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[Entwood]

If you send 12v direct to the pump does it work ?
If you bypass the sensor and send 12v from the supply to the sensor to the pump does it work ?
If yes to both then sensor is faultyI would think.
If no to one or both, fault lies elsewhere. 

If you send 12v direct to the pump does it work ?  - which pins, there are 4 ...  two for the pump, 2 for a "solenoid" .. does the solenoid turn the pump on or off ??

If you bypass the sensor and send 12v from the supply to the sensor to the pump does it work ?  Which wires, there are 8 pins on the plug to the sensor.

I'm afraid I find reading the tracks on Haynes diagrams very confusing .. not at all like a "proper" wiring diagram to me ..

Willing to try anything .. but need help on this sort of diagnostic !

[Doctor Gollum]

The Haynes diagram is basically a small print German version of the factory diagrams...

[Andy B]

...ll.

I'm afraid I find reading the tracks on Haynes diagrams very confusing .. not at all like a "proper" wiring diagram to me ..
 .....

Better than the wiring diags in the Astra G manuals  ..... they try to show them as an actual schematic which just don't work.

[al brown]

There is a plug break forward of the fuel tank, above the exhaust at least on my pre FL estate there was.
Mine had corroded then got hot and melted a bit so the pump was doing weird things.
Not sure where else there were plug breaks as that was the first one I found and it was the issue so I didn't look further.
Al

[Entwood]

Mate has had an auto electrician look at the diagrams and he says ..

1)  Solenoid is there to RELEASE air when the ride is too high .. ie  after removing a heavy load the car will sit high, this lets air out to drop the suspension, controlled by sensor

2) Pump is there to pump up suspension and is controlled by sensor (which we knew).

Apply 12V across pins A & C (A -ve C +ve) should give a "click" from the solenoid

Apply 12V across pins B & D (B +ve D -ve) pump should run.

Done this to the pump gstylebaby supplied and it works exactly like that so is NOT faulty. Done to the original pump and it does exactly the same, so it ain't faulty either... 

So, its either the sensor or a break in the wires he thinks ....

To get me mobile I have wired a 12 volt supply through a switch to pins B & D and can now switch the pump on and off manually. I'm using a length of cane to "measure" the rear wheel arch height when loaded and "adjusted" .. if it goes too high when "unloaded" I pop off the airline to deflate the system then pump back up.

Hate bodges like that but until I can get hold of a sensor, and pm's have been sent to those who have offered, it gets me mobile...

[TheBoy]

Post 1998 sensors are diagnosable, does your diags gear cover that, or just engine?

[Entwood]

Post 1998 sensors are diagnosable, does your diags gear cover that, or just engine?

Engine only for the plug in one ... the "unmentionable" one I've not tried ..might do that tomorrow ... seeing as you mention it ... (hadn't even thought of that approach!!)

[al brown]

Post 1998 sensors are diagnosable, does your diags gear cover that, or just engine?

Are they diagnosable for the suspension? I know they feed into the abs/tc with some extra wires but I thought it was still just a direct line into the pump side of things. Though if it sees the arm moving for the abs side of things I suppose that means it would be a wire/connection fault somewhere or am I wrong? I wired a later switch into my pre FL a few years back as it was all I could find at the time but I can't remember exactly what the difference was.

[TheBoy]

Post 1998 sensors are diagnosable, does your diags gear cover that, or just engine?

Are they diagnosable for the suspension? I know they feed into the abs/tc with some extra wires but I thought it was still just a direct line into the pump side of things. Though if it sees the arm moving for the abs side of things I suppose that means it would be a wire/connection fault somewhere or am I wrong? I wired a later switch into my pre FL a few years back as it was all I could find at the time but I can't remember exactly what the difference was.

Post 98 ones, the "sensor" is actually an ECU, with diags and calibration functionality.

Early ones are not diagnosable, no idea if intelligent or effectively a couple of switches.

[Doctor Gollum]

It should function correctly when stationary, but it does have a speed signal input...

Are you testing on the car or on the bench?

[Entwood]

Post 1998 sensors are diagnosable, does your diags gear cover that, or just engine?

Using the "unmentionable" software... error codes are :

6 - Car level Control Valve Low Input or Circuit Open
10 - Intake Accumulator Malfunction
11 - Car Level Control Accumulator Malfunction

That's all I get, that's with everything connected, engine running

Any ideas what it means ?? 

[Entwood]

It should function correctly when stationary, but it does have a speed signal input...

Are you testing on the car or on the bench?

Pump on car don't work, pump on bench does work ... apparently .. see post #19

No idea how to test the sensor on the bench ..

[minifreek]

Sounds like the sensor on the rear is faulty, but I think it also runs in conjunction with the sensor on the front NS arm too....?

I had a very similar problem with mine when I had it, I replaced the front sensor with a known good working sensor, replaced the pump as it was noisy and it magically all worked in unison... BUT I was getting the HI-LO VIS FUNCTION on the dash display....

I ended up by removing the rear air rams, disconnecting the pump and replaceing the air rams with Bilstein shocks and Apex springs all round.... it could still tow our tintent, but also didnt wallow around corners like a bloated whale....

[Entwood]

Sounds like the sensor on the rear is faulty, but I think it also runs in conjunction with the sensor on the front NS arm too....?

I had a very similar problem with mine when I had it, I replaced the front sensor with a known good working sensor, replaced the pump as it was noisy and it magically all worked in unison... BUT I was getting the HI-LO VIS FUNCTION on the dash display....

I ended up by removing the rear air rams, disconnecting the pump and replaceing the air rams with Bilstein shocks and Apex springs all round.... it could still tow our tintent, but also didnt wallow around corners like a bloated whale....

That's all to do with headlight levelling system, totally separate AFAIK . and that is working fine .. headlight sensors are competely different and on front/rear nearside .. suspension rear offside only ...  unless of course I've got it wrong ... again ..

[Doctor Gollum]

Spot on Nige headlight levelling has it's own ecu above the levelling pump, and like you say totally separate 

Can't remember which side the loom runs, suspect lhs as that's where most of it is. Test the loom all the way through from sensor plug to pump. If no continuity then you've found the issue