ACE Leak and question?

[DC1]

Hi, I have a 99 Disco 2. For the last few years I have been told I have a leak in my ACE hose which is not covered by my Land Rover Extended Warranty, I have been quoted $1000-$1500 by various dealers. Every 6 months I would add maybe a half pint and all is well. Just recently when I make hard turn especially on the righ side the ACE light comes on and chimes, I checked the tank and it seems full, but the power steering side of the tank seems a bit low? My questions are:
1. Is there a sensor or something that could be bad causing the light and chime to occur?
2. For power steering can I put regular power steering fluid in or the $16.00 a pint ACE fluid I get from the dealer?
3. Has anyone had this experience and is there any chance the dealer misdiagnosed and maybe these repairs are covered? I understand hoses are not covered, I have 3 months left on my extended I hate to miss the opportunity at a repair especially one I have brought to their attention numerous times. truth is I think I had the ACE leak back when it was under original warranty and they never picked up on it until I was over the 50K mark and the extended kicked in, its a little frustrating.
Thanks.

 

[SteveA]

Where is the leak? Most of the ACE system uses rigid pipes. Much of the system should be covered by your extended warranty. Let me know and I'll try and help.

Stephen

 

[DC1]

Thanks for the reply, I have no idea where the leak is, they tell me its a hose and hoses are not covered under warranty. I sometimes hear a hissing sound when I turn off the car, while the car was still in original warranty I asked the dealer this and they said it was normal? It wasnt until I met a Land Rover dealer in Cali that they diagnosed the hissing sound as an ACE leak. As I mentioned every 6 months or so I needed to put some fluid in and then the chiming/light waould stop. But now any hard turn I get the chime and light and the tank seems full. I do have something leaking almost right under the tank, i would say right below my left headlight my guess is thats the power sterring fluid which is not low? But could the low Power steering fluid cause my ACE light to come on? I was going to put some stop leak in the power steering but I figured I would take it to LAnd Rover if its the pump leaking I assume its covered under my warranty. Thanks for your help

 

[SteveA]

Low power steering fluid will not make the ACE light come on. If you are only loosing about half a pint in six months, it doesn't seem like much of a leak. I would want to know what the ACE light is coming on for. It will come on for a multitude of reasons other than low fluid level.

If you have a power steering fluid leak, common causes are the steering box and hoses.

Hoses related to the power steering and ACE would not be covered, but the high pressure pipes of the ACE system would be covered by the Land Rover Certified Warranty.

By the way, it is common for the Discovery with SLS to make a hissing noise after you turn the car off. The rear air suspension will release a little pressure after you turn it off.

Stephen

 

[DC1]

Thank you so much for the reply, do you think its possible the ACE system has a sensor or something? it only comes on if I make a hard turn, mostly to the right side and especially if i'm on a bit uphill, for instance when I pull into the post office parking lot which is daily it goes off everytime. On occassion when I make a hard left but usually its a right turn on incline it just starts flashing etc, i turn the car on and off and it resets. Thank you.

 

[SteveA]

The ACE system has several sensors. It has a fluid level sensor, vehicle speed sensor, accelerometers, as well as an electronically controled valve block. There's alot of stuff that can go wrong with it. It's not easy to just guess. It really should be diagnosed (unfortunately) by the dealer.

I'd be skeptical of a dealership that diagnosed the noise that the SLS makes after you turn it off with a leak from ACE and then says it's not covered by your warranty.

Stephen