Active Suspension System Air Compressor (8 Viewers)

[prharper]

That’s bad.

A little undercarriage care goes a long way in the winter....just wash the salt off once a week.

Find and have the entire under carriage coated with Fluid Film or equivalent.

Agreed. I use one of these undercarriage cleaners connected to pressure washer when it's not freezing out. Works great.
Amazon product ASIN B07RZYSL1Q

 

[RET2]

For a 200 in places where roads are salted in the winter, I think what you are seeing is fairly typical. The KDSS valve in particular is delivered with a milled bare steel surface, and seems to rust quickly. Areas like the rear crossmember seem to rust quickly as well. Frame welds also seem to corrode pretty quickly.

Disappointing? Yes. I think a lot of us wish Toyota would do something about it, but I don't see it happening. In the meantime, coat the new one with LPS3 or grease when you get it back.

Unsolicited 2 cents: don't replace your suspension with stock. Now is a perfect time to upgrade (once they replace that KDSS valve).

I think the replacement parts are now hopefully coated to prevent/slowdown this reaction. Another issue is a lot of dealers may only sell 1 or 2 of these a year, if that. Consequently their service departments are basically ignorant of issues and repairs.

 

[Capital E]

Thanks all for all the great inputs. I'm finding more information now that I'm aware it's called a KDSS Valve.

My additional question is, how do I address the lean on the driver side? No choice for me right now but to have the KDSS Valve replaced since it's really bad and I already bought the part. But will fixing it address the lean though? If not, what do I need to do with the suspension? Get new coils?

Once they replace the KDSS valve they should pressurize it and re-balance the system. If you still have the lean I would make the dealer fix it. It should be corrected as part of the repair.

 

[BJSeriesExpert]

Once they replace the KDSS valve they should pