Dreaded Grande Compressor Issue

[Pitbull Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pitbull]

Hi guys,

Have taken the car for a drive this afternoon and it felt like it was riding around on the bump stops - once I got home I had a quick look and sure enough, the compressor wasn't kicking on with the accessories as would normally happen.

I checked the relay and the fuses and still nothing - once I replaced them the "Off" light on the dash near the height control started flashing.

Any idea about how to start trouble shooting?

I checked out this thread http://www.pradopoint.com/archive/in...p/t-26719.html and http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...ension-problem but I wouldn't have the foggiest idea where the suspension compressor was to start the diagnosis.

Any help with/without pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Look forward to your learned opinions!

Thanks in advance guys.

[Guest Close Guest]

The compressor is on the passenger side, behind the rear axle. You should be able to follow the 2 air lines coming out from it which goes to each of the airbags.

[Pitbull Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pitbull]

The compressor is on the passenger side, behind the rear axle. You should be able to follow the 2 air lines coming out from it which goes to each of the airbags.

Thanks Andrew!

Another quick question I forgot to ask in my first post - can I damage the car driving around without the bags pumped up?

[Guest Close Guest]

I drove 400km on the bumpstops really slowly when my airbag split open. The Bilstein 5160 are still fine. The factory TEMS shocks should be ok as well as that is what the bumpstops are supposed to protect. Certainly will be a bumpy ride!

[Pitbull Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pitbull]

Excellent, thanks mate.

I'll keep everyone updated on the progress.

[Pitbull Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pitbull]

OK so I bit the bullet and ended up taking the car to an auto electrician.

He ended up clearing all the fault codes on the computer, and disconnected the suspension module to reset it and hey presto - the compressor cut back on.

Important thing he told me was that the suspension module has it's own internal memory and cannot be reset by disconnecting the battery - the suspension module must physically be disconnected from the wiring harness for about 10 mins.

Now to the next question - I got under the car just to check everything was working again and I can hear a hiss from the drivers side airbag only when pumping up. Once the airbag is up to pressure the hiss stops, I think it may be time for replacement bags and this may be the reason the compressor chucked a wobbly in the first place.

Is this normal or am I on the phone to Airbag Man today?

[Guest Close Guest]

Seeing as yours is a 2003 like mine, there is probably a small tear in the airbags. Suggest that you check it by deflating the airbags and fully extending it.

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

Is the Airbag staying up? Take sone height measurements and leave it over night and recheck the measurements the next day to see if it has dropped. If there is a tear in the airbag then you would expect the hissing to continue after the airbag is fully inflated. Try and have a listen to where the hissing is coming from (airbags or the compressor). Perhaps one of the airlines before the cutoff actuator is leaking air on inflation (if their is such a thing, I'll have to check). Perhaps spraying some soapy water on the airlines may show any possible leakage?

[Shan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Shan]

I had the same problem !! There must be a slow leak in one of the bags. When compressor can't keep both bags inflated it will shut down for safety till you clear the error (It will clear itself if you leave it long enough. 3 days in my case). Put it into high position and spray some soap water over the bags to check for the leak as craigm suggested (That's what Toyo do ).

[Way2go Member Find all posts View Profile Close Way2go]

Where exactly is the suspension ECU located? The lack of clearing fault codes when the battery is disconnected may be why my self levelling isn't working when the rest of the height control still functions OK....

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

Mmmm not sure... Is it the unit in behind the passenger side kick panel that I always disconnect when running cables through the firewall?


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[Guest Close Guest]

Part 89293 here
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_G_200...AGKQ_8419.html

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

Part 89293 here
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_G_200...AGKQ_8419.html

Yup that's the one...

Here's another image from the 120 Manual

[Way2go Member Find all posts View Profile Close Way2go]

The auto electrician installing my external AM/FM aerial thought he found it behind the passenger kick panel ('behind' the engine ECU or something apparently, though there was nothing on the unit to identify what it was). Guess I'll see if disconnecting it does anything re my self-levelling issues....

[Pitbull Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pitbull]

Thanks for all the advice guys, got under the car and pushed the body up away from the suspension and could hear the bag sucking in air from what must be a small tear on the bottom of the drivers side bag.

Confirmed this with the soapy water test so I had a mechanic mate of mine order the bags for me from Airbagman.

The durability is strong without question as the car has over 200,000 kays on the clock and is over 10 years old - just wished it had held out for another couple of months as I was planning on lifting it but don't want to spend the cash right now.

There is a significant difference between retail and trade price on these and there is a distributor at Meadowbank for all the Sydney PP'ers (I will get the address and details off the consignment note once they arrive at the workshop and post them up).

Once again guys, thank you for all your help - you have been invaluable throughout the process and it feels good to know that there are more knowledgeable members of the PP community that are willing to provide their advice and assist in diagnosing these pesky little issues.

Cheers

Pitbull