MY2004 4.2 Suspension Fault
04-26-2014, 01:09 AM
#1
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
MY2004 4.2 Suspension Fault
Hi all,
Just registered, been reading this site for years. I've had numerous Audis before and any problem I had I always seemed to find the answer by searching but this time I think I'm going to need a little help.
Long story short, sold my Camaro SS on Wednesday and needed to find some wheels urgently to get to work and back since taxis are awful here. So I bought a D3 4.2 2004 registered first in 2005 (if that matters). Nice clean car but with high miles 208,000km to be exact.
It was fine for the first day or so then I was greeted by the Audi Christmas Tree, something I'd not seen since my D2 S8 many moons ago. I had green and amber suspension light, engine light and ESP light. I restarted the car and ESP light went out and has not returned since. Engine light remains on.
When I first got the car suspension level was looking fine, ride quality was good and typical Audi, all options available in the MMI screen and no lights on dash. First time the lights came on the rear of the car was raised and the front and low and MMI was stuck in lift (the other options greyed out) and both green/amber lights on.
Yesterday morning I went out again and first both amber and green lights are flashing, then amber becomes steady and then after some KM the green becomes steady too. Ride is still low and very firm, bumps and undulations in the road are heavily felt and it catches on speed bumps.
This morning again both amber and green lights come on, the amber goes steady quickly and the green continues to flash throughout all my journey to work about 30km. Ride quality is very poor/too firm, ride height is low (but not as low as failed air suspension I've had before more times than I care to mention in older S-Class Mercedes), the green light is flashing and the amber light in solid.
There is no noticeable noise from any pump when I start the car or after I've been driving for some time.
A friend is coming tomorrow night to pull the fault codes and I will update this thread Monday with what codes we find.
In the mean time is there any suggestions, tests, do's or don'ts I should know about?
There seems to be a lot of knowledge here so perhaps someone can have a guess what the cause might be? I'm thinking it can only really be a broken compressor or a leaky/failed strut(s)?
The best thing about this A8, is that somehow after over 200,000km it still has that 'Audi' smell.
Just registered, been reading this site for years. I've had numerous Audis before and any problem I had I always seemed to find the answer by searching but this time I think I'm going to need a little help.
Long story short, sold my Camaro SS on Wednesday and needed to find some wheels urgently to get to work and back since taxis are awful here. So I bought a D3 4.2 2004 registered first in 2005 (if that matters). Nice clean car but with high miles 208,000km to be exact.
It was fine for the first day or so then I was greeted by the Audi Christmas Tree, something I'd not seen since my D2 S8 many moons ago. I had green and amber suspension light, engine light and ESP light. I restarted the car and ESP light went out and has not returned since. Engine light remains on.
When I first got the car suspension level was looking fine, ride quality was good and typical Audi, all options available in the MMI screen and no lights on dash. First time the lights came on the rear of the car was raised and the front and low and MMI was stuck in lift (the other options greyed out) and both green/amber lights on.
Yesterday morning I went out again and first both amber and green lights are flashing, then amber becomes steady and then after some KM the green becomes steady too. Ride is still low and very firm, bumps and undulations in the road are heavily felt and it catches on speed bumps.
This morning again both amber and green lights come on, the amber goes steady quickly and the green continues to flash throughout all my journey to work about 30km. Ride quality is very poor/too firm, ride height is low (but not as low as failed air suspension I've had before more times than I care to mention in older S-Class Mercedes), the green light is flashing and the amber light in solid.
There is no noticeable noise from any pump when I start the car or after I've been driving for some time.
A friend is coming tomorrow night to pull the fault codes and I will update this thread Monday with what codes we find.
In the mean time is there any suggestions, tests, do's or don'ts I should know about?
There seems to be a lot of knowledge here so perhaps someone can have a guess what the cause might be? I'm thinking it can only really be a broken compressor or a leaky/failed strut(s)?
The best thing about this A8, is that somehow after over 200,000km it still has that 'Audi' smell.
04-27-2014, 11:33 PM
#4
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi,
Thanks for the comments and the welcome.
So we tried pulling the fault codes but the system my friend is using using a proper VCDS system it is just some bluetooth adaptor and basic software.
It did pull the fault codes
P0171 (System too lean bank 1)
P0174 (System too lean bank 2)
But we did pull out and check the 40A fuse which wasn't burnt out or anything.
This morning when I started the car only the green warning light was on so I went into the suspension menu changed it to automatic and the warning light went out. No lights came on for about 40 minutes, I'd say the car was still riding lower than normal but I'm sure it felt a little softer than before. After 40 minutes of driving mostly slow moving traffic I went over a bit of a dip in the road and then both amber and green lights came on again, steady not flashing.
I will take the car today to some specialist that has a proper machine to print out the codes, was much easier when I was in UK I was working for VW-Group and had access to the equipment any time. Not the case here sadly.
