I have had some more air suspension problems, but the good news is that I have finally figured out how to solve Discovery 3 suspension problems. But first I’ll give an update on the general maintenance of the vehicle over the last 2 years and some of the repairs Ive had to do on the coolant system. Then lastly look at some unsolved problems that I am experiencing with the steering and starting.
Two years ago I did a post on my 2009 Disco 3 that I had owned for 9 years. I explained why I thought it was such a cool vehicle and what maintenance I had to do on it and what the ownership cost was. Well its now 2 years later and I have had some more maintenance to do on it and also have some unknown problems that I am struggling to resolve.
Best Oil for High Mileage Land Rover Discovery 3
The mileage is currently sitting on 317000 and I have maintained the normal service schedule as discussed last time except that I have started using 5w40 oil instead of the 5w30. The logic being that with an older engine the slightly thicker oil will maintain a better oil pressure. I can’t say that I have noticed a difference though.
General Grabber AT vs Good Year Wrangler AT
I did replace the tyres again at 270K as there was some sidewall damage and they had all developed flatspots. I had the General Grabber ATs on but decided to change to the Good Year Wranger AT. Even though I had been rotating the tyres every 12k I had not been doing wheel alignment. So since replacing the tyres I have been rotating, balancing and aligning every 12k and have now done 45k on this new set and they are looking quite good.
Disco 3 Oil Temperature Sensor Failure
In the first article I didn’t mention that I had to change the oil temperature sensor that sits on the bottom of the engine. One day after starting the vehicle suddenly the revs would go up and down all by itself. This is a common symptom of this problem and once the sensor was replaced the problem was solved.
Faulty Coolant Level Indicator and Leaking Radiatior
On a trip to Mozambique I had a nervous moment when the coolant level indicator came on. We were in the middle of nowhere and it was hot. So I stopped and checked it out, but the coolant was full and so we just kept going. It turned out to be a faulty coolant level indicator in the coolant reservoir. That required replacement of the whole coolant reservoir. It was a fairly simple job which solved the problem.
About a year later I had the same problem again but this time there really was some coolant loss. After refilling the coolant everything was fine for a while until I got the warning again. There was definitely a leak somewhere. I looked and tried to find it but found nothing, it was obviously small and slow. So I took it to the professionals and with a pressure test they diagnosed a leaking radiator. The fix was to replace the radiator and this solved the problem.
Sagging Discovery 3 Air Suspension Problem
Ok now onto some more suspension problems again. There were no suspension faults coming up so all the components were working properly so it had to be a leak somewhere. This can be difficult to diagnose because the vehicle has a self levelling feature so even if there is a leak on one side it will periodically level itself so you find both sides dropped. The way to disable this self levelling is to disconnect the battery or remove 20A fuse #26 (20A) which disconnects power to the control module for the levelling. When I did this I did see that the front left had dropped a bit more but it still wasn’t conclusive.
To complicate matters I had some historical bias with this system. The very first time that I had a suspension problem many years ago I suspected a problem with the airbags and so changed all 4 airbags. Only to find that that wasn’t the problem. It turned out to be the front height sensors and valve block. It was an expensive mistake for not understanding how to solve Discovery 3 suspension problems. So this time I was convinced that it wouldn’t be the airbags but rather the valve block seeing as I had just recently replaced the airbags, or so I thought.
Air Suspension Valve Block Seal Replacement
I ordered a valve block o-ring kit from Airseals UK. The front valve block sits behind the right front wheel arch. I took the whole wheel arch off to get it out which makes it easer to work on but you can just bend the bottom bit away to get access as well. Make sure you support the vehicle chassis on axle stands before you let the air out. There are many useful videos on YT explaining this in detail.
With the valve block off I took it apart cleaned it out and replaced all of the orings. The instructions that came with the o-ring kit from AirsealsUK was excellent and they also have videos on their website that you can get access to once you have bought a kit.
I refitted the valve block, reconnected the pipes and recharged the air system. I’d have to leave it overnight again to see what happens. Too my disappointment it was still lowering. At first I suspected that I hadn’t done the seal replacement in the valve block properly so I got some soapy water and did a leak test and found nothing. Then I also did a leak test on the airbags and that is when I saw the bubbles on the front left airbag so that was the culprit. When I checked it was 5 years ago that I had replaced the airbags so it had been a while.
I got 2 new front airbags and replaced them myself. Having done this before I knew that it was a fairly simple process. The hardest part is loosening and connecting airpipes on the top of the air spring. This solved the problem and everything is now working as it should.
Discovery 3 Air Suspension Explained
After all the suspension problems that I have had I have finally understood the complete system and it has made a huge difference. Although it has many parts it is a very simple system. If you want to know how to solve Discovery 3 suspension problems and not waste money you must understand it properly. Let me explain how it works.
