When I first bought my LR3 my intention was to build an overland camping truck that would see a variety of trail use. This included the long dirt roads of Death Valley and some of the more technical trails of Big Bear. The LR3 excelled at the long dirt roads and proved to be very comfortable. The challenge for the LR3 is the long wheel base on the more technical trails. Tires and eventually rock sliders came first. It was during this research I heard the term "suspension fault." I quickly became very paranoid about suspension faults. I bought a Faultmate, (the gap tool did not exist back then) to clear faults. I learned which three fuses to pull to keep the system inflated, assuming it was inflated. I sourced some 6mm push to connect unions and Schrader valves for an emergency air solution. I lifted the truck using adjustable rods. This allowed me to use Nitto 285/60 Terra Grapplers. These were really good tires. When they wore out after about 35,000 miles I installed a set of Goodyear 275/65 Kevalrs. These tires were a C load rating and ended up being a bad tire for the truck. With the RTT, camping gear and under body armor the truck was overloaded for the tire and did not allow me to air down very far. I made some body and wheel well liner modifications to run these tires but nothing major. I now run Nitto Trail Grapplers in 285/65. This is wide 33 inch tall tire. I made more modifications to the front wheel well and wheel well liner to run this tire. I removed the frame horn, mine simply unbolted. I have installed 1.3 inch wheel spacers. This is required for upper A-arm clearance in the front. I modified the bump stops in the shock absorber to remove about 1.5 inches of upper travel. I debated using spacers between the spring and frame but I decided that the risk of over extension in the down travel was not something I wanted to deal with. The new bump stop is made of polyurethane about 2.0 inches in diameter and 2.0 inches tall. It simply replaces the existing bump stop. The ride is a bit harsher at the bump stops but this is a failed condition and not every day.
This is a picture of the rear on the bump stops. There is probably about another inch of articulation in there but the vehicle weight would have to shift to one corner.
Now let me discuss suspension faults. The initial suspension faults that I have had included sensor communication, cut ABS wire, overheating of the compressor and a ruptured airline. I have replaced my compressor with the new AMK unit, all four height sensors and all four struts and air springs. My repair kit includes, height sensors, 6mm tubing, 6mm airline, Faultmate and of course onboard air compressor. All of the faults that I have had were simple fixes except the ruptured airline.
The rupture occurred on a snow covered trail, specifically Silver Canyon near Bishop. This trail is an easy trail, with the snow pack it became a moderately difficult trail. The trail is a series of switch backs that take you up close to 10,000 feet. I knew there was a leak in the system as I could here the discharge when I put the truck into off-road height. As the truck began to lower, I quickly turned off the ignition hoping to catch it by pulling the fuses. Unfortunately the computer had already determined that the fault warranted a complete drop with speed restriction. There I was with a decision to make, keep going forward or turn back the way I came. I choose to go back as I knew what to expect from the trail. I radioed down to my father in-law to let him know we would be heading back. The snow and mud began to fill the wheel wells and eventually became too much for the LR3's plastic wheel arches. They decided to depart the vehicle in the back. The front stayed on but the plastic tabs started to break. I eventually pulled them all off. Once we got back down to about 5000 feet and on level ground I evaluated the situation. I hooked up the Faultmate to see what was going on. I knew there was a leak and found that the computer was throwing a number of algorithm based faults as the command to raise the vehicle did not raise it. I was also not able to build any pressure in the system as the tank pressure stayed at a nice and even 100KPa (0psi). To find the source of the leak I would have to make the choice of dropping the slider or not. Dropping the slider is easy, putting it back on is not. It weighs over 120 pounds and must be aligned to two separate body mounts with isolators that are particularly tricky to keep in place. I needed a floor jack on a hard surface, not a bench press in the mud and snow I was laying in. As the sounds of cash leaving my wallet I decided to cut the airlines to the air springs and installed my Schrader valves. Once I did this I simply aired them up and went on my way, counting the cost of replacement parts in my head.
Here is my ruptured airline.
And here is where it located.
This is the replacement line installed. The line failed between the body and the body mount. This is normally covered by my rock slider. As you can see I have added additional nylon wrapping to provide further wear resistance. Land Rover uses this type of spiral wrapping in some locations. I have simply added more. Mine is orange for no other reason than that is what I bought.
In replacing the airline I decided to make my Schrader valves permanent to allow me to bypass the existing air in the event of any future airline ruptures. Here is a picture of the front.
Splicing into the front valve block.
Lines routed to the new valves.
