybe cheaper??

Congrats. That doesn't seem a bad price for something that carries a lifetime warranty...assuming the company is still around in 10 or whatever years.

I agree this is an amzing price (the lowest I found was about $750 new)
Thank you for posting this info.

BTW: I was lucky in my repair: a front air level sensor lost a braket and caused the suspension to collapse (loose all air) After replacing the $10 part the system engaged again and seems to work 100%

Are you saying that sleeve would work on the x5? It looks like it could.

It wouldn't work as an oem style replacement, wouldn't fit in the OEM location properly or link into the OEM system properly.

Man, i just have GOT TO try to buy that bag cut or remove the old sleeve slide this on get good quality large clamps that kind that are smooth not serated that tighten up with a nut instead of the screw driver type, maybe use some glue to make sure it don't leak and see if it will work, and then check with some soap and water and see if it leaks. i think if its the same length i cant see why it would not work... when i am back from my vacation i am going to remove the old one cut it open and check it out.

Damn that sounds sketchy... I dont think I would trust some band clamps to hold up the weight of my vehicle under hard turning and bumps etc. Besides, It most likely isn't the correct diameter to work with the OEM setups anyways.

Are they even strong enough anyways? I know 1000 lbs sounds like alot, but think ov the total weight of the vehicle, that might not even be enough to support the weight of an unloaded X5 with an empty tank, much less with a few people on the back seat and the weight of a trailer behind you.

I'd bet dollars to pesos that it would never work the way you just described...

Eh i think you right what the hell, i always try to save money and end up wasting time AND money lol the remanufactured once are cheap enough price.

So tomorrow is the big day, if its not too cold, i got my brand new air struts and will be installing them, any word of advice or anything? It seems pretty simple.

One thing i am wondering about; if this in fact is the last or the only problem with my suspension will the X be kind enough to reactivate the system by it self??? Or will it want to go visit its favorite place for some expensive pampering.

So does any one know if the Air suspension has the ability to reactivate it self or does it ALWAYS require computer reset?

Im anxious to hear any updates on this in the past week

This has been beneficial in helping me diagnose what might have been damaged by water infiltration into my battery compartment.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...iltration.html.

I think you confirmed that the component that was under water was the Air Suspension Control Module (EHC). As my "SelfLeveling Susp. Inactive" message has yet to go out after 3 days of driving, I am pretty sure something is damaged.

Can the GT1 or proper code reader from a dealer or indie pinpoint what component might be bad, or is this a trial and error thing? Also, if I was to replace this module (EHC) am I understanding correctly it is not "Plug and play" and I will need to take it to a pro to get it reset?

I have a '01 4.4i with only rear air susp. and both seem to be functioning and inflated, despite the warning message.

nitrogass2000, looking forward to your feedback...

Well when i replaced the module i had to have it coded at the dealer it would not activate by it self. So you will have to do the same its, something that needs coding. But i found out the dealer is a piece of sh it, They do what i can do at home, tell you to replace the most commonly defective parts, and keep replacing crap till its fixed! Thats BS.

UPDATE:

After i replaced the module nothing happened the shit was still down, Actually they pulled the car out of the shop it was working, and as i drove two miles down the road it deactivated again! So i figured i will replace the front shocks, cause thats what the dealer said i need to do but i did not believe them. I replaced the one that was most worn, ran the car in park for 30 minutes then drove it for 10 minutes it would not activate, then while i was driving i decided i will move my steering wheel hard from left to right to make the car rock and swing, and this MADE THE SUSPESION activate! aparently cause it wade it work and try to level the car. But after a while it deactivated again. Actualy when it activated it was still very very stiff so it was not working correctly any way. So i replaced the second one, and it is still NOT activating. :( very very pissed off and disapointed at this time.

The replacement of the shocks was a piece of cake, just unscrewed the hose a little to let the air out and thats it!

I am suspecting that one of my level sensors is bad. By the way i could NOT unplug the son of a B for nothing, the rear sensor plugs are so stuck its not funny!

So what you people think?

Anyone has some input?

You should be PM'ing guys like Weasel or killcrap who work at the actual dealership everyday. If they can't help, jump over the www.bimmerforums.com and see if you can get some assistance from the 5 and 7 guys...there are a handful of dealership guys (killcrap is over there also) who might be able to help.

Sounds like this is a fairly new issue to tackle, so you might be on your own w/ this one for a while.

Air Leveling Module
 

The air leveling module is located beneathe the spare. Once you take the spare out, there's a plastic plate which forms around the battery and consists of three screws. Remove the plastic. The module has one big connector and the module itself is about 4 inches high, 1 inch thick, and 2.5 inches wide. I believe it actually says "Siemens ABS".

Siemens ABS Module
 

I changed out my battery the other day - the instructions from a poster on here were very helpful. While doing this, as I have the Self Leveling Issue and my ride is all the way down, I removed the three screws to look see what else was in there. There is was! This Siemens ABS module. Can I simply replace this component? Will I have to have it reprogrammed? It looks like the box can be opened as there are tabs on either side. What is inside of this box?

Needless to say, I have spent alot of money thus far in diagnosis fees and still haven't got to the root of the issue. It's very annoying. As I search these boards looking for an answer, I am puzzle that there is not a single solution to this issue.

So I ask - What has been done to fix the SLS inactivity? Are there numerous solutions? What has been the Core Issue with this system in your experience?

Thanks in advance!

I am battling the Self-level issue right now myself after having water in the battery well. I had it into an indie shop that specialized in BMW's and they said that they disassembled the ABS module box and cleaned it out (said it clearly had some water in it and start of some mold). They said they carefully wiped down the electrical component connections and ran the case and any non-electrical piece under water to clean it off.

It's about 50-50 now starting the vehicle whether I will get the SLS inactive light. I think I will eventually replace my module also. From what I understand about this module is that it senses a voltage that is necessary to regulate the pressure in the SLS system. When the voltage is out of range, the SLS Inactive message appears. When I asked about getting a new one reprogrammed, I was told that it may need some adjustment since it needs to know your particular vehicles ride setting so it knows what the appropriate range is.

