Disco 2 air suspension change

[Daz66]

OK here goes....

This Saturday I will be attempting to change the rear air suspension on my Disco 2 (2000).

I have read the 'how to' post's on here and I am quite handy, however is it really as easy as it seems.

I have 2 ton axle stands and hydralic jack, most spanners and sockets and some nice latex gloves (well you dont want dirty hands, do you!) what alse should I need?

I will be allowing all day to complete the works, but it must be finished by Monday as its the wife's kiddy carrier.

Any suggestions gratefully recieved, and any help come to that!!!

Cheers

D

[V8_Disco]

Is the car a 7 seater? if so the SLS system has to be fitted as the car was only type aproved for 7 seats with it

A

[Daz66]

Not sure what you mean, the car is an SE which has all the bits for 7 seat but not actually the extra seats.

The 'air bag' I am changing is the passenger side one with just one connection at the top, which according to previous posts just rotates 90 degrees once the body is raised and the suspension allowed to drop.....

[V8_Disco]

Ahh

Its just some people when issues arise swap the SLS system out for coiles... and this is not ok in the UK for a 7 seat car as its only the 5 seat that is "type approved" .... I have seen one that had been modified like this and he was trying to sell it on, insureance and other people would have something to say if the car was involved in an accident

the air bag swap is quite easy but its worth getting new clips as the old ones are likey to break

sorry for the curt post yesterday i was in between meetings

A

[Daz66]

A

Still not sure about what you mean but the car is definitely only 5 seats and I kind of like the air bag suspension, used it to jack up he car when loaded up with booze on a trip to Calais............

Getting the clips today and should be starting around 8 tomoorow morning... hopefully finished by 10...............:)

[Daz66]

Oh DEAR

Things didn't go as planned, for a start the bloody thing was not deflated on saturday morning, for the past two months everymorning the thing is deflated.............. when I WANT it deflated its NOT:Cross:

OK so I continued any way, jacked up the car placed my 2 ton axle stand on the chassis, removed wheel and then let the suspension drop (boy does it go down a long way!!!!!) next took out the spring clips, waste of money buying new one but never mind, then left with the thorney problem of how to get the air line out................

After some pulling and prodding with various things I couldnt figure out how this comes out, read the very basic instrutcions that came with the new air suspension which said to cut it.................!

HOW do i get this bloody line out??????

Also as it was not deflated it didnt seem to be loose in its housing, obvioulsy once the air line is removed it will deflate even more, I hope.

I have added a couple of pics to illustrate my problem.

The white bung in the new spring is only there to stop contamination internally I think.

Any help gratefully recieved.................:(

[TEMPL4R]

Take the white bung out and have a look, it should be a long taper plug.

The nut it sits in is a self locking connector. When you push a pipe in, the air pressure pushes it back and locks it, that is why you cannot pull it out, why they tell you to cut the pipe and why you get a new connector.

You can unscrew the nut and fit it to the new unit, if you do it carefully and don't twist the pipe.

Chris

[Daz66]

Templ4r
Thanks for the reply, but I am being really thick.

It says in the instructions that the nut on the new bag is marked and should not be removed, obvioulsy if I am removing it from the existing this wont be a problem, but will the pipe then come out easily from the old nut and fit into the new one?????

I will try and scan the instructions tomorrow and paste here.

[TEMPL4R]

Take the old nut off and look inside, you should see the end of the pipe.

The pipe pushes into the nut and an O ring seal grips it as you pull it back, that is why you can't pull it out, the more you pull, the tighter it gets.

That's why they say cut the pipe as near to the nut as possible, then you push it into the new nut. Get it right and take your time. You only get one chance.


JONV8 has done loads more than I have, he might be around later to explain it easier.

Chris

[uncle_sam]

Daz66,
Have you figured out how to pull out the pipe, or cut the pipe? My air spring is sinking again, so I might have to go thru what you are abt to do.

In the meantime, can anyone confirm if this symptom suggests air spring leak? Driving over bumpy road or road humps, the air spring would sink (always right side only). It doesnt rise up even the car is stopped. Had to turn engine off, wait few seconds, restart and the bag inflates again. But just now, after restarting, the bag inflates, but once hit the normal height, it deflates again. Appreciate any advice.

[McLean]

Hi, am reading this thread with great interest as my suspension sits a good inch lower just at the passenger side rear wheel. A local LR repairer I took my D2 to tried to put more air in the bag but it kept returning to the same position. Does this mean mine needs changed too? Both the LR man, and previously my local dealer, both say not to worry about it...but it bugs me to be honest. Was that why you're changing yours mate?

[uncle_sam]

common causes for the rear sinking are:
1) air spring leak
2) height sensor malfunction

most of the time it is due to air spring leak. if the leak is "small" the rear may hold its height for sometime, but will dip every now and then. i changed mine today and took me abt 1 hr to do it by myself. the ride is perfect now, no more sinking. to remove the pipe from the old air spring, dont pull the pipe first. remove the top 2 clips, then push the top of air spring down and tilt a little so that you can access the connector using a 10mm open end spanner to unscrew it. when the connector is removed, push the pipe a little out from the threaded portion of the connector. There is a split internal locking metal washer that holds the pipe under pressure. You can now easily remove this split washer, and slide out the connector from the pipe. The new air spring will come with the connector already tightened to the top of air spring. After installing the new air spring to position, just push the pipe into the new connector. Here's a picture of the connector I removed, to show the split washer inside.

[Daz66]

Thanks for all of the replies guys.

It seems a little bit more 'do-able' now ith all of the tips and pics, so will be takling it this weekend...........

Watch this space for another post Sunday morning in a panic.....:D

[Daz66]

JOB DONE!!!!

Well I exchanged the suspension unit, hope its still up tomorrow morning (will post again to let you all know)

Uncle sam your advice was followed to the 'T' and it all worked, undoing the nut and removing the air line was very easy and it pushed in easily.

Only took 45 minutes including tinkering with the bottle jack (filled it up with a some hydraulic oil).

See what happens tomorrow...................:rolleyes:

[Daz66]

When I left for work this morning the car was up on all corners........its worked????

I examined the old unit for holes and could not find any hole at all, it must be really small.

Thanks again for the help guys...;)

[uncle_sam]

glad it went well for you.

[jetfiremuck]

The airbags usuall leak at the fold at the bottom of the bag. Get some washing up liquid with water and a spray bottle and spray the bag.If you see white foam or bubbles the bag needs to be replaced.If not the compressor will keep running to compensate for the leak leading to an overworked compressor and possible overheating of the unit. If you decide to cut the hose that goes into the bag the sharp edge needs to be removed from the cut end with a piece of sanpaper or blade edge to prevent cutting the o- ring. If you push the hose into the old bag and press the ferrule towards the bag it will release the air line.you can use silicone spray on the hose to aid insertion.