The isolation for the front valves.
The valves are from Alpha and can be sourced here along with the other required components and material except the tubing. http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/p...pos-ball-valve-closed-center-1-8-nptf-1-1-2-l The tubing I used is rated DOT at -40 to +180 F at 240 PSI.
Left side rear isolation valve.
Isolation valve for the rear is located on the frame above where the spare tire would go. I have mine mounted on a swing away so that area is wide open. There were already perfectly sized holes in the frame to install the valve.
Right side rear isolation valve.
I know that there will be concerns with the added fittings and the reduction in reliability. I have found that these types of fittings are very reliable as they are used in factory automation and in fact on truck braking systems all the time. I feel that there is a small trade-off to be had to allow a quick fix on the trail that will keep me moving forward versus the impact of 8 additional connections in the air system. Now none of this would have been necessary if I had not decided to use larger tires; but what would be the point in that?
This is a picture of the rear on the bump stops. There is probably about another inch of articulation in there but the vehicle weight would have to shift to one corner.
Now let me discuss suspension faults. The initial suspension faults that I have had included sensor communication, cut ABS wire, overheating of the compressor and a ruptured airline. I have replaced my compressor with the new AMK unit, all four height sensors and all four struts and air springs. My repair kit includes, height sensors, 6mm tubing, 6mm airline, Faultmate and of course onboard air compressor. All of the faults that I have had were simple fixes except the ruptured airline.
The rupture occurred on a snow covered trail, specifically Silver Canyon near Bishop. This trail is an easy trail, with the snow pack it became a moderately difficult trail. The trail is a series of switch backs that take you up close to 10,000 feet. I knew there was a leak in the system as I could here the discharge when I put the truck into off-road height. As the truck began to lower, I quickly turned off the ignition hoping to catch it by pulling the fuses. Unfortunately the computer had already determined that the fault warranted a complete drop with speed restriction. There I was with a decision to make, keep going forward or turn back the way I came. I choose to go back as I knew what to expect from the trail. I radioed down to my father in-law to let him know we would be heading back. The snow and mud began to fill the wheel wells and eventually became too much for the LR3's plastic wheel arches. They decided to depart the vehicle in the back. The front stayed on but the plastic tabs started to break. I eventually pulled them all off. Once we got back down to about 5000 feet and on level ground I evaluated the situation. I hooked up the Faultmate to see what was going on. I knew there was a leak and found that the computer was throwing a number of algorithm based faults as the command to raise the vehicle did not raise it. I was also not able to build any pressure in the system as the tank pressure stayed at a nice and even 100KPa (0psi). To find the source of the leak I would have to make the choice of dropping the slider or not. Dropping the slider is easy, putting it back on is not. It weighs over 120 pounds and must be aligned to two separate body mounts with isolators that are particularly tricky to keep in place. I needed a floor jack on a hard surface, not a bench press in the mud and snow I was laying in. As the sounds of cash leaving my wallet I decided to cut the airlines to the air springs and installed my Schrader valves. Once I did this I simply aired them up and went on my way, counting the cost of replacement parts in my head.
Here is my ruptured airline.
And here is where it located.
This is the replacement line installed. The line failed between the body and the body mount. This is normally covered by my rock slider. As you can see I have added additional nylon wrapping to provide further wear resistance. Land Rover uses this type of spiral wrapping in some locations. I have simply added more. Mine is orange for no other reason than that is what I bought.
In replacing the airline I decided to make my Schrader valves permanent to allow me to bypass the existing air in the event of any future airline ruptures. Here is a picture of the front.
Splicing into the front valve block.
Lines routed to the new valves.
The isolation for the front valves.
The valves are from Alpha and can be sourced here along with the other required components and material except the tubing. http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/p...pos-ball-valve-closed-center-1-8-nptf-1-1-2-l The tubing I used is rated DOT at -40 to +180 F at 240 PSI.
Left side rear isolation valve.
Isolation valve for the rear is located on the frame above where the spare tire would go. I have mine mounted on a swing away so that area is wide open. There were already perfectly sized holes in the frame to install the valve.
Right side rear isolation valve.
I know that there will be concerns with the added fittings and the reduction in reliability. I have found that these types of fittings are very reliable as they are used in factory automation and in fact on truck braking systems all the time. I feel that there is a small trade-off to be had to allow a quick fix on the trail that will keep me moving forward versus the impact of 8 additional connections in the air system. Now none of this would have been necessary if I had not decided to use larger tires; but what would be the point in that?
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