The main components are the air compressor , the air reservoir and the 4 airbags all connected with air supply hose. To control the airflow, levelling and lowering and raising you have 3 valve blocks, the reservoir valve block in the compressor department, the front valve block and the rear valve block. To control the height you have 4 height sensors at each of the wheels. All of this is controlled electrically by the air suspension control module via the switch between the seats.
The reservoir valve block manages air supply from the compressor, air supply to and from the reservoir and air supply to and from the front and rear valve blocks. The connections from the compressor and the front and rear control valves are all connected via a common gallery within the valve and therefore are all subject to the same air pressures. The front and rear valve blocks control adjust the air pressue of each individual air spring and the levelling height between left and right via a crossover valve.
So if you have dash warnings and fault codes then most likely you have by a problem with one of the electrical components of the suspension that being the height sensors or solenoids controlling the valves or the compressor itself. This has the potential to affect the entire system and bring the vehicle to limp mode. The fix will require diagnosing the fault codes and replacing the faulty components.
If you don’t have any dash warnings or fault codes and you have slow height changes or individual wheel height changes then the problem is most likely related to a leak in the system somewhere. The can be diagnosed by disconnecting electrical supply from the system and looking for leaks with soapy water to identify the location. Of course you could have a combination of these to in the worst case scenario but then I would still start with electrical check first and then air supply integrity second.
Unsolved Discovery 3 Problems
Ok now onto those unresolved issues, perhaps you can help me, if you have encountered these or even better solved these then please comment below.
The first is my cracked Dashboard. This is a 2009 model so it is 15 years old now and I’ve owned it for 11 years and always stored it under cover in the day and night. But despite that the dash has cracked around the passenger airbag. This is a fairly common problem. Now you could patch it with strips and glue but that would look bad, I could remove it and have it recovered but can’t find people who have done this before. I could replace it with second hand but how long will that last. You can buy moulded covers to fit ontop but how well do they fit and look? Also what happens to the airbag then? And then of course you could spend a fortune and replace it with a new one? So what do you recommend or have you done?
Next one is some knocking and play in the steering. I feel it on rough gravel roads at low speed. Ive checked the lower steering components and there is no play there and even replaced the lower steering column again but it made no change. I know its not coming from the swingarm bushed because that is a vehicle knock and not felt in steering. So I assume that it is the upper steering column. Is this a possible problem and would changing this solve the problem? How easy is this job to do?
Then the last unresolved problem is a starting problem. When I restart soon after driving, the vehicle starts immediately but it is a bit rough as if its being starved of fuel and takes a few seconds to get up to smooth idle. It mainly seems to happen on warmer days and only after I have been driving for a while and then stop but restart again after 5 or 10 minutes . I don’t have the same problem if the vehicle has been standing for a while or over night. There is also no other problem driving or accelerating. It is a real mystery and happens most of the time but not everytime.
I have also picked up a slight hesitation in shifing up from 4th to 5th? Usually on alight acceleration or a slight uphill. There is also a bit of a vibration at around 90 km an hour. I had something previously that was solved by changing the transmission fluids. According to the service schedule this is not due yet but I think I’m going to take it to ZF gearboxes to do a diagnostic and get it changed, I’ve heard from friends that this is well worth it.
| Date | Km | Repair | Supplier | Cost |
| 31-Aug-22 | 270158 | Replace thermostat, Change RF wheel bearing, Change brake fluid Change oil temperature sensor, oil change | Adventure Rovers | R8,863 |
| 21-Sep-22 | 271072 | 4 new tyres Goodyear Wrangler Adventure balanced and alignment | HiQ | 8390 |
| 3-Jun-23 | 287611 | Oil change edge 5w-40 , fuel, air, pollen filter. Wheel alignment and balance | Alan | |
| 10-Jun-23 | 288000 | New Delphi front discs and pads | AGC | R3,000 |
| 8-Aug-23 | 291479 | 600ml coolant | ||
| 17-Aug-23 | 292053 | New radiator | Overland worx | R12,303 |
| 21-Dec-23 | 300240 | Oil and filter change 5w40 | Alan | R800 |
| 26-Feb-24 | 30393 | Lower steering shaft replaced | Alsn | R7,000 |
| 1-Mar-24 | 303364 | Wheel alignment and balancing | tWT | R993 |
| 28-Jul-24 | 311000 | Front air suspension valve orings replaced airsprings.co.uk kit | Alan | R900 |
| 11-Aug-24 | 311910 | Normal service oil and filter castrol edge 5w-40 , air filter, pollen filter, tire rotation and alignment | Alan | |
| 25-Sep-24 | 314888 | Replace idler pulley and tensioner | Gentleman’s garage | R4,725 |
You can watch the video on @theoverlandlegend on YouTube on how to solve Discovery 3 suspension problems
