Thread: Tackling my 1st air leak

Just thinking more about these air leaks.

It would be good if someone could source a dye that could be put in the system so the leak was easier to locate,as they do in auto air.

Or maybe a trace of 134a would be the go and use a refrigerant sniffer.

If the left front as an example goes down,you will notice it may pull the right front down slightly as well,even though there is no leak on the right front.

All fun and games

Originally Posted by scarry

Just thinking more about these air leaks.

It would be good if someone could source a dye that could be put in the system so the leak was easier to locate,as they do in auto air.

Or maybe a trace of 134a would be the go and use a refrigerant sniffer.

If the left front as an example goes down,you will notice it may pull the right front down slightly as well,even though there is no leak on the right front.

All fun and games

I wonder if the UV dye that you put in air con systems,cooling systems and oil systems to detect leaks would work????
Andrew

Originally Posted by Gullible

I have done a 'drop test' by pulling one of the ESC fuses (I went for fuse 35 on the inside).

The only fuse of any benefit for testing is the 20A engine bay suspension fuse because that one is the main power supply for the suspension ecu and it supplies the power to operate the FETs that supply power to operate the valves. The 5A engine bay suspension fuse is a feed-back from the compressor relay so that the suspension ecu knows whether the relay is working or not. The passenger 5A fuse is an ignition feed which will not have power whilst the ignition is off.

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

I wonder if the UV dye that you put in air con systems,cooling systems and oil systems to detect leaks would work????
Andrew

I doubt that dye would work as it flows with the oil in refrigeration systems.
A dye that mixes with air would be the only benefit,and it would be good if it was a bright colour such as pink,therefore no need for a UV light.

A very small trace of refrigerant such as 134a,sucked in at the filter may work,but as the bags are at the end of the air line the refrigerant may not get there unless the system was purged,which is difficult.
It would also be illegal to do this as per regulations for refrigerants.

A shame really because the refrigerant leak detecters we use are extremely sensitive and would pinpoint leaks easily,as we do all day on refrigeration systems.

Well it looks like I have come to the end of my limited knowledge. I could not find a leak at the compressor or the front valve block. The only thing I did find was that the green pipe out of the compressor rotated in the connector - however there was no evidence of a leak and the connector was tight. I do not know if that is normal or not?

I failed to find a leak on the top of the air struts. Mind you I could not get my head into the front ones to see all of the connector. I squirted around as far as I could on the struts but did not find a leak. I did not venture to the rear valve block as the front drops more.

I'll leave the front doors open overnight and get the wife to see which corner has dropped before the school run tomorrow.

It needs to go for a service anyway, so I'll pass the problem over to the experts.

Don't rely on the "open door" - that won't stop the car self-leveling. Disconnect the battery. Then once you've figured out what corner is the problem, check it. If it's not obvious and multiple corners are dropping, check the piping into the compressor and for any cracks between the input and output pipes.

Cheers

Gordon

Most of the pressure in the compressor to valve block lines is released (exhausted) as soon as the compressor stops. The air-spring pressures are maintained by the appropriate valve blocks only although pressure could leak back into the compressor line if a corner valve fails to seal.

A common cause of a corner sinking is a crack on a fold in that air-spring. With 1 fold hidden it can be virtually impossible to reveal the leak with a soapy solution.

I sugested he check in off-road height.
Perhaps he should invoke the emegency height in the shed and check the bags again????
Andrew