highway ride - help

[calibre]

So I took my LR3 for my first long highway ride - from SLC to Moab. Over 22 mpg - that's great when I was getting 12 around town!

Anyways - something is going on and I can't figure out what it is. The rig rides true and straight on a smooth highway. But when the highway turns a little wavy, the rig starts "floating" a little bit - it seems to bounce back and forth, left and right. I almost get a little dizzy. Now, I am used to German tuned cars, and haven't driven a 6k lb truck before, but I'm pretty sure it shouldn't feel like this.

I'm thinking:
1. Bushings? Front end? Rear? The steering wheel stays true and straight, doesn't pull
2. Shock at the right rear corner? Another vehicle riding with me seemed to think the right rear corner seemed softer than the rest...as if a shock was going out.
3. Air in a corner shock is lower than the other 3? Is this possible? Can this make corners bounce back and forth?
4. Alignment?

Do these LR3's have shocks? What keeps the airbags from bouncing up and down? A shock? A valve of some sort?

This is tough to explain - I realize that. But has anyone had a similar "feeling" when driving at highway speeds and the road "throws" you just right - throwing the vehicle left and right, forward and back?

 

[dantheman1]

I am actually experiencing the same thing happen with my LR3. It'll drive straight if the road is level and smooth, but a small imperfection will **** the steering the wheel and make the car bounce back and forth. This started happening after the dealer replaced my front steering bushings and did an alignment, so I think the alignment might be out of whack.

 

[blackforestham]

The air bag assembly houses an integral shock as well as the bumpstop. None of these are serviceable separately. Could be alignment, tire pressure or Inertia/YAW sensor. Let Dealer diagnose since you're still on Warranty.

 

[calibre]

The air bag assembly houses an integral shock as well as the bumpstop. None of these are serviceable separately. Could be alignment, tire pressure or Inertia/YAW sensor. Let Dealer diagnose since you're still on Warranty.

With 75k, I'm not on warranty anymore, correct?
Any other ideas?
Has anyone had to replace an air bag, even thoughit doesn't leak air?

Just to clarify, the steering wheel doesn't ****. Stays straight and smooth. It's as if it bounces back and forth from the front driver side to the back passenger side.
Around town, it doesn't seem to do this when hitting a bump...

 

[schafari]

That sounds like a problem. Also what you describe would seem to be related to the "cross-linked" air suspension. The driver front is linked to the passenger rear. I have not seen this as a common problem.

 

[Houm_WA]

Could it just be tires wearing out? Mine does this with my half-worn Michelins but NOT when I slap on my nearly-new MT/Rs and am on the way to the trailhead.

 

[calibre]

Could it just be tires wearing out? Mine does this with my half-worn Michelins but NOT when I slap on my nearly-new MT/Rs and am on the way to the trailhead.

My tires are worn out, but I would hope that is not it. It's got to be more than this.

When doing some wheeling recently, I have gotten a Suspension Failure light, and it seems to be during major articulation, when the right rear tire is dropped down to the bumpstop. That is also the corner that seems to have problems at high speeds. So - is it possible I have a height sensor going out in that corner, thus causing not enough air to be put into the bag at that corner? Thus, that corner is slightly lower than the rest, and at highway speeds it is exhibiting itself? Anyone had a problem like this with one corner not pumping in as much air as the other 3?

Would it be worth replacing the height sensor at the corner that is giving me troubles on the highway? Basically, if the truck goes over a "roll" in the freeway, and get's "light on it's feet", then lands softly, it wiggles...
I just really hate to take it in to the stealership for diagnosing...

 

[Houm_WA]

Yeah you kind of lost me. I just notice that the car tends to drift in and out of ruts in the freeway. Yes...the freeway that I drive to work has a pronounced crown and a f'n set of ruts that can be felt and seen. It's pathetic.

So as far as I know my LR3 could be completely normal but it seems to take to the roads curves more than it used to. ???

Maybe I've just gotten too sensitive but maybe it is something. What you've got going on sounds a bit different now that you've described it further.

You'd have to describe the situation better on the suspension fault to really determine if there is an issue. You on stock rods? I've gotten mine "out of range" which threw a fault but that was with mod'd rods and I inadvertently tried to push it up beyond Super-Ext Mode.

 

[calibre]

I was running modified rods at the time, but was in "normal" height.

I guess my question is this: is it possible for 3 air bags to be pumped up to the same pressure, and have a 3rd bag pumped up at a lower pressure?

On the highway, it feels like all 3 corners are solid, but the rear passenger is "softer", meaning, it kind of bounces down lower than the rest when a bump is hit on the freeway, as if it doesn't have as much air in that corner as the other 3. Is this possible?

And, because that is the same corner that seems to be giving me suspension faults, perhaps the sensor over in that corner is bad, and is not putting the same amount of air into it as the other 3 corners. Make sense?

 

[Trynian]

I was running modified rods at the time, but was in "normal" height.

I guess my question is this: is it possible for 3 air bags to be pumped up to the same pressure, and have a 3rd bag pumped up at a lower pressure?

On the highway, it feels like all 3 corners are solid, but the rear passenger is "softer", meaning, it kind of bounces down lower than the rest when a bump is hit on the freeway, as if it doesn't have as much air in that corner as the other 3. Is this possible?

And, because that is the same corner that seems to be giving me suspension faults, perhaps the sensor over in that corner is bad, and is not putting the same amount of air into it as the other 3 corners. Make sense?

If it is not sinking on the soft corner overnight I would not suspect the bag to be bad. There is a shock in there also so if it is bad then I think the entire unit would need replacement.

Modified rods can cause a temperary fault in extreme articulation but so can an senor going bad. They can also not react to the driving condition which might leave one corner feeling spungy. If it was out of calibration or bad leaving one bag less inflated you would notice that corner sitting lower even at a stand still.

It is not as simple as just replacing the sensor as it also has to be calibrated to match the other 3 heights with a diganostic computer. Otherwise you will probably have one corner off from the others.