My guess is, if the new module come completely unprogrammed, then you probably need the service to get it set up.

Someone tell me if I know what I'm talking about or just crackin' smoke.

SLS Inactive & ABS Box
 

I am going to pull the X into my showroom today and disassemble the back end again and get at that box. Heck, what difference does it make right now? I found a new box online for $140 US. Will be purchasing that today as well. I am going to open the box and see what is inside. Will take pictures and document this online in an hour or so. There has to be a solution to this issue.

This is the last go around for me. It's going to the stealer next. WTF?

Pictures
 

Here are the pics. There is no visible sign of water intrusion into my battery compartment. I pulled the Siemens Box and there is no sign of mold or water intrusion there either. My problem must be more complicated. I tested all of the circuits for this system and everything has power. It has to be computer oriented.

As I mentioned in other posts, I have had the car in and hooked up to the computer. They originally thought it was a Ride Height switch and replaced the one on the right side of the car. Still no difference. They were able to raise the car using the computer to normal ride height - it has collapsed since. This was over 2 weeks ago. I guess with the system not functioning correctly it's bound to drop back again. They checked the bags and those seem to be functioning perfectly. No leaks.....

I am stumped.

Got it figured out. I have a leaky airbag. Had to take it to a shop that specializes in Imports. Man, what a lot of Jagging around.

If you found it for 140.00 there is no way its the correct thing, or its not working. These boxes are $800.00 you can get lucky and get a used one for 250.00 if you can ever find one.

No Possible way - See Link
 

Here it is: Exact same module that I pulled out of the car a few days ago.

BMW E53 X5 M62 4.4L > Suspension > OEM > ES#66380 Air Ride Control Module - 37141092396

I guess i am the lucky one that mine happens to cost a lot more :(

BMW E53 X5 M62 4.4L > Search > 37146773999 > ES#66456 Air Suspension Control Unit - 37146773999

Thats probably due to the fact that i have the better type or air suspension, all 4 of them are controlled instead of just the rear?

Better Suspension?
 

Great! Proud of you. I never said in any of my posts that one was better then the other. I only have rear leveling suspension. Its what I have to work with. Glad I am only having issues on One Axle and not two!

Dont know if it saw it specifically mentioned in this thread, but on 2 wheel airsuspension systems the control box is in the battery well. On 4 wheel suspension systems its behind the glove box. My 4 wheel suspension went inactive when the battery compartment had about 2 inches of water in it. Radio module is shot. Removed the wet suspension pump relay, dried it out, reinstalled it. Then had a good local BMW tech reactivate the system. Only time will tell how it goes. But, so far so good. God this thing is a pig without a properely working suspension.

rear suspension
 

you not got that fixed yet mike , i jacked mine up took the R clips of the air bags (REMEMBER AIR BAG BURST NO PRESSURE LEFT INSIDE BAG),into the rear compartment ,unclipped the airbag quick release coupling.stuck the new airbag on ,clips back in air coupling back on let the jack down till it was level then started the car once the air bag fills to pressure pulled the fuse in the rear right compartment job done
then off to some dude with pc to set the levels on computer

cheere lads have a nice day (took me longer to type this he he he )

i may have missed this but when are these air bag and modules going out?
thanks!

EHC Module
 

Well, after an exhaustive three weeks and visits to multiple shops we have FINALLY figured out what the issue is with the SLS. I found a guy in town that has all of the stuff to work on and diagnose issues with BMW. He started with the Fuses, all good. Next up was the checking out the connections to the pump and other places. Everything seemed to be good. Hooked it up to the computer and immediately pulled the pump apart. He was able to "Jump" two connections to each other after pulling the EHC module in which the pump started running and raising the vehicle.

When he pulled the Module out of the vehicle it was extremely warm and had a burning smell to it. Ordered a new one that will be here tomorrow. I have to pick it up from a dealer but oh well. Problem solved and fixed - Hopefully.

The ride is so much better now with the car raised and my trip to the dentist for preventative maintenance has been postponed. Everyone having problems with this system should find a shop that will really take the time to diagnose the issue from start to finish. It only took and hour to get to the problem. He said every time he has dealt with this issue, it has usually been the Module which in my car (03 X5 4.4) is next to the battery in the back of the vehicle. You have to remove the pump and the braces first to get to it. Next you will remove three Phillips head screws to get to the module. Don't let dealers and other shops give you the run around.

Hope this helps.

I guess no one knows the location! crap!

i think it is in the boot by the battery for sure i have seen bunch of modules there when i cleaned the trunk area. This is the thing about this forum if someone knows something wont share it just visit the site for there convenient. it makes me mad some times all forums are to help each other out while admin makes the money lol but.............:confused:

Correct, the module is in the trunk by the battery. there are some pics a few posts up that show the location.

Don't overlook the pump relay though, it is the most common cause of the inactive message and easily overlooked as it is in the metal hump with the pump.

just found it today:
1.- take out your spare tire
2.- take out 4 bolts that hold the pump
3.- take out 4 bolts that support the pump frame
4.- take out three phillips head screws
5.- remove the plastic shield (held by those 3 screws)
6.- module will be to the right side of the battery

Thanks guys!

I have been having SLS problems on my '04 4.8is for the past 18 months.

An air strut failed (I heard the air escaping) on the front offside and the dealer replaced it (£1000 after a 40% BMW contribution for parts)

6 Months later the SLS inact. light came on again. £400 later the dealer fitted a relay.

6 weeks later light came on again. It's been coming on every regularly at intervals between 4 days and 4 weeks for the past 11 months.

Last week the front nearside air strut completely deflated. Ah another air strut I thought. But after removing it my indy couldn't find an obvious flaw with it so he refitted it and after a reset the car inflated and operated perfectly!

He spent a whole day stripping and testing and all looked good. 1 hr after he left it it deflated again.

The plan now is to remove the strut again and rig it up to inflate out of the car and submerge the strut in a water bath and look for leaks.

Just wondering, did any of you with similar issues ever get to the bottom of it?

