ACE - reliability, servicing and longer coils

[feraldisco]

Hi - on closer inspection of my new 99 Td5 Disco on the weekend, I've discovered that I do in fact have ACE - the second fluid reservoir with the swaying vehicle icon should have been a giveaway...

Did a search on the forum and have found that no problems with suspension lift and ACE which is good as I have to say I'm not that impressed with the ride/handling on my new Disco - my 93 model with a firm OME 2-inch lift is superior in some ways, even if it does roll a bit more. Hopefully some Bilsteins will improve things.

I'm a bit concerned about the reliability of ACE, given that there's at least two reports of fires under people's bonnets, and there's not that many members with ACE-equipped vehicles on this forum! I'm also surprised that a faulty ACE stops the vehicle from proceeding...I understand how collapsed air suspension would be a terminal problem, but surely LR could have set up ACE so that a computer/hydraulic failure would just mean that the rams wouldn't work but the vehicle would still be driveable...

Anyway, the vehicle has done 140K k and I'm about to get it serviced at Graeme Coopers. I'm not sure what the service interval for ACE is, but I can't guarantee that it has been done, and the p/steering and ACE fluid looks a dark brown whereas I'm more used to p/steering fluid being more of a red colour? Do you need a specialist to service ACE?

Incidentally, I presume the best way to extinguish an under-bonnet fire is NOT to lift the bonnet (sudden influx of oxygen just exacerbates problem) but to let the smoke put the fire out and try to spray some powder into the engine bay from underneath? Thoughts?

[ak]

I have ACE and love it. My D2 also has 140K and I just had it serviced with Graeme Cooper and asked him the same question. My ACE pump has just started to groan a bit at times when pushed hard in cornering, but Graeme reckons it's not worth worring about replacing the pump just yet.

[BigJon]

DII ACE and PAS fluid is green.

[Piddler]

DII ACE and PAS fluid is green.

What is the fluid?