How to check the suspension fluid level & Serious Suspension Fault

[spiff]

Good evening, had the car on ramps the extensions that arrived are not much use they bend, I would not recommend them even at £12 : )

Have lubricated the links from the sensors to the antiroll bars front and rear.

Fault still there, also did a system reset by going through the battery disconnect procedure, but that did not help either.

When it goes into fault mode the lift and lower will not work, if the car is left for 20 mins or so it then works again.

The fault only shows up if the vehicle is driven, or when set to high, but not every time.

We have to visit the hospital in Penzance on Tuesday, but after that I may take the sensors apart.

There is a used rear one on eBay for £22, so heavens knows how much a new one is : )

It looks to be a very simple job to remove and fit them.

God Bless Spiff

[myglaren]

They were around £30~35 from the dealers a year or two back.

[GiveMeABreak]

Just be aware don’t get under the car when playing with these unsupported and secondly if you don’t put these back in the.correct position you will have to calibrate the height correctors as the suspension may not even rise if they are really out. That is not easy to do and you will need to have a Lexia to do.

[spiff]

An update

I could not fiigure out how to remove the 12 volt plug that feeds the suspension motor, so I inserted two needles into chock blocks with cable from the other sides.

I then pushed the pins through the 12 volt feed to the motor, about an inch away from the plug.

The cable runs to a volt meter in the car.

I removed a small amount of insulation from the thin signal lead, again about an inch away from the motor, and soldered a wire to it.

I provided a return for this feed from a handy bolt that holds the head light.

The cable again runs to another meter in the car.

The car will have reset the fault by morning so that I can observe the two readings, the first reading in a pump working state, then trigger the fault by rasing the car to high and see what is happening.

At least that is the idea : )

God Bless Spiff

[spiff]

Good evening from a sunny Mullion Cove Cornwall.

The car did not want to come out of fault mode today, but as there is 12 volts on the feed to the motor and no volts on the thin wire in the fault mode, I think I have answered the question.

It is not the motor but the signalling voltage from the computer that is missing.

There was a difference in the message today, as well as the series suspension fault it is flashing up a 24mph height warning.

This could be because I was messing about with the ride height a lot yesterday ?

The height from ground to the top of the wheel arch is 29 inches front and back, which if I remember correctly is about the normal ride height.

The solenoid or what ever is not opening to drop the car height in the fault mode, so I think that confirms the motor is not at fault ?

I shall try a repair on the front and rear ride height sensors next.

Does anybody know if the signalling voltage to the motor switching transistor is positive or negative ?

God Bless Spiff

[Harlequin]

When my C5 had a serious suspension fault - I changed LDS, was looking at the front and rear sensors. However, all mine needed, was the electrical plugs cleaning thoroughly for the sensors to work again. The LDS change though i do believe was needed as the fluid was nothing like orange

[spiff]

Thank you for that.

I did have both the plugs out of the sensors and sprayed with WD40, but to no avail.

Normally with connectors a spray and pull in and out a few times does the job.

God Bless Spiff

[lexi]

Not with WD40 though. Isopropyl switch cleaner. WD 40 is not for that purpose.

[lcwin]

Did you test using lexia? it could be height corrector problem. Lexia will show it front or back. Replace it and problem solved. The contacts in the height corrector depends on the white outer plastic casing to push it onto the copper tracks.
after many years of use the plastic cover become rigid n loose giving intermittent fault. its best get a new one if possible