today the car fell to the bump stops on first setting off on a short journey
first slow to raise alarm then compressor sd due to heat
nursed it home on the bump stops

first thoughts were air reservoir perforated as all suspension appeared to be equally low , on investigation reservoir appears to be ok , next thought was a slight hiss from front drivers side , so thought airbag.

removed wheel and ran car with suspension compressor doing its thing , airbag looks good , sprayed all over with soapy liquid no evidence of leaks , so put wheel back on but as soon as weight on bag , hissing and back to compressor flogging its guts out, next thought is front valve airblock or bag only leaking when carrying weight of car.

any ideas chaps how I can determine whats going on the easy way?

I have iid tool to assist

thanks in advance

The best way to test the front airbags for leaks is to raise the suspension to full height to open up the bags and listen for leaks or use soapy water. The bags tend to seal themselves when standing still in normal height and only leak when working.
Lifting the car tends to pinpoint the problem.

Unfortunately all I get is the slow to raise alarm then the compressor overheats, (its about 29 degrees ambient when I was working on it) I'm leaning towards a front valve block issue now, when the wheel was off, the car had went into extended mode and the bag was well inflated with no apparent leaks, it was only when it got lowered off the jack and weight was back on the bag that I got the hiss.

Guess the wheel will be off again and the plastic removed to see what's going on with the valve block.

My money is on the airbag....  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

I’ve used my IID tool to depressurise a strut to change it. Could you not isolate one corner at a time to get a clue where the problem is ?

Problem is cass, can't get the thing pumped up enough without the compressor going into over heat, I think Joe may be right, going to remove the wheel and plastic covers and see wtf is going on tomorrow, wishful thinking is the front valve block, reality is probably new air bag, but would one bad airbag deflate all corners?

Mine was very similar, no real leak apparent when it was sat on its wheels at normal height. The leak was very prominent when raised to high though, the air bags fold over themselves with suspension travel thereby sealing the leak. I connected my workshop compressor to the system whilst testing, that resolved the overheating compressor issue. BMW i3 Electric Car
2012 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8 (now gone)
2006 VW Touareg 3.0 TDi V6

@dingg If your compressor is continually over heating to deal with a leak due to run time there is also the possibility that the compressor is not performing as it should due to wear thus not pumping the required airflow. Just a thought.

Good point, I had to nurse mine back from Northern Ireland and kept resetting the error with the GAP tool. My compressor was next to useless when I'd finally fitted the new bags. New compressor sorted it but certainly overwork killed it. BMW i3 Electric Car
2012 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8 (now gone)
2006 VW Touareg 3.0 TDi V6

On Monday the front right airbag on mine blew. The messages I got on screen were "Suspension fault" followed by "special programmes off" . I started back home and got a message to the effect that the system would restore when it had cooled down.

The indicator light on the console showed that the compressor was still pumping. Fortunately there appears to be no damage to the compressor.

Might give some pointers to dingg1

I took a basin of soapy water out to check the airbag but didn't need it as, when I put my hand up to, it there was a steady stream of air coming out of the hole.  John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue - SOLD
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT-Sold

Cheers guys for your thoughts , today I jacked up the car , drivers side airbag was completely deflated , managed to get it pumped up with no apparent leaks , went for a short drive and the exhaust on the compressor was popping and releasingsn air and refilling the airsprings , now I think the system was working overtime and something isnt quite right , suspect airbag appears to be ok , but immediate problem is I have a suspension fault code which wont clear and this doesnt help with trying to diagnose the leak issue as it stops me raising or lowering the car

code is C1A00-54(AF) control module system programming failiure missing calibration

any ideas ?

tia

Does this thread on Disco 3 forum help?
https://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/solved-susp...73332.html John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue - SOLD
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT-Sold

cheers weegie , got the car on a flat bit of ground , which is a feat in itself where I live , anyway forced a recalibration to the suspension and thats allowed me to pump up and down and indeed there aleak on the front right airbag at certain heights of suspension , will order two airbags and hopefully a mate who is currently in britain will bring them back for me.

thanks guys

eta wheres best to get these from , ebays doing my head in