I purchased a used 2007 LR3 SE with 80k miles in January.
So far i've replaced the battery, front lower control arms, and coolant bleeder fitting.
Lately i've been getting suspension faults, orange light normal suspension height only.
When I would crank the truck the compressor would run for about a minute then a fault would throw and compressor cut off.
Its sat for over a week at a time with no leaks.
I did a lot of research and found that there is a rebuild kit available for the compressor but I had a lot of trouble finding anyone whom had actually done the rebuild.
I found several threads about removing and replacing the compressor but nothing about actually repairing it.
Today I took this on and documented the steps. Its super easy, the hardest part is actually removing the compressor. Rebuilding takes maybe 10 mins.
I'm not going to go into detail on removing the compressor but once its on the table here are the steps to rebuild it.
Heres the rebuild kit...I purchased it off of ebay for like $35
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It contains a new exhaust valve plunger and spring, along with an assortment of o rings and screws.
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After getting the compressor on the table it appears that it may have been replaced before. I found numbers written on the end with a paint marker like junk yards do to pull off parts. Not sure if thats factory or not?
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Heres a couple side shots of the compressor on the table
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Heres an inside shot of the compressor housing...It's easy to see how the compressor over heats being surrounded by this huge insulated box. I chose to leave it off indefinitely...I don't mind the extra noise and plan on adding some rock sliders to protect it anyway.
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To replace the exhaust valve you have to carefully remove a 17mm bolt on the side of the compressor. Be careful not to let the spring fly out.
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Inside you will find a small spring with the rubber valve on the bottom surrounded by the spring.
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During this process, I found no real damage to the original parts. The springs may have become spongy, but the only damage i could find is the o-ring surrounding the bolt i removed previously to access the exhaust valve and spring.
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Inside you can see the exhaust port. Simply drop in the new plug and spring. Be sure that it is centered over the port. Replace the o-ring on the bolt and slowly tighten down ensuring the spring doesn't bind or become off center.
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Next up are the compression springs. They are located under the black square cap with four screws located at each corner. Slowly loosen each screw but don't completely take them out. This cover is compressing two springs which are pretty stout. It can easily shoot out if not careful.
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Once removed you can see the two springs along with the old o-rings
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Remove the larger outer spring to gain access to the inner spring and teflon collar.
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Heres a side shot of the two springs
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Inside shot
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Insert the new inner spring and collar then place the larger spring over the smaller. Replace the large o-ring and put the cover back on. Compress the springs under the cover with your hand and start the screws on each corner. Slowly tighten each corner a little at a time to ensure the springs and o-ring seat correctly.
And thats it for the kit. Super easy and relatively cheap.
Now for the part that I believe was causing my issues.
The desiccant air drier. Its the large black canister with the hose coming out of the end. I live in Mississippi and the previous owner did as well. It gets very humid down here. My suspicions were that the desiccant media inside the drier had become saturated and was restricting air flow to the compressor causing it to work harder and eventually overheat and throw errors.
You can simply replace the canister with a new one. But they are expensive and the original is simple enough to repair for free.
Removal is simple. Remove one phillips screw and carefully twist and the canister will slide off the intake. Once removed you need to remove the six screws from the end using a torx 30 I believe. There is another spring under this housing so be sure to back the screws out carefully.
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Once you pull the spring there is a plate that applies pressure to the desiccant media underneath. Remove the plate to gain access to the media.
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Its a good idea to wear rubber gloves when handling this stuff. It is damaging to skin and is toxic if ingested.
After dumping out the media it's easy to see my problem. The media is totally saturated and had began to crystalize. On the bottom there was actually moisture inside and the media had became hard and stuck to the exhaust port totally blocking air flow.
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Here are the two plates along with the paper filters.
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Now here's the trick. You can heat the desiccant in an oven to renew it. It draws out the moisture and it turns the chalky white back to a bluish tint.
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I placed the media into a disposable cooking pan and placed it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees
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After some time in the oven the media becomes blue once all the moisture is gone
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Once it has cooled for a few minutes dump it back into the cleaned canister and reassemble.
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Once you replace the cannister your done. Simply bolt everything back up and plug in the harness and air lines.
I cranked my truck and after a minute or two the compressor cut off on its own with no more fault...success!!!
I've driven a couple of days now and there has been a noticeable difference. Without the cover on there is an increase in noise but not annoyingly so.
I've noticed that the compressor doesn't run near as often as it used to. Also, my truck lifts much faster to off-road height.
Overall I am very happy with my $35 fix.
This isn't a cure all, obviously if the compressor has gone neglected long enough internal parts that cannot be replaced may have become damaged. I don't necessarily think it needed the rebuild kit as most of my issue was with the air drier. But it's cheap and easy to do and it gives me some piece of mind since I was repairing the drier anyway.
I'm going to get in the habit of replacing or rejuvenating my air drier every 50k miles or so. I believe this would help tremendously in the longevity of the compressor itself.
