Is my suspension supposed to do this?? (P38 rangie)

[xjsjohn]

Being somewhat new to the "pimp my ride" air suspension and after a few weeks driving i am starting to wonder if the following is normal, or if i should be cashing in on my warranty ...

First ... i don’t lower the car when i park up, just leave it at normal ride height (lanky git so can get in and out fine)

The next day the car does not appear to be lower, but get in and start up and it does a little bit of up and down .... is this some sort of self check it does as i don’t think its actually "sunk"?? (perhaps i should get the tape measure out and check ...)

Sometimes if i have been in a stop / start traffic jam for a while it also does a little uppy downy thing ... (if stationary for a while i tend to drop car into N and use hand brake, doesn’t do this when in D and holding on foot brake)

Should i be concerned here or is this normal behavior for a 2000 year P38??

The suspension does all its other things as intended, will drop to the axels or graze the ceiling of the car park on demand, and adjusts for motorway use when needed.

[ehasler]

xjsjohn said:

Sometimes if i have been in a stop / start traffic jam for a while it also does a little uppy downy thing ... (if stationary for a while i tend to drop car into N and use hand brake, doesn’t do this when in D and holding on foot brake)

I've noticed that my '95 Classic does this too - everything else appears to work as it should, so I reckon it's pretty normal (fingers crossed!). I'll be interested to hear from anyone who knows more about it though.

[FUBAR]

I think you'll find its the 'self-levelling suspension' self-leveling itself

Dont think there is anything to worry about

[exboxster]

Had the same on my 97 P38. As stated I think it's just adjusting the ride height and making sure all's level. It probably does the same on the move but you don't notice it.

[xjsjohn]

FUBAR said:

I think you'll find its the 'self-levelling suspension' self-leveling itself

Dont think there is anything to worry about

Cheers, just a little un-nerving when not used to a car that will go up and down of its own accord!!!

[Steve_T]

I did a bit of research into P38s, when I was considering a purchase. As I remember it the thing to watch for is when the air suspension has to pump the car back up to the desired ride height each time you start it. If this happens for long enough you can end up burning out the pump within the control unit for the air suspension and it's quite pricey to replace. If you catch the problem early, it's usually a case of replacing some o-rings within the unit.

Steve.

[xjsjohn]

Steve_T said:

I did a bit of research into P38s, when I was considering a purchase. As I remember it the thing to watch for is when the air suspension has to pump the car back up to the desired ride height each time you start it. If this happens for long enough you can end up burning out the pump within the control unit for the air suspension and it's quite pricey to replace. If you catch the problem early, it's usually a case of replacing some o-rings within the unit.

Steve.

Hmmm cheers .....

think i will get the tape measure out and see if its actually doing any "pumping" or is it just finding its level ...

[BLUETHUNDER]

What your car is doing is perfectly normal.its adjusting itself from the information it recieves off the ride height sensors on each corner.Nothing to worry about at all.

[FUBAR]

BLUETHUNDER said:

What your car is doing is perfectly normal.its adjusting itself from the information it recieves off the ride height sensors on each corner.Nothing to worry about at all.

And looks way kewl in 'The Hood' too