Indy is suggesting (one by one in this order)

1) replace air strut if leak is found
2) if no fault with the air strut replace compressor (I can't understand as it's always the front nearside that goes down and after a reset it always works fine)
3) replace control unit
4) replace actuator

If it isn't the strut it could possible be a dirty/corroded valve seat in the valve/solenoid block near the compressor. That could/would possibly cause intermittent/sporadic leak off one circuit. Worth looking into.

Air strut tests and when it was submerged in a water bath no leaks could be found. So I guess that rules it out then

Thanks Weasel for your info - I have relayed it on to my independent BMW specialist and although your theory is interesting he does not know what solenoid block you are referring to.

He says the valve block near the compressor has only one circuit and that leads to the accumulator under the driver's seat (right hand drive). There is then a valve block further forward under the driver's pedals and this is the one that he says controls the ride height at the four corners. Is it this you are referring to? Your post said near the compressor in the rear.

Can you expand please as it's an interesting theory which may explain my issues.

The faults that keep recurring are; a cam bus error and constant request for filling

Thanks

I was a bit distracted... the setup in the rear is just for the rear axle, and the setup in the front is for the front wheels naturally. As long as the guy is well versed in the system he should be able to figure it out, it is just a matter of testing different things in the system that can cause the symptoms. Air is leaking out somewhere, just a matter of finding where.

Thanks Weasel

Unfortunately not that simple. There is no leak. Everything's been pressure tested at least 6 times by local BMW dealer and independent specialist.

It seems as though it's an intermittent control issue.

Ride height sensors have been replaced all round so it now seems as though I may have to bit the bullet and change the control module £760 although from the BMW diagnostics, for the errors that are being thrown up the BMW manual suggests changing the compressor and control module.

That's one expensive repair to try to eliminate a fault that might not actually lie with either part

Thanks anyway Weasel

my problem was water in the battery box that messed with the self leveling relay down there. blew up the radio and killed the battery. better check for water.

To the best of knowledge, finding the module, which is located next to the spare tire, will not help you much as since you have to reprogram it. I would consider finding an independent European mechanic's shop who know what they're doing.

The rubber air bags are typically used in the rear. I recently bought a set and couldn't find them in the aftermarket. Went to the dealership and used the cca menbership card for a discount.

I highly recommend using a shop repair manual for this work. It was not the easiest job in terms of troubleshooting.

Mine was related to water in the spare tire well. My right rear drain hose from the sunroof was detached, causing water in the headliner, which found its way out the pilar near the tail gate and into the cargo area. Took me a while to figure out where is was coming from. My tire / battery well was half full of water as a result.

My Indie was able to disassemble the module (which is located in the plastic housing just right of the battery in the battery well below the spare tire) and clean it up. After about another month of inconsistant diagonstic codes and the SLS light coming on and off, I bit the bullet and had the module replaced (about $130-$140 for the module alone) and reprogrammed for another $75. That was 6 months ago and all is good now.

All-in-all, it took about 2 or 3 months to get everything completely dried out and determine the cause, and diagnose the SLS, which ultimately was an educated guess to just replace the module, as they could not see any failure in any other part of the SLS.

All this from the failure of a $10 rubber hose (drain hose for the sunroof)

BTW, an after-market OBD code reader cannot access the codes for the SLS. They require the more sophistocated code readers at a qualified shop.

Good luck

where did they get those prices from?? the air control unit isnt $700

I did it!! just saved $4000 the dealer wanted to replace my sunroof. my cost--$20. I bought 3 tubes of windshield calk from the glass shop. i calked the s*it out of it. let it sit while i was on vacation. tested it today. no leaks! now i just have to put the headliner back up, install the ruined electrical components and have the dealer mate them to my car.

Over the past 12-14 mo. I've dealt with SLS issue on my 4.8is and tons of frustration. So far I had to replace ride height sensor $98 (unnecessarily), both suspension airbags over $1200 (I guess it was needed, "R" one was leaking air -used Arnott for both sides).
Right after the bags were replaced I used GT-1 utilizing control unit functions test mode: raise the front axle or/and individual bags side by side I filled them with air, and almost perfectly leveled it with measuring tape ground to the fender. However, SLS message was still up, level adjustment function - NOT working, and no LED's on the switch.
So, I went to "stealer" again to reset the air-supply control Module (was told it is resettable). All day at the dealer and $263 later (for trying) I came to pick up my x5, and found it completely distorted-uneven, and according to them "unsafe to drive" (it says on the receipt from BMW of Bellevue). Front driver side way up high (way out of the norm), passenger side low close to the fender. NONE OF THE SLS ISSUES WERE FIXED. MESSAGE is still UP, NO FUNCTION; only LED light on the switch is blinking in the middle now.
It was my 6th or 7th visit already, and I was so pissed off. All I asked advisor for is to bring it back to the level/condition I brought it in yesterday. Service advisor said it is not possible and now requires replacement of the Module and more re-coding done for a total of $1700. In fact He mentioned that technician already tried to calibrate/equalize it, and couldn't do it. Car went back to its new grossly uneven level again after they drove it for less than a mile. At that point he sounded completely incompetent, so I did not want to proceed with anything they suggested.
NITROGAS2000!!! I beg for your advice. You have had very similar issue for a while, and now selling your EHC-2 Module on e-bay. My question to you is why are you selling your module? Should I purchase new Module from a dealer, or try to recode an old one using GT-1, or something else?
My guess is you either have fixed SLS by now or traded your 4.8is in. Please, share your wisdom. Thanks.

This makes me sad. Sls, give up ?
 

Ok, do we really need the air suspension ?? I read somewhere that you can do traditional coil springs. I love my x5 4.8 but this is just stupid. 2005 x5. I've owned a 4.4 2005 , but totaled it, my fault. Great car To get kn a wreck in. So my "inactive " light came on and went off and on for a few weeks now it's completely off, and is horrible to drive. A low rider , and I don't know where to start. Why not just do coil springs and be done with it ?? Anyone feel the same way ? After reading all these trips back and fourth , geezus, I have a business and dont have time to go back multiple times...

A couple people here have done just that, worth searching down the threads. It was just a matter of changing out all the parts physically, but it took custom programming (changing the vehicle order) to get rid of the "suspension inactive" warning.

