Air Spring Replacement

Introduction :
The Air springs on late model Range Rovers usually need replacing before a coil spring would sag significantly -- a cause for much complaining among Range Rover owners, especially in the early days when the "Genuine" replacements were extremely expensive (close to $US300 each) and in short supply.

Cautionary Note: The E.A.S system uses air at very high pressure -- 10 bar or 150 psi. Be careful when doing any operation on it; according to the shop manual the air should be removed from the system before repairs are carried out.
Depressurizing the System:
The manual advises depressurizing the system before replacing springs, but their procedure for doing so requires the Test Book! We lesser mortals without such facilities simply skip this step (do so at your own risk of course). If you are in the field with a blown air spring, it will already be depressurized anyhow. If it is not blown and still has air in it, you can partly depressurize it by jacking up the chassis so the spring is well extended. If you want to depressurize the air tank, you can SLOWLY unscrew the drain plug -- it has a notch in the threads so when partly undone it lets the air escape without firing the plug out like a bullet.

Disabling the Air Suspension:
You don't want the suspension to adjust itself up and down while you work on the vehicle. Classic air sprung models have a disable switch under the seat. On the 4.0/4.6, no such switch is provided, but leaving the tailgate open effectively freezes the suspension. It is wise to leave a door open as well, in case one or the other accidentally gets closed. For an extra measure of safety you can unplug the air suspension delay timer, a small black box that looks like a large relay under the left front seat (see photo at right). On the 4.0/4.6, removing Fuse 44 or 17 should also work

Air Spring Replacement:
Although air spring replacement on the 4.0/4.6 is very similar to the Classic models, there are a few  differences, including how to disable the air suspension, access to the parts, and in the type of clips used to hold the top and bottom pieces of the air springs in place. (Note: there are very good illustrated instructions for the operation on the Arnott website.
http://arnottindustries.com/manuals/index.asp).
Remember to disable the air suspension first, at least by opening the rear hatch and a door, or other methods described under "Disabling the Air Suspension" above. Regarding the fastenings, the 4.0/4.6 models use "R" shaped pin/clips on the rear, rather than the spring clips used on the Classic and on the front of the 4.0/4.6. Also note that the official shop manual requires removal of the plastic wheel well liners; this is not really necessary, and in the case of the rear springs, barely improves access at all.
Gaining Access to the Top Spring Clips:
The workshop manual tells you to remove the rear inner wheel well liners; this is not necessary and unlike the front springs, makes hardly any difference to access (only a couple millimeters more room where the plastic liner hangs down).  If for some reason your liner hangs down more than a few millimeters it is easier to make a small cut in the liner than to remove the entire thing.  Nor do you even have to remove the wheels. Tools: I suggests one pair of long needle nose pliers to pull the retaining pin, one 6-8" long flat screwdriver to depress the air hose collect, floor jack(s).  Two jack stands, an optional mini LED light (photo at right) to see into the little gap between the wheel well liner and the frame where the "R" pin and air line are located.  Beware adverse climates may have corroded them, and you might need a 8-12" metal hook to "hook" the end of the top "R" pin and yank it out, and a hammer to pound out the bottom "R" pin.



Rear air-spring Removal Procedure:

 1. Pull the bottom "R" shaped pins to release the bottom of the air spring.

2. Lift the car fairly high on both sides and support it on stands under the frame just forward of the rear wheels. Ron used a jack on each side of the rear axle, then put chassis stands under the chassis. This is because you will need to hold the body up whilst lowering the axle to fit the air spring. Ron found it beneficial to use two jacks so you can lower the axle evenly (he used two trolley jacks).

3. With the suspension hanging, disconnect the air line at the top,  pull the top pin or "R clip" (see photo on the right) and it's dead easy to pull the spring out. (Some owners have found the spring is corroded in place and is harder to pull out; of this is the case brute force may be required -- there are no other attachments to worry about other than the two pins you have removed). Ron and I were both able to access everything without removing the rear wheels. If you live in an area where corrosion is a problem, getting the pins out may be harder, and require removal of the wheel arch liner for better access.

4. Fit new spring and reinsert top retaining pin. Fit air line - just push it in.  Jack up axle evenly on each side until the bottom spring plate enters the hole in the axle. If you don't raise the axle evenly a bag can easily pop off the piston. This happened to Ron but he found it was easy to refit -- he lubed the piston with a bit of kitchen washing up detergent and it popped straight on.

5. Fit bottom clips.  Do other side, remove chassis stands and lower the vehicle.

1. Open the hatch and at least one more door to deactivate the air suspension (the hatch is good because when you jack up one side a door can close by itself).
2. Pull the bottom "R" shaped pins to release the bottom of the air spring.
3. Put the floor jack under the frame and lift until you can see the air line with your flashlight above the tire.
4. Hold the air line in one hand and press the metal collar with the screwdriver to let the air out (wear glasses so escaping air can't blow anything into your eyes).
5. Pull out the air line and put a piece over the top of it.
6. Pull the top "R shaped pin"  and the spring will drop out (you may have to wiggle it a little bit).
7. Install the new air spring (the mini LED light lets you see what is going on). First put in the top "R" pin in then slide in the air line.
8. Lower the frame until the bottom of the spring goes in to the hole and slide in the bottom "R" spring and you are done.
Front air-spring Removal Procedure: 
1.Remove Air Spring Top Clips:

The plastic fender liners inhibit access to the two metal clips that connect the top of the air springs to the body. With the liners in place,I found it very difficult to "lift and push" the clips at the same time by reaching down with a standard flat blade screwdriver. So, I ended up pulling the inner fender liner for easier access. If you do this, it is a good idea to buy a couple of the two-piece fender liner retainers as spares, since it is easy to damage them. Similarly with the spring top clips, a couple spare clips are handy in case you break or lose one.
Remove Bottom Pin and Spring:
The bottom of the front spring is secured by a long metal pin that is bolted to the axle. After removing the bolt (13 mm socket) you can pull the metal pin out of the bottom of the spring. Then, with the top clips off and the bottom pin out you can maneuver the old spring out if you raise the chassis or lower the axle sufficiently.

The spring should come out easily, but if yours doesn't, because of salt on the roads causing corrosion, for example, don't hesitate to apply brute force, as there are no other fixings than the top clips and the bottom pin you have already removed.

Installing the New Spring
 Set the new spring in place, slide the bottom pin in and connected the bottom pin bolt to the axle. Then lowered the frame (I raised the axle instead) until the studs on the top of the air spring went in the holes and the top clips cold be put back on.  Then he replaced the inner fender and pushed the air line in to the new spring. The shop manual says "! CAUTION: When refitting the air spring, do not allow the vehicle to rest on the deflated air spring. The chassis must be supported until the air spring is inflated". So, with the axle still on the stand and the frame still on the jack to prevent the vehicle from sitting on the bump stop, he closed the doors and the hatch and started the engine and watched the new spring fill with air. After checking for leaks he put the wheel back on and lowered the vehicle to the ground.
Start the engine (doors and tailgate closed to allow the E.A.S to work) and check that the car rises.