ACE worth keeping ???

[mark75]

Evening all ,


On Saturday noticed an oil leak from the front ACE actuator boot.Dropped in local mechanics who confirmed my fear the actuator will need replacing, and quoted $290 for a replacement part.Whilst looking on-line for a cheaper replacement have come across ACE removal kits.Question I have is have any of you removed your ACE and regretted it .My discovery is a 99 td5 on coils with a lift kit and larger tyres ,all installed by previous owner .Will I notice a large difference in ride quality ,as opposed to paying the dollars to maintain the ACE.


Thanks Mark

[ramblingboy42]

my ace has been leaking for about 4 years now.

I just top it up every so often.

I don't know if you throw your D2 around corners like I do , (just to **** other drivers off who think the Disco can't corner well) but I'd hate to not have mine.

my ACE is working perfectly...it just leaks.....very noticeable when I go bush as all the dust clusters around.

[northiam]

I removed the ace due to numerous problems, no regrets :o

Yes you will notice the extra body roll flying around roundabouts.

Vehicle reliability is paramount for me...

[Roverlord off road spares]

Put it this way, people who don't have ACE and drive one with ACE fitted WANT ONE.

[DiscoDB]

Mine has been "weeping" for about 7 years now. Occasional top up and still works well. Took a low km D2a without ACE for a test drive and immediately could feel the difference - the lurch was back!. And mine has all the original suspension bushes and done 475k so probably not as good as it could be but still handled and drove much better.

My guess you will regret removing. Finding a Td5 with ACE makes it special in my mind.

[Road Stone]

Keep it. worth every penny

[Slunnie]

I love the ACE! And as a $4k option I'd be repairing it on my Disco.

[mark75]

Thanks for the feedback.Its the only disco I've driven,and do love the way it handles.Mainly towing a trailer for work ,so can't throw it around as much as I would like.Leaking a fair bit of fluid ,so looks like i'll chase up a new actuator .


Thanks very much Mark

[Wasa57]

Yes!

[999]

You can always pull the fuse and see how the d2 behaves without ace, I had to do that for week while waiting for replacement sway bar link (the drivers side rear had snapped at the upper ball) and I could not stand it.:o 'what I need to slowdown for that corner ffs' You realise very quickly how much ace improves your on road driving experience in the D2. Also keep in mind ACE turns off in low range under 40 kph (I think thats the speed) so its like automatic sway bar disconnects.

[ozscott]

Pulling the fuse does not tell you what a properly set up factory non ace is like....different roll bars. I find with dobo heavy springs and billie shocks the handling is excellent. I know that ACE gives a little more artic off road than a stock non ace though but there isnt much in it. Its a very clever system i would keep if i had it as long as it was reasonable to maintain.

Cheers

[northiam]

Pulling the fuse or such either locks the ace bars or makes them floppy. Neither simulates the difference between ace and no ace, more like ace locked on or no stabiliser at all.

I drove with no stabilisers connected at all (on original shocks), then just the front fitted then the rear as well. The non ace bars do plenty.

I removed the SLS as well :o

Regards

[sierrafery]

There are different default modes for different system faults, fuse out = no ignition feed = "locked bars" condition which is IMO min. 95% the same with conventional anti roll(from personal testing compared with factory non-ACE one); in this condition the actuator is locked by even oil pressure from both sides of it which makes it like a "bold" torsion bar cos the rest 3/4 of the bar is the same. Floppy will become only in case of DCV stuck open then it's like a small boat on a wavy ocean cos the fluid circulates free from one actuator to the other

anyway, especially if you have a roof rack and used to travel with the car well loaded the ACE is brilliant in curves at higher speeds ... this little video is relevant IMO(without ACE, on normal anti-roll the D2 being a bit taller would lean more than the others) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4opZF1mDjM

IMO if you can afford you better fix it than convert it... a full set of new pipes or two new actuators are cheaper than the conversion kit and much less labour, all the other faults are also less expensive cos the most common is the pressure transducer and the ebay is full of perfectly functional pumps, ECUs and valve blocks due to that conversion hysteria as i saw many cases when the owner decided to convert it due to only one leaking pipe:mad:

everybody's choice though

MERRY CHRISTMAS

[999]

Yeh I realise pulling the fuse does not simulate a static sway bar, it was just a point that you could see how the d2 handles sans sway bar with what ever current set up you have.