Ive changed every component in the system and still no joy!
 

So, now we begin to think that we're insane, swapped out the pump, relay, valve assembly, pressure sensor, level sensors etc and the thing still won't work. Pump activates for a few seconds then stops, then all the valves open at the same time and let the air out of the system! We've programmed the EHC2 unit, deleted transport mode, tried the ride height calibration, done it all over again and still no luck....

Imagine the control unit inputs and outputs as follows;

Inputs:

-CAN bus lines (communication with drivetrain systems)
-K-Bus line (communication with body systems)
-Pressure sensor signal
-Temperature sensor signal
-LHF level sensor
-RHF level sensor
-LHR level sensor
-RHR level sensor
-Level adjustment switch

-Power
-Earth

Outputs:

-CAN bus lines (communication with drivetrain systems)
-K-Bus line (communication with body systems)
-Air supply pump
-Valves for shockers
-Pressure release valves
-LED lights for level display next to switch

The car when we have everything hooked up as normal behaves as follows;

Pump operates for a few seconds, only long enough to bring pressure to about 2 BAR (needs about 5 Bar to raise car)……a few seconds later all valves open simultaneously and let all the air out of the system…….a minute later this process repeats….and again….and again, indefinitely, regardless of ignition position, switch input, or anything for that matter.

If I now pull out every single input pin from the plug at the control unit (except the power and earth supply), thus isolating this system from any input or signal it behaves in EXACTLY the same way!!

Anybody with half an idea would now suggest that the control unit is at fault. BUT, we’ve tried installing a new one, programming it and testing……..same result!!!! BMW tried the same trick…..same result again!!!

The only feasible explanation is that the software which we’ve all been feeding into this thing is at fault. Highly unlikely but still possible.

If anybody has experienced this strange problem then I would LOVE to hear from you!

I have an 06 4.8is and with the exception of GT-1 coding, my experience is near identical. I have had sensor, two air springs and the same hours of diagnosis with no positive outcome and the vehicle worse than when I went in. Mine was stuck in high off road mode for a week.

Mine is currently functioning fine with no warnings after a replacement module and coding at around $1500. I basically got them to max out the diagnosis labor at one hour after a monster fight and that saved me around $330.

Touch wood today we are fine but I do worry some. When the service advisor advises you never touch the switch again if you want to be sure it does not fail you know this is a problem BMW know about and are avoiding because its a huge can of worms.

Now all I have to worry about is the $700 alternator I just had to install at 55k miles. Oh yeah, and the hour labor to diagnose and and hour to install...

Self Level Suspension Inactive - UPDATE
 

Update on my Self Level Suspension (SLS) issues

My issues started when the front right air strut deflated. Dealer replaced front right air strut. Cost £1000

A couple of months later we could hear a "flapping" noise from the front left on occasions when travelling over bumps. Car was checked by various mechanics and no one could find anything. Noise was very intermittent and when it happend, if you used the brakes whilst going over an uneven road surface the ABS kicked in way too early!

This went on for months with the symptoms developed very infrequently.

A few months later the dreaded SLS inact. warning came on the dash again.

Car was left into the Auth. BMW dealer who was asked simply to read the diagnostic memory and report as other than the message on the dash there were no obvious defects. Several days and £400 later the dealer said they couldn't find a fault. They had only been asked to read the memory!

Light stayed off for about 6 weeks then came back on. There was no way I was going to go back to the dealer at those costs so I dove with the light on whilst I made enquiries re an independant specialist who had the equipment to read and programme the EHC2 control unit.

A couple of months later I found someone who had previously worked for the Auth. BMW dealer. He reset the system but could find no obvious causes. The errors read from the module were CAN bus errors.

The light only stayed out for a couple of weeks. More CAN bus errors.

This went on for a while resetting and lights staying out for days or weeks. Errors were CAN bus errors and constant request for filling. But when the test cycles were run, everything tested OK.

Then one day the car was sitting low on the front left when I came back to it but as I unlocked the car it raised up to its normal height. Still no faults found.

Eventually the voltage reading on one of the ride height sensors was reading lower than the other three so wiring and sensor was replaced. This improved the voltage but otherwise made no difference. £120 sensor plus labour to fit rewire etc.

One day the back of the car was raised way up, much higher than the raised position. A rear ride height sensor was replaced and the car returned to normal height. Another £120 sensor + labour

The orginal SLS inact. message was still displayed on the dash.

The car then kept going down on the front left whilst parked. Usually overnight. Then it stopped going back up when the doors were unlocked but when the car was driven it went back to normal ride height. Still no component could be found at fault!

Eventually, months later, the front of the car dropped, both sides down to the bump stops!

Independant specialist could find no new fault, reactived the system and the car return to normal height. Just the usual CAN bus and constant request for filling errors registed in the control module but when tests were run, they were all passed.

I decided to change the front left air strut but when the old one was taken out there was no leak found! It was inflated whilst off the car and placed in a water bath. No leaks were found so the original air strut was placed back in the car.

It kept going down, now more frequently, on the front left corner. Now if it was down, it only went back to normal height when the car got over 50MPH!

Front left strut was replaced at nearly £600 but the SLS inact. message still remained.

The CAN bus errors disappeared but constant request for filling errors kept appearing. But now the car remained at normal height.

It seemed that the intermittent leak from the front left air strut may have gone on so long it knackered the air supply. There went another £600 to replace it.

Now not only was the SLS inact. showing on the dash but the tyre monitor light was now showing amber!

I was at this stage loosing the will to live. We were now 1 yr on since the deal charged £400 for the diagnostic and about 2 yrs since the first air strut had been replaced. But now we were getting a new error on the control module! Constant request for filling error had now been replaced by unexpected ride height.

The Control module which costs £670 has now been replaced and the car has now driven 250 miles with no messages on the dash.

We're hopeing that this is the end of it.

On an up side, the car hasn't handled like this since the very first air strut deflated!

It will be a very long time before I purchace another car with air suspension and although when it's working, the car handles a dream, it seems the system they have put in the 4.8is X5's is way too unreliable and too costly to maintain.