Once I have the codes I will update thread, but do the existing codes and behavior indicate anything?
Thanks for the comments and the welcome.
So we tried pulling the fault codes but the system my friend is using using a proper VCDS system it is just some bluetooth adaptor and basic software.
It did pull the fault codes
P0171 (System too lean bank 1)
P0174 (System too lean bank 2)
But we did pull out and check the 40A fuse which wasn't burnt out or anything.
This morning when I started the car only the green warning light was on so I went into the suspension menu changed it to automatic and the warning light went out. No lights came on for about 40 minutes, I'd say the car was still riding lower than normal but I'm sure it felt a little softer than before. After 40 minutes of driving mostly slow moving traffic I went over a bit of a dip in the road and then both amber and green lights came on again, steady not flashing.
I will take the car today to some specialist that has a proper machine to print out the codes, was much easier when I was in UK I was working for VW-Group and had access to the equipment any time. Not the case here sadly.
Once I have the codes I will update thread, but do the existing codes and behavior indicate anything?
04-28-2014, 03:37 AM
#5
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Okay so took the car to a workshop to have it scanned.
They told me that the system has a leak and the air pump is shutting down because it keeps overheating due to running continuously.
He seemed to think that it was the rear struts that have leaks but I'm not sure he is guessing or what, anyone that is familiar with the level of service you get in Middle East will understand.
So, my next step.
How to determine which strut(s) is leaking? Is there any test?
As it happens when I was at the workshop the rear was low and the front was high, but previously it had been the opposite.
Any ideas?
They told me that the system has a leak and the air pump is shutting down because it keeps overheating due to running continuously.
He seemed to think that it was the rear struts that have leaks but I'm not sure he is guessing or what, anyone that is familiar with the level of service you get in Middle East will understand.
So, my next step.
How to determine which strut(s) is leaking? Is there any test?
As it happens when I was at the workshop the rear was low and the front was high, but previously it had been the opposite.
Any ideas?
04-28-2014, 05:49 AM
#6
AudiWorld Wiseguy
Compressor shutdown due to over temp is usual first sign of a leak. However the clock is ticking to fix it as before long your compressor will burn out and need replacement also.
Anyway, park the car and put it in jacking mode (this shuts off the auto leveling). Leave it overnight and see which corner of the car has dropped. That's where your leak is.
Anyway, park the car and put it in jacking mode (this shuts off the auto leveling). Leave it overnight and see which corner of the car has dropped. That's where your leak is.
04-28-2014, 05:54 AM
#7
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ah, great tip. Thank you. Will do that tonight, also learnt a useful trick from Mercedes.
Put some masking tape tight between the wheel and the wheelarch.
If the tape is still tight the vehicle hasn't dropped, even a fractional drop will be visible with this method.
I will go and see if I can find a newish use set of rear air springs/struts for the A8.
Being UAE there is plenty of smashed up relatively new cars to harvest parts from for not much money.
Do you know if the newer A8 shares the same part as locating a front end destroyed A8 shouldn't be much of a problem, people don't seem to have got the hang of this driving thing just yet.
Put some masking tape tight between the wheel and the wheelarch.
If the tape is still tight the vehicle hasn't dropped, even a fractional drop will be visible with this method.
I will go and see if I can find a newish use set of rear air springs/struts for the A8.
Being UAE there is plenty of smashed up relatively new cars to harvest parts from for not much money.
Do you know if the newer A8 shares the same part as locating a front end destroyed A8 shouldn't be much of a problem, people don't seem to have got the hang of this driving thing just yet.
Trending Topics
04-28-2014, 09:37 PM
#9
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As I said, I'm not thinking it is rear or even both. The guy at the workshop said it was rear, but like I said I don't trust him as I reckon he's just guessing.
I will see if the car drops tonight. It didn't seem to drop last night on any particular corner.
I took this after driving the car to work, the usual array of lights came on immediately after starting. After driving for about 30 minutes I stopped at some traffic lights and restarted the car, the lights all went out and I felt the car rise and for the rest of the journey to work no lights came on and the suspension was lovely, on the MMI setting 'lift' remained greyed out.
Does it look high to you? It had no warning lights and 'comfort' was selected.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByK...it?usp=sharing
I wouldn't mind a VCDS system of my own but I'm only keeping it for the Summer then I will get something new again. It's my Summer smoke!
I will see if the car drops tonight. It didn't seem to drop last night on any particular corner.
I took this after driving the car to work, the usual array of lights came on immediately after starting. After driving for about 30 minutes I stopped at some traffic lights and restarted the car, the lights all went out and I felt the car rise and for the rest of the journey to work no lights came on and the suspension was lovely, on the MMI setting 'lift' remained greyed out.
Does it look high to you? It had no warning lights and 'comfort' was selected.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByK...it?usp=sharing
I wouldn't mind a VCDS system of my own but I'm only keeping it for the Summer then I will get something new again. It's my Summer smoke!
