Active damper electronic unit Fault / C5 / X7 /2011

[liepinnssm]

Hi all,

I am looking for someone who could help me to understand two faults I have on my C5 (X7), 2011, 2.2 HDi, 200 Hp.
Active damper electronic unit:

P15AD

P15AE


Thank you!

[GiveMeABreak]

Ok, so these faults are related to the active engine damping system on this engine. It's function is to minimise the awareness of engine vibration in the passenger compartment by means of an electromagnetic actuator. It is connected to the Auto Gearbox ECU, the ESP system and the BSI via the CAN network to obtain information on vehicle speed and conditions.

The force generated by the actuator is controlled in relation to the frequency, amplitude and phase

The active damper status as to whether it is active or not can be determined using Diagbox by checking on the ECU and confirming it's status.

(1) Active damper electronic unit.
(2) Vehicle vibration accelerometer.
(3) Active damper.

First thing I would do is check the connections between the damper itself and the damper ECU. It is a single wiring plug and may have become damaged / split causing a short.

Fault code: P15ADActuator control fault: Open circuit, meaning the actuator control is in open circuit.

Conditions for fault: At least one of the following conditions must be fulfilled:

- During an initialising of the active damper ECU
- During an actuator test on the active damper ECU

Conditions of disappearance of the fault: The following conditions have to be met:
- No faults for 150 ms
- The actuator control is correct

Down-grade modes when the fault is present: Operation of the active damper deactivated.

Symptoms: Noise, Vibration
Suspect areas: Connectors, Electrical harness, Active damper ECU


Fault code P15AE Fault in the initialisation of the active damper system: Not characterised. There are several possibilities for this fault:
Possibility 1: The automatic initialisation has failed
Possibility 2: The manual initialisation has failed
Possibility 3: Initialisation could not be performed

Conditions of Fault: Engine running
Conditions of disappearance of the fault: At least one of the following conditions must be fulfilled
- The manual initialisation has been done successfully
- The first initialisation has been done successfully

Down-grade modes if fault present:
Possibility 1: The operating is active using the default values if the first initialisation (at the factory) has not been done.
Possibility 2: The operating is still active with the last valid value if the automatic initialisation has failed.
Possibility 3: The operating of the damper is deactivated.

Symptoms: Noise, Vibration.

Suspect areas: Active damper ECU, Mass damper.

[liepinnssm]

Hi Marc,

Thank you, this is very helpful.
I will check the connections between the damper itself and the damper ECU.

Mareks

[ozzdownunder]

Hi, I own a 2014 C5X7 HDi 2.2L Sedan and had a problem with vibration when at idle speed. No fault codes are showing. Have disconnected the Active Damper unit and vibration has stopped. Is the a diagram available showing the parts of the damper unit ? Can parts be bought for the unit as I believe that this should be able to be repaired. Its a mechanical vibration so I am thinking it is somewhere in the actual damping unit that is causing the problem. Any input would be appreciated especailly info on the actual damping unit itself. Regards Johannes.

[GiveMeABreak]

There are a huge number of parts for the various mountings and components for your 2.2 available, but we ask for a min. £10 Forum donation for live parts data & parts diagrams / pricing as we are charged for this now.

I have your VIN, but if you want to go ahead, your donation will cover you for parts info for up to 2 years - details below:

A response to your question by a Forum Admin will require detailed vehicle information that requires you to have made a current contribution to the Forum.

Donate Further Information

[ozzdownunder]

Is there any one out here that knows how to remove procedure of the ACTIVE DAMPER unit itself. I can see the wire connection on the bottom of the car, but cannot see the actual unit. Is it best to remove the wheel and the internal wheel cover? Thank u. JM

[GiveMeABreak]

The system is designed to auto correct over time:

After 10k Kms, the vehicle may become noisier, so the system attempts to carry out a programming:

The system carries out an automatic programming every 10 000 kilometres (A maximum of 5 programming attempts).
This automatic programming takes 4 seconds

The automatic programming is activated in the following conditions:
Automatic programming activation conditions
- Engine running at idle (700 ± 25 rpm)
- Coolant temperature above 50°C
- Gear lever in position "N"
If the automatic programming procedure is not successful, a fault code is recorded and the system operates with the previous programming values.

The removal process is very long-winded, and involves removing the central console trim and connectors specifically (as this is where the AD sensor is) as well as all the other sensors, the wheel, then the exhaust has to be supported as the fixings need removing to get to the temp. sensor - so the exhaust line has to be removed from the precatalyser, ..... and a lot of other things too long winded to put up here.

But any replacement has to be software calibrated and configured with Diagbox / PSA server download.

[ozzdownunder]

I would not have thought that the AD sensor would create a mechanical (metallic type) this type of vibration. More to do with the actual actuator as this is the only mechanical moving part? What is the function of the AD sensor? There are no fault codes showing.

[GiveMeABreak]

... What is the function of the AD sensor?

There is a brief summary below, but he AD sensor is the Vehicle Vibration Accelerometer which detects the vehicle vibrations

There are 3 main parts to the Active Damper as fitted to the DW12C engine specifically.

(1) Active damper electronic unit.
(2) Vehicle vibration accelerometer.
(3) Active damper.

It's overall function is to reduce the engine vibration felt in the passenger compartment.

It uses an electromagnetic actuator, The force generated is controlled in relation to the frequency, amplitude and phase.

The active damper function is provided by an ECU referred to as the active damper electronic unit which processes the information supplied by the vehicle vibration sensor and the engine management, built-in systems interface, automatic gearbox and ESP ECUs and directly controls the power of the active damper.

Here are the components used:

Element	Designation
1	Engine speed sensor
2	Automatic gear box
3	Active damper electronic unit
4	ABS/ESP ECU
5	Mass damper
6	Vehicle vibration accelerometer
7	Engine ECU
a	Gear engaged position information for selection of the active damper electronic unit maps
b	Active damper electronic unit maps according to the gear engaged
c	Vehicle speed information
d	Active damper activation command
e	Vehicle vibration information
f	Engine speed and engine coolant temperature information

[Xantippa]

Is this active damper also in cars with V6 diesel engines?

[GiveMeABreak]

You do have a dampening system Marko, but it's totally different. It has front and rear engine torque rods linked to some components and there is some vacuum pipe system involved.

[Xantippa]

Active system also on V6? I think V6 should be easier as it runs much smoother than R4, but there´s ofcourse a tad more of torque that might be challenging for engine mounting.

[GiveMeABreak]

It's a different system, but has piloted torque reaction rods as opposed to the other damping system on the 2.2. It uses some vacuum pipes and a separate reservoir as part of the voodoo system. as well as elastic mountings.