The reason I have put all of this on here is to hopefully guide some of you through your SLS issues. To put it bluntly, if your car goes down on a corner, first check the ride height sensor, if it's not that replace the air strut, even if you can't find a leak as if you don't it'll knacker your air supply too

X5 SELF LEVELING AIR SUSPENSION PROBLEM
 

My saga has been continued. Finally 6 mo. later (see my earlier posts: after bags, sensors were replaced with multiple attempts to reset module) got tired of the message on the dash board, and decided to take care of it for good (so naive) at the stealers paying "fool" price. The Control module which costs $700 (it is sweet deal, MSRP of that thing is $963) was replaced 2 weeks ago plus $500 for calibration labor. Everything and I mean everything worked for exactly 1 week. Not a day longer.
Back to square 1 now. Message is on. No LED light on the switch. Raise-lower function does not work. "Stealers" now wants to replace the pump, air accumulator (over $1200 just in parts plus labor). According to my service adviser even after all of the components are replaced, I still can have warning light, and very well might have to replace control module once again with new calibration and sh...t (2 year part warranty will cover module replacement but not the labor to recode it). I asked one good man there in the part dept. how many of these EHC2 modules have been sold lately. And you know what he said: “At least one a month sometimes two". It's unreal; this is not a light bulb @ $963 a pop. BMW headquarters must be aware of this. But no recall on the issue yet.
At that point I would really appreciate if people can share some stories how they successfully got rid of the car with all mods and kits. What do you suggest: auction it off with all the gadgets or take it a part, and sell it all separately? I truly don’t believe anybody can repair X5 SELF LEVELING AIR SUSPENSION PROBLEMS permanently.

Bumer, I really feel for you.

Apart from the SLS, these cars are great. I can't understand what is wrong with coil springs. Why BMW had to experiment at our cost with this air suspension lark is beyond me.

Just to let you know I have now been diving for over 6 months sucessfully since my air supply was replaced.

It seems these air supplys are not made to last, especially if they're over worked at some point due to a leaky strut.

These are expensive items but it seems there's no way round it, leaky strut will probably result in strut, air supply and pprobably the control mudule having to be replaced. Or at least that's my experience.

BMW seem to be aware of this as the very first time I went to my authorised dealer re this I was advised that the whole lot was needing replced at MY expense. I couldn't understand why if I had a leak, everything would need replaced and I thought the dealer was just failing to diagnose which part was at fault. What the dealer failed to explain was that the system is such that when there's a leak from a strut that it results in knackering the air supply and somehow the control unit as well.

Good Luck

I have had this problem with the susp level inactive warning light coming on and my ride height adjustment button not working.

Just thought i would share my history on this...i have had it hooked upto the computer a few times before. The error appeared but when the errors were cleared it did not appear again and the ride height adjustment button started working again and the warning on the dash disappeared...for a few days....then went back to not working.

I had it hooked upto the computer again today at a local indie. He managed to clear the error and the warning has disappeared and the ride height button is working again.

I am expecting for the inactive susp level warning to come back and for the ride height button to stop working again....HOWEVER what this does tell me is that it is not the fuse, and it is not the pump...could it be the relay or the ECU module ?

How can i check if its the relay ? Are there any tell-tale signs on the relay itself that would tell me its not working ?

Any thoughts ?

Ditto. My problems have been very similar. Reset works for about a week then goes back to inact but green LED is still on but switch will not raise or lower the car. I also still hear the compressor running when we shut the car off or first get in the car.

Another thing I have noticed is that when it gets reset and is working properly I can hear the compressor running while driving the car but once it has gone inact again I no longer hear the compressor running while driving, only when shutting car down or getting in.

And here is another good one. I changed the rear left wheel for a flat. When I lowered the car down off the jack the entire car dropped to the stops on all four corners. Had to have car towed to my indy for a reset. Once reset, back to the usual one week of joy and then inact again.

Will the control module fix this. Indy said he thought maybe the compressor but not sure and the compressor seems to be working fine. He thought maybe compressor is working but not to spec so not giving the system enough air.

Oh, and I've already replaced 3 of 4 shocks and the air distribution control unit (if that is the proper term) and the relay in the back.

HELP!!! All this on top of a new water leak after fixing the sunroof drains about a year ago. Like so many on this forum, I love this car but is it worth it?

And another thing.

I think someone mentions it earlier in this thread. How about a recall. This is ridiculous especially at the cost we are talking about and if the suspension craps out while your driving it is unquestionably a safety issue.

RECALL!

If the compressor is running that often, there is a leak somewhere. Find the leak and you fix the first part of the problem. The compressor is activated by a basic relay, which like all relays that activate components with decent power usage get dirty/burnt contacts inside. With the compressor activating ten fold more often than it normally does (because of a leak) the relay gets funky quicker than normally. Replace the relay (in the black metal dome under the spare tire) and you fix the second part of the problem. (at least in most cases)

This isn't the type of issue that warrants a recall, it is vehicles that have been on the road for long enough for the rubber air springs to wear/age enough to start leaking. For gods sake they are thin rubber bags filled with air that hold up the whole vehicle, they do the job done by steel on other vehicles... yet we are somehow surprised when they wear enough to develop a slow leak after so many years and miles? These vehicles are more expensive than others to maintain, but that is the cost to have all these great features that others dont.

Thanks for the reply Weasel. How often should the compressor be coming on? It doesn't come on every time I shut the car off or start up that's just when it comes on when I have the inact message. When the computer has been reset and everything is working I might hear the compressor come on once or twice during a half hour drive. Also, if I have any leaks I can't find them at this point. I and my Indy have done many leak down tests overnight and even over a couple of days and have seen no leak down in the system. I replaced the relay at your suggestion from an earlier post and in fact the old one was a bit fried but low and behold the message was back about a week later.

And as far as the recall, maybe your right. I'm just a little frustrated because based on all the posts in this thread alone (and there are dozens more threads on this subject) there doesn't seem to be a consistent way to diagnose the problems regardless of the amount of money you spend.

