Thread: D3 Suspension failed

If the vehicle has travelled 80 to 90,000km then I would suspect the compressor first. DO NOT skimp and buy a $200 ebay compressor!!!

Get a later updated one, they are around $800 at least but that is the going rate for D3 compressors and we just have to suck it up.

The only way to test this conclusively is to use a designated test tool, and know what you are reading. There is plenty of info on the Inet about fault codes etc so I suggest you start with Dr Google and type in D3 suspension compressor/ suspension failure fault codes.
Have a look at the following;
DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - Problem solved Disco 3 Suspension Fault
this is precisely what i was talking about, there is a lot of reading to be done but above all you need your own diagnostic tool with these vehicles if you are to maintain them yourself.

JC

Thanks but i dont have the fault diagnosis. There must be a way to observe the compresor working or not without the fault testing equipment. I'll check fuses tomorrow and then do a hard reset. See what happens after that. Where i the compressor located by the way?

The compressor is located forward and inboard of the rear left hand wheel.

Get yourself the diagnosis kit, will save you guessing.

The compressor is under the floor mounted off the chassis under the left side just forward of the rear wheel. Whilst the compressor may run and perhaps only for a short while, its ability to pump sufficiently cannot be detemined by just listening to it.

The control system that tells the compressor what to do is complex, it needs to be interrogated to extract the reasons why it isn't working. Obviously if you were to apply 12V to the compressor motor and it isn't rotating then yes, it has failed. BUT, there are a multitude of other reasons why it goes into fault mode, most of which have to do with performance of the compressor NOT whether or not it is actually rotating or not.

the compressor is located under the LHR of the vehicle just in front of the rear wheel. Remove the lower plastic cover and voila.

There are a few electrical connectors, the one with the BIG wires is the compressor motor feed. Try applying 12V to this to check whether the compressor is rotating. If it is, it doesn't necessarilty mean it is 'working' to system requirements.

Get yourself one of these DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - FAULTMATE MSV2 my review It will pay for itself in no time. These vehicles are NOT a simple vehicle.

JC

Thanks. Wife is driving around without suspension at the moment. Really need to diagnose this quickly and get it fixed and i dont want to pay the dealership bucks. I'll start with the basics tomorrow and see where it leads. Because all four wheels are on the ground, I assume its the compressor, but why its gone is obviously a little more complex. Is it faulty or does it detect that there is a hole in the system and stops working? I'll play electrics tomorrow and see where it leads.

How many km's? What model year is the D3? The original compressors were rubbish and as I said they get to way less than 100K and fail in performance or just FAIL, fullstop.

JC

2005 D3. Done 180K now