I bought a 2000, one owner, Disco 2 Td5, one year ago and have recently had the rear right suspension going down while driving. It has 110,000km on it, and hasn't had a "hard life".
If I park overnight the suspension will rise to the expected height once I turn the engine over, but the suspension will go down again at some stage during the day.
I understand that this is likely to be a leak in the rear right airbag, but I have a couple of questions:
1 - when it happens, if I park up, turn off the engine and then restart, the suspension will not correct itself, as it does if the car is left overnight. Why would that be?
2 - would more experienced Disco owners recommend that I replace the airbags, or should I go for a more conventional coil suspension set up instead. I would like to do some big trips in the next few years and need to know that I can trust the airbags in that kind of long-distance environment.
cheers
Master
Hello Coventrian,
1)Is your drivers door shut when you're waiting for the suspension to inflate - It only works when the doors are shut.
2) Keep the air bags, IMO they're better than springs. More suitable for all occasions(towing, loaded or unloaded)They adjust to what the car needs at that moment.
Change them yourself, takes about 1/2-3/4 an hour with basic tools. Try doing that with springs.
Cheers,
Jason
Master
[FONT=""][COLOR=""][SIZE=""]Hey coventrian,all depends on what you plan on doing with the vehicle,air is definitely better for towing and all round comfort but coil will be about half the price,I decided to choose coil but I needed some expensive repairs at the same time,I'm more than happy with my choice and it's one less thing to worry about,air comes with a few more bits attached that could fail.at 110000 you may have a few repairs possibly waiting also[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
Master
As well as having the drivers door shut, the air compressor will only fire up as you start to drive (10km/h).
The airbags have a service life of around ten years, so yours are due.
Get a set from paddocks spares in the uk ($300). Replace both and keep the good left hand bag as a spare.
You want to address this fairly quickly as the longer the compressor has to pump the airbags up from scratch after they go down, the more stress on the compressor.
If you are concerned about the other components, Hard Range do a compressor bypass kit, which lets you inflate the airbags manually if there is a compressor problem. ($80)
That should keep you out of strife.
I know if I didnt have the air suspension, i'd be putting in polyairs or similar airbags in my springs anyway.
Oh what a can of worms, Pedro will be here any minute now
I've gone the coil replacement, but have left all the components there in case I decide to return to bags. When my issues arose I was uneducated & had major lack of funds & came to the coil decision as my truck will rarely tow anything more than a box trailer, springs are still comfortable & didn't want the hassle, some guys will tell you springs will/have broken in just a few months but mine are 12 months old & still fine, 10-15mm of settling & haven't moved since. I think it was Les Richmond Automotive in Melb I got my conversion kit from, $300 roughly but don't quote me on that.
Good luck matey
Mat
Wizard
Subscriber[QUOTE=mattyg;1450277]
The airbags have a service life of around ten years, so yours are due.
Get a set from paddocks spares in the uk ($300). Replace both and keep the good left hand bag as a spare.
You want to address this fairly quickly as the longer the compressor has to pump the airbags up from scratch after they go down, the more stress on the compressor.
If you are concerned about the other components, Hard Range do a compressor bypass kit, which lets you inflate the airbags manually if there is a compressor problem. ($80)
That should keep you out of strife.
QUOTE]
X2.
If you go off road, the extra 40mm clearance you gain in "off road mode" can be handy as well.
2002 D2 4.6L V8 Auto SLS+2" ACE CDL Truetrac(F) Nanocom(V8 only)
Master
Keep the airbags, your disco was designed to use airbags so you should keep it this way. Airbags are better for loads and they do have a long service life, coils too have to be replaced within 10 years. Buy the bags from overseas and save money, its an easy job.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.
Sounds like sticking with Airbags is the way to go. I'm going away towing at Easter so need to get this sorted. If I order from the UK I presume I'll have them within a week?
Landcol, what are these other repairs I will have to plan for? Are the kids school fees in danger in the next year?
Master
Only 110 000km so it has had a quite life. In my one the compressor will come on at idle you do not need to be travelling at 10 km/hr. The compressor is controlled by you computers and they have a duty cycle. If it is working for too long trying to inflate a leaking bag then it will go into shut down mode probably to stop it overheating and cooking itself. This may be why it works in the morning .
The compressors have a limited life span too so that will cost you. Again look for them from the UK about 1/2 the price charged in Oz. Yours seems to be working OK for now so don't worry. Symptoms of a dud compressor is sagging when you load up the car or taking a very long time to come to height in off road height mode. I think you have been lucky to get 10 years out of the bags. Would expect trouble from about 5 yrs from my experience.
Master
My airbags are going strong after almost 12 years, I have bought replacements only because last time I played with my suspension I thought they looked as if they were getting a little perished/worn on rolled edge when inflated. My disco has done about 170kms and is a 99 model, 5 years out of airbags does not sound right, were these original airbags?
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