With no leaks the compressor almost never comes on... it is for self leveling, so it would come on if you load some extra weight in the back. And what has been the easiest way to find leaks oddly enough is to just spray the bags with a soap water mix in a spray bottle with the car on a lift.

Thanks a ton man! This is an incredibly valuable piece of information. I think all my air bags are good and 3 of the 4 are new(although its been a few months since I have checked them) but maybe there is a leak somewhere else in the system.

Thanks again!!!!!

Springdellx

I concur largely with what weasel says but there are a few differences in my case.

Firstly, when your indy clears the "self level inact." message what errors doe he read from the car? The onboard diagnostics which activated the message should give error codes pointing you in the direction of the fault.

In my case over several months I got various faults including;
-CAN bus errors. Suggesting control module error
-constant request for filling. Suggesting a leak or air supply which wasn't buliding correct pressure quickly enough. Mine started as a leak in front nearside strut but when the strut was taken out and submerged in water and infated, no leak could be found. It turned out that it was that strut which was intermittently leaking. It went on so long I had to replace my air supply too. Presumeably knackered by having been over worked by the leaky strut. I too found that when I got in and out of the car I could hear the air supply working. Since my strut and air supply were replaced I only hear the pump working when a load is applied or when I manually raise the car using the driver's control.

My car went down too after being jacked up. Strangely if I drove the car to over 50MPH (VERY ROUGH RIDE) the car righted its self and reinflated instantly but the SLS light stayed on. (So I assumed wrongly that the air supply was fine).

Get a diagnostic done on the pressure of the air supply. The car will test this itself if you use the correct diagnostic module. If there isn't the correct pressure then your air supply is on its way out and the "self level inact." will keep appearing.

Unfortunately immediately after I got mine sorted then the control module went too!

Very expensive repiar bills and it seriously tarnished my enjoyment of the car!

Bump!!! i need this too

Rear air suspension bags
 

How many people here had to replace rear bags? I thought someone had to swap 3 out of 4. I have only changed my front bags mainly because car was sagging on the front end from the beginning. Also thinking the front bags carry bigger loads and larger in size with more chances to have a weak spot. I realize now I might have to replace rear bags as well to be absolutely sure there are no leaky bags. Besides the fact my X now almost sitting on the rear fenders for a few weeks. Front end stays up ever since I swapped old bags for new once from Arnott. Rear once are cheaper @ 200 a pair, mainly labor. Should not be harder than the front. Anybody who had to update rear bags please let me know.
PS: thank you Weasel for very valuable info.

under the spare tire will be a 2 cross metal pieces remove that and after that there should be a plastics piece held down with philipps screw remove that and you sholud see the baterry and all the module there around the baterry

about the location of the leveling module
 

my mechanic could not find the self leveling module,so he did a litle research and he finaly found it in the glow box compartemnt area...you will need to take out the whole glow box though...and its gonna be undernith there somewhere...its a long grey box with this part # on it
3714 6773999-01....wich is gonna cost you arround 700$ to replace....good luck to you

same problem
 

i have the same problem with suspension the compressor goes on for couple of seconds then its stop and few seconds later relice the air did you figure out the problem?

I just replaced all of my air bags. Now my compressor is coming on intermittently but at least the air isn't leaking out anymore. The problem is trying to figure out if it's the module or the compressor itself...

hi....just wanted for a while now to get back to yall and let you know that the best way to fix this issue is to just take the SLS out and replace it with the traditional coil/spring susspension..... i had so much trouble and spent so much money trying to figure it out,my mechanic couldnt find what the problem was....so he just converted it to the old traditional way.....
from what he told me,he just ordered all the parts nedded for a 2004 or 2006 on coil,(springs struts etc.....)they fit just right....i end up spending arround 1200$ on the job,but i can finally say i enjoy my 2003 X5 4.4i :D
plus i sold all the working air components(struts air compresor and back air bags) on ebay,and after doing the math i only had to pay out of my pocket 200$ for taking care of this never ending SLS problem....

The air suspension control module for EHC2 is located behind of the glove box, for EHC1 is adjacent to the battery tray in the trunk. Don't get wrong with this.

Guys, take a look at the sensor links. With time, they rust in the ball socket, and don't move smoothly anymore. For a quick test, take the black plastic rod between your thumb and index, and try to pivot L-R the rod over the balls. If it moves freely, it is ok, if not, replace it or try to lube them.
My front ones were rusted solid, I had to replace them.

Do you mean you had to replace the rods only or the sensors?

Voltages
 

Been having trouble with this too and have replaced more or less everything or at least tried different components. I have an error when a pressure change is requested the accumulator pressure remains constant but changed valve block, control unit and sensor on accumulator and compressor. Have just noticed on autologic that 3 of my sensors when I push down on car voltage goes down but the front left goes up opposite to the other three so just replace the sensor and its still opposite with the voltage going up not down. Does anyone have any ideas or know what there voltages do when the sensor moves

I meant the rod only.

Self Leveling Suspension Message
 

I tried to post this message earlier without success, but here it is again.
2003 X5 4.4i. I recently receive this message “SELFLEVEL SUSP. INACT” , after driving on a pretty rough road with lots of gravel. So I checked the fuse box located in the rear trunk compartment, in front of the right tail light and found fuse # 87 (30amps) blown. I replaced it with a 30amp “Easy ID” because they light up when blown. As of today the problem seems to have gone away, but I will keep a close eye on it for the next week or so. My total cost was $3.95 plus 30minutes to investigate the fuses, buy them and replacing the one. This worked for me and I hope it also helps you. Good luck………..

Why TPMS light with SLS inact?
 

Mine went on the blink last week. When I turn the ign. key to p2 the TPMS light goes off and then on again. A few seconds later the SLS inactive mssg comes on. Last week I drove off and after a few miles it went off and on Sunday it was fine. On Monday it refused to work at all and the left front starts to sag. (I haven't replaced that bag and that is why it shows there first I guess)

All fuses are fine. I tested the pump by itself and it works. The relay in the fuse box works when tested out of the car. I activated the relay that is mounted to the side of the battery with 12V and the pump comes on fine. Today I took the panel off the passenger side to check the valve block.