Anyway, I'm no expert or land rover mechanic but hopefully this will help someone in the same situation as me.
So far i've replaced the battery, front lower control arms, and coolant bleeder fitting.
Lately i've been getting suspension faults, orange light normal suspension height only.
When I would crank the truck the compressor would run for about a minute then a fault would throw and compressor cut off.
Its sat for over a week at a time with no leaks.
I did a lot of research and found that there is a rebuild kit available for the compressor but I had a lot of trouble finding anyone whom had actually done the rebuild.
I found several threads about removing and replacing the compressor but nothing about actually repairing it.
Today I took this on and documented the steps. Its super easy, the hardest part is actually removing the compressor. Rebuilding takes maybe 10 mins.
I'm not going to go into detail on removing the compressor but once its on the table here are the steps to rebuild it.
Heres the rebuild kit...I purchased it off of ebay for like $35
It contains a new exhaust valve plunger and spring, along with an assortment of o rings and screws.
After getting the compressor on the table it appears that it may have been replaced before. I found numbers written on the end with a paint marker like junk yards do to pull off parts. Not sure if thats factory or not?
Heres a couple side shots of the compressor on the table
Heres an inside shot of the compressor housing...It's easy to see how the compressor over heats being surrounded by this huge insulated box. I chose to leave it off indefinitely...I don't mind the extra noise and plan on adding some rock sliders to protect it anyway.
To replace the exhaust valve you have to carefully remove a 17mm bolt on the side of the compressor. Be careful not to let the spring fly out.
Inside you will find a small spring with the rubber valve on the bottom surrounded by the spring.
During this process, I found no real damage to the original parts. The springs may have become spongy, but the only damage i could find is the o-ring surrounding the bolt i removed previously to access the exhaust valve and spring.
Inside you can see the exhaust port. Simply drop in the new plug and spring. Be sure that it is centered over the port. Replace the o-ring on the bolt and slowly tighten down ensuring the spring doesn't bind or become off center.
Next up are the compression springs. They are located under the black square cap with four screws located at each corner. Slowly loosen each screw but don't completely take them out. This cover is compressing two springs which are pretty stout. It can easily shoot out if not careful.
Once removed you can see the two springs along with the old o-rings
Remove the larger outer spring to gain access to the inner spring and teflon collar.
Heres a side shot of the two springs
Inside shot
Insert the new inner spring and collar then place the larger spring over the smaller. Replace the large o-ring and put the cover back on. Compress the springs under the cover with your hand and start the screws on each corner. Slowly tighten each corner a little at a time to ensure the springs and o-ring seat correctly.
And thats it for the kit. Super easy and relatively cheap.
Now for the part that I believe was causing my issues.
The desiccant air drier. Its the large black canister with the hose coming out of the end. I live in Mississippi and the previous owner did as well. It gets very humid down here. My suspicions were that the desiccant media inside the drier had become saturated and was restricting air flow to the compressor causing it to work harder and eventually overheat and throw errors.
You can simply replace the canister with a new one. But they are expensive and the original is simple enough to repair for free.
Removal is simple. Remove one phillips screw and carefully twist and the canister will slide off the intake. Once removed you need to remove the six screws from the end using a torx 30 I believe. There is another spring under this housing so be sure to back the screws out carefully.
Once you pull the spring there is a plate that applies pressure to the desiccant media underneath. Remove the plate to gain access to the media.
Its a good idea to wear rubber gloves when handling this stuff. It is damaging to skin and is toxic if ingested.
After dumping out the media it's easy to see my problem. The media is totally saturated and had began to crystalize. On the bottom there was actually moisture inside and the media had became hard and stuck to the exhaust port totally blocking air flow.
Here are the two plates along with the paper filters.
Now here's the trick. You can heat the desiccant in an oven to renew it. It draws out the moisture and it turns the chalky white back to a bluish tint.
I placed the media into a disposable cooking pan and placed it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees
After some time in the oven the media becomes blue once all the moisture is gone
Once it has cooled for a few minutes dump it back into the cleaned canister and reassemble.
Once you replace the cannister your done. Simply bolt everything back up and plug in the harness and air lines.
I cranked my truck and after a minute or two the compressor cut off on its own with no more fault...success!!!
I've driven a couple of days now and there has been a noticeable difference. Without the cover on there is an increase in noise but not annoyingly so.
I've noticed that the compressor doesn't run near as often as it used to. Also, my truck lifts much faster to off-road height.
Overall I am very happy with my $35 fix.
This isn't a cure all, obviously if the compressor has gone neglected long enough internal parts that cannot be replaced may have become damaged. I don't necessarily think it needed the rebuild kit as most of my issue was with the air drier. But it's cheap and easy to do and it gives me some piece of mind since I was repairing the drier anyway.
I'm going to get in the habit of replacing or rejuvenating my air drier every 50k miles or so. I believe this would help tremendously in the longevity of the compressor itself.
Anyway, I'm no expert or land rover mechanic but hopefully this will help someone in the same situation as me.
