E70 X5 Self leveling suspension sag

[titanicsilver]

Both of my sides were sagging overnight. I replaced both of my bags with the Arnott's and it appears to fix the left side but the right side is still a problem and is actually worse now. The back right corner of the rig will sag down after just a couple of hours instead of overnight. Pulled the right one out again and noticed the air supply line was fairly easy to pull out. The left side air supply line was a pain to insert in but the right one almost seems like a slightly smaller diameter tubing. Anyway, reinserted the line and gave it a tug and it seems to be secured but after everything put back together it still drops low after a few hours. Are there options to wrap the end of the line with teflon tape or electrical tape to increase the tubing diameter or do I need to replace the line if it wont grip the compression connection well? Thinking about just putting back the OEM part and dealing with the overnight sag instead of the hourly sag until I can get a replacement from Arnott or blue line replacement.

[paata01]

same issue here, can anyone point me to right direction, I was driving on 30 trip, after about 10 miles got Level Control System Malfunction message, but nothing else, both side were up, when returning home, rear of the car dropped all at once, and heard escaping air as if it was flat tire. Would it be Air bags? Why both sides dropped equally, I parked overnight, when I start the car, I can hear pump working, and hissing sound coming from rear side. Could both air suspension bags be bad?

[modliving]

I just started having this issue with my X6M. I'm considering just switching to springs to avoid the hassle of buying and testing parts. Does anyone know if it will interfere with the Sport settings?

[modliving]

Update: The car is dropping overnight but I have a feeling it isn't dropping due to the bags leaking. I already opened up the block valve and the o-rings looked fine so I don't think it's that either. Last night I opened the car door a few times, the last time at midnight, and it this morning it hadn't dropped. When I opened the door the compressor did not activate. I'm thinking some relay or other sensor is causing the valve block to open up after a certain number of hours of zero activity. Does anyone know what part causes this?

[RacerX5]

Update: The car is dropping overnight but I have a feeling it isn't dropping due to the bags leaking. I already opened up the block valve and the o-rings looked fine so I don't think it's that either. Last night I opened the car door a few times, the last time at midnight, and it this morning it hadn't dropped. When I opened the door the compressor did not activate. I'm thinking some relay or other sensor is causing the valve block to open up after a certain number of hours of zero activity. Does anyone know what part causes this?

You don't mention the age of your X6M, but anything with 7 year old airbags or older, the bags must be suspect. It's pretty easy to see this once you get them out of the car, there will be significant wear/cracking of the rubber once they get to a certain age. It's often in the fold of the bag, so impossible to see while in the car. I guess it would be possible to seal off the bags while they are mounted in the car to test them, but the plastic fittings that the air are so delicate, that I think if you disconnected one to test, it may never seal again. These are also very easy to crossthread.

So while the bags may not ultimately be the culprit of your problems, if you decide to change them just to rule it out, it will probably be money well spent. Especially if you have in excess of 75,000 miles. Pretty much right up there with standard BMW maintenance of changing rubber and plastic cooling system components at 8-10 yrs or 100,000 miles; whichever comes first. But don't hesitate to fix this; any leak will cause the compressor to work overtime, and kill that expensive component as well.

[BMWguy206]

Hey guys! On a 2011 X5 with adaptive drive, is it normal for the rear end to drop approx. 1-inch if the vehicle sits overnight? The left rear suspension air bag and suspension air compressor have already been replaced. No faults codes in the EHC module. Before, it would drop more than 2-inchs on the left rear side only. Installing the new pump helped but just want to know if the 1-inch drop is normal if it sits for more than 10hrs or longer. Thanks!

[mkelly21]

@BMWguy206

Apologies to resurrect an old post - this is exactly the same issue that I have - did you ever resolve?

[BMWguy206]

@BMWguy206

Apologies to resurrect an old post - this is exactly the same issue that I have - did you ever resolve?

Yes...the air line going to the new suspension air bag was not inserted properly causing the leak. This was installation error.

[mkelly21]

Brilliant, thanks for letting me know.

[mat205125]

Update: The car is dropping overnight but I have a feeling it isn't dropping due to the bags leaking. I already opened up the block valve and the o-rings looked fine so I don't think it's that either. Last night I opened the car door a few times, the last time at midnight, and it this morning it hadn't dropped. When I opened the door the compressor did not activate. I'm thinking some relay or other sensor is causing the valve block to open up after a certain number of hours of zero activity. Does anyone know what part causes this?

Brief summary of history of my car:

It’s a 2007 with 149k miles on the clock. I’ve owner for 4 years, and shortly before I took ownership, it had new pump and solenoid block. Presumably it hadn’t got that far on the original bags too.

Within the first six months of having the car it would sag on one corner. I promptly replaced both bags and all was fine.

Over the last month or so it’s begun to sag on both sides simultaneously overnight. I’ve now replaced the bags again (40k miles later), which did not solve the problem.

Since then I’ve removed the pump and solenoid separately to hunt for leaks. No hisses or bubbles from the solenoid (whilst connected) when submerged in water, however replaced all the same. No change to the problem. Given that the pump isn’t pressurised when the solenoid is closed, I’m happy to conclude that the pump is perfectly fine.

With the plumbing for each side from the solenoid completely separate, and the bags and solenoid now being brand new, I’m at a bit of a loss.

Tonight, I will disconnect the battery and see whether the same occurs overnight.

Could the problem be nothing related to the mechanical parts at all and down to the control module??

Where does the control module live, and is this likely to be the root cause of the fault?

The car starts first time every time, however I’ve heard of problems with a weak battery ..... could this be considered contributing to the symptoms???

What else is there to check ........ help!!!!

[mat205125]

Last update of the day.

Thought I’d eliminate any influence of electronics / electrical, as much as possI left, so have disconnected the battery after getting home, and the car did exactly the same ......... dropped down progressively over the next several hours.

So it’s now had two new bags, and a new solenoid and no improvement. From solenoid back, only the hose are original. Pump was changed in 2014, and I’m struggling to see how this can be the root cause of the problem, as the solenoid shuts off the pump from the wheel corners when stopped.

[DaHose]

I might have a small nugget to add to this discussion. Our E61 right/rear was completely sagged and repeatedly kicking up errors. I have a lift, so got under and checked everything. Nothing looked broken. Tested by removing height sensor connector, and system reacted as expected. Then I pulled the height system fuse, started/stopped engine, put back fuse, and put back on ground. Now it pumped up and held air. Rolled off the lift, and the pump cycled a bit. Put the whole thing back up in the air, and soapy water revealed no leaks. However, the suspension is no longer sagging.

My intelligent battery cable is faulty, so I am guessing that my issue is software/reference voltage related. Big lesson here is to try resetting your system.
My steps were to ...
1.) Pull the system fuse (79)
2.) Raise the car so the spring and height sensor cycle to max
3.) Start the car, and reinstall fuse while running
4.) Lower car and allow system to refill

Jose