UPDATE
There are three connectors on the valve block. Clearly the front one controls the front air supply, the rear one controls the rear axle. The front and rear valves work fine (the top pin in each connector is gnd, the other two are for connectng the individual bags to the systems pressure). I now think the middle connector activates a valve to allow air from the struts/bags to flow back to the compressor via the main feed line in order to release air from the bags. I can see no other point to this valve in the center of the valve block.

Before I have the codes read at the dealer I am checking the level sensor output on each suspension corner. I found a post from CivDiv outlining how to check the sensors and I checked the right rear and right front sensor which are ok. It is fiddly but can be doneby taking the sensor of the frame and realsing the arm.

If the other sensors check out ok then I must conclude the fault is the EHC behind the glove box. What I do not understand is why the TPMS light comes on?

Surely if its sinking it's a leak. I knew mine was not leaking as with the sls inac warning up the compressor is disabled so after a week with the light on it did not lower. Yours I would say is leaking on that front corner and I'm pretty sure the valve block has feed for front and back and accumulator so if accumulator is empty it diverts air straight to bags then tops off accumulator after

According to the documentation I have, there is one solenoid valve per air spring or strut for a total of 4, plus another one that acts as a main suppy valve. But, when working on the system with Inpa, there was no possibility to activate individual front air struts. The only choice was to activate front axle up or down. For the rear, it was possible to raise or lower the RL, RR. I suppose there is something in the software, or in the wiring that connects the control of the two front solenoids.

Yup, the right front is at the end of its life but that is not the cause of the SLS inactive warning. When my left strut was leaky the compressor did not come on and it was low even when driving. The car never gave me a warning about the corner being low or the system pressure being low.

I strongly suspect that at thispoint the EHC is bad but I still have to check the left sensors before getting it checked at the dealer. I just want to eliminate everything else before testing the electronics and attempting a reset.

This is the link to CivDiv's post on testing the level sensors.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ax-height.html

If you want info on bench testing the height sensors I can put that together with some pics. Let me know.

WHAT OTHER PARTS DO I NEED TO CONVERT AIR SUS TO KW COILOVERS?

civdiv, that would be superb. I still have to do the left side.

Thanks in advance.

My opinion is that do not try it. It costs you lot of money (more than repairing your air suspension) and leaves you more lights and warning up in your car.

Changed the Battery!
 

FWIW,


Ok, a week after the SLS mssg showed up the battery collapsed almost completely. I got a new battery and installed it thinking that might be the cause of the problem but no luck.

So I continued the search and checked all the compenents like the relays, compressor and sensors. To no avail, all was well under the vehicle. So, as a last resort I was going to ask the dealer to reset the EHC and drove out last night to drop it off.

To my amazement about halfway to the dealer (10 miles out) I discovered that the warning was gone and the system came back alive. I played a bit with it and then turned back home. This morning all was fine as well.

So, I have to conclude that the battery failure is likely to have been the culprit in this case. Not sure but it is a bit too much of a coincidence I think.

Height switch status only in middle position
 

Hello, my name is Joe and I come from Germany. Excuse my bad English. I have a problem with my air suspension. the SLS regulates only the front axle. The rear axle does not regulate. The switch for the ride height control lights up in the middle position. You can not adjust up or down. Does anyone have advice for me? Thanks in advance

You may have a fault switch, try to replace the switch.

Are you getting a suspension inactive message on the dash?

When you press the switch for up or down what do the lights do? Do they flash or glow steday and if they flash which one is flashing?

Hi, when I press the button nothing happens. only the LED lights up permanently in the middle. No flashing of the LED. on the dash is no message.

Hi Joe!

How old is your battery? I didn't realize until my battery died yesterday that my ride height was lower than usual as I would get that feel of too much bounce in the front like the air springs were bad. Plus, last Saturday I wanted to raise to the highest setting and when pushed the top LED flashed a few times then went solid back to the middle. I thought it odd but, didn't pursue it.

Changed the battery and now it's sits higher than before and the height adjustment works as designed!

May not be the problem for you but, worth a look see?

Thank you for your tip. But the battery is only 2 years old and everything else works perfectly. The funny thing is that the sls works perfectly on the front axle. Rear axle does not move. In memory fault no error code is stored. LED lights on, but be unable to operate.

If you don't have access to a GT1 and can't run the test plans, this might be a good option.

Can you get a hold of a known working switch (used/new)?

Yes, I've ordered a used switch. Let's see if it works then. Maybe it helps me .. :-)

I say, pull out that relay in the trunk for the air susp, and put it back in. See if it resets anything.

Does disconnecting the battery & reconnecting it help?

Hi. We have been trying to remove the battery. no changes

Very strange that the LEDs do nothing. If there is a malfunction, they should at least blink a couple of times. Any system malfunction should also produce the suspension inactive message on the dash. If the switch was bad the entire suspension would not go up and down. All the switch does is tell the control module that there is a request to raise or lower the suspension. The fact that 1 axle is responding is very strange.

You really need to hook it up to a GT1 to find where the fault is... with out it, it's all a guess

Here is an obvious question. Have you checked the rear springs and connections for air leaks?

When you push the up or down button mine does nothing, but BLINK & i have a SLS alarm on my insterment cluster. ???

So now I have done several tests. First I disconnected the battery for 10 minutes. no changes. Then I arranged the relay and connect it again, no change. Then I connected the diagnostic device. The controller detects any height sensors.

The computer measures a change in nominal ride height under load only the front left(when I step on the footboard ).

Front right, rear right, rear left are always 0mm difference to the nominal height.

Ok, now I think of course the height sensors are faulty. But why do they still change their voltage? :dunno:

Very strange. Did you check the height sensors. Are they damaged, or maybe bent on their mounting locations.

The air supply control unit is located in the spare tire area.

Always good to check the sensor units first, especially if the suspension has been fully extended for a tire change or other service work. The arms can reverse themselves and cause the system to show as inactive. The sensor units are attached to both sides of the rear suspension and passenger side of the front suspension. Note that once corrected the inactive reading does not go out until you have driven a mile or so.

Does anyone know if the voltage decreasing at the front suspension changes differently? I mean, on one side the voltage get higher when I lower the car. On the other side voltage get low when I lower the car. ???

The module is located behind the glove box. I had to replace mine. To actually TAKE the old module out, and put the new one in requires actually removing the glove box and getting behind the ducting - but you can "cheat" by just taking off the plate behind the glove box (one Phillips screw, two clips) and unplugging the old module and plugging in the new. I just have the new one set in there for now until my husband can actually disassemble the glove box and mount it.

EHC control module location
 

Watch bimmermerchant on YouTube, he points out the location of the module in one of his videos for changing the rear airbags. You can also buy used parts from bimmermerchant. At one point, the one they had in stock was $150.

I have a working and tested Air Suspension Control Unit for 2002-2005 BMW X5 (E53). The part number is 37146758452. It is behind the glove box. Just listed the item on eBay. 2002-2005 BMW X5 E53 Air Suspension Control Unit 37146758452

This Thread really helped me, hopefully this post helps someone else. Excuse the jumping between past and present tense... I've copied and Pasted from the reports I gave to two separate garages.

My 2005 E53 X5 4.8is had a failed Suspension Controller. Difficult to diagnose, symptoms as follows:

The sensor for the front left (N/S/F) self levelling suspension was disconnected both mechanically and electrically. The plug was undone, and was hanging loose. This was when I bought the car in 2016.


If the plug was reconnected, the computer would throw a "Self Level Susp. Inact" Fault Code on the dash. I found this out the hard way!


An Independent unplugged the sensor and reset the fault for me for the MOT. The car drove 6000km (3750mls) with the sensor unplugged and no faults shown. However I knew of the problem and wanted to get it resolved. Unbeknownst to me he had used a spurious system and "deleted" the defective sensor from the system so it couldn't see the sensor to generate a fault. The car always drove funnily, and I knew something was wrong.

I took the car to a Main Dealer. Their technician then reconnected the sensor on the front left (N/S/F) and found that it was indeed defective. This sensor and it's linkages were then replaced. The computer continued to throw the Self Level Susp. Inact" fault code on the dash however.
The technician then had reason to suspect the front right (O/S/F) sensor was defective, and he then replaced that, and calibrated it etc. The computer continued to throw the Self Level Susp. Inact" fault code on the dash however.

During the course of further diagnosis on the Front Right Self Levelling Sensor, the Technician found that the insulation to the three wires had been stripped back for someone to measure continuity/resistance across the sensor. He also found a piece of one of the wires in this condition under the washer fluid bottle.

He disconnected the wires from the sensor and tested the wires at both ends for continuity and resistance and found that they tested ok. To confirm this, he also fabricated a new loom piece which he ran from the controller to the sensor but found that this made no difference, so he has definitely ruled the wires out as being the cause.

The front right self levelling suspension sensor (O/S/F) was then ruled out as a potential cause of the fault code. The computer continued to throw the Self Level Susp. Inact" fault code on the dash however.

The technician then checked the rear right self levelling suspension sensor and found it to be out of alignment, so re-mounted it and made it straight. As far as I know that is the only thing he did to that sensor.

The rear left (N/S/R) self levelling suspension sensor was never touched.

The technician also inspected the Relay for my Air Compressor and found it looked slightly "charred" and had evidence of getting hot. Apparently this is relatively common. He swapped it out with a new one to confirm it was working ok, but the original one was fine so he put it back in.

The technician then recommended that the Suspension Control Module (P/N: 37146773999) be replaced as he thinks that may be the problem.

On a side note, the Suspension Control Module is located behind the glovebox on my vehicle as it has dual axle air suspension (EHC2) as opposed to a vehicle having it on one axle (EHC1), wherein the module would be in the boot.

Turned out the controller was the problem. Even after all the work had been done, it was still throwing a fault on the front right sensor. Everything that could possibly have been wrong with the sensor had been checked, so it could only have been an internal error with the controller causing the fault, as the sensor was now good/new.

Additional points to note that may or may not help other people:


The linkages on the Self Levelling Sensors apparently are known to
occasionally seize up on the ball joints that they pivot on also. The front
two sensors/linkages are new so they can be ruled out, but the linkages
for the two rear sensors may need to be removed/cleaned/lubed.

The compressor on my car always worked as it should, and the suspension never "went down" on any of the struts in the past to indicate an air leak
on one of the air bags.

When manually raising/lowering the car on the button next to the ignition barrel, you could operate the car in any direction multiple times (7 or 8) before the compressor would eventually trip on High Temp cut out. As soon as it cooled down, the suspension worked correctly again. This is normal for the compressors.


The compressor may be the fault, of course, but I have never had any reason to suspect it. Nor have I ever had reason to suspect an air leak from somewhere on the suspension as the air compressor has never started/stopped repeatedly when driving either. Continuous stopping/starting would indicate a leak on an airbag, and would burn out the compressor quite rapidly. i.e. the seals on the pistons in the compressor burn out and fail.


The Air Suspension on my car had never gone down noticeably on any corner even with the alarm present (which has disabled the Compressor). So Therefore I'm very confident none of my airbags are leaking.

Apparently, the Compressor not generating enough pressure (Less than 5 bar) will also cause the "Self Level Susp. Inact " error too. The control module can fail if it is overworked by switching the Air Compressor on and off repeatedly.

hi mate , what scan tool does your garage have ? i have a snap on modis and dried the calibration and ended up with the same problem as you with the voltage not changing the mm. after getting a inpa k+dcan cable i reset it and all the sensors are now reading the correct mm. aulthough the car is now on the ground all round and all 3 LED 's are flashing and the pump is just cycling on and off. going to look into it more tomorrow

OK so I have all the levels set and every corner gets there except the front right.... When the compressor is running the front right is inflating... All the time. But it does not loose air?? It's like there's a leak in the valve block that is allowing the compressor pressure to leak through to the front right bag..

This is giving me a code for pressure remaining consistent (because the pressure is going into the front right when all the valves are closed.... (viewed in inpa)

When the code is cleared and the pump starts again... The front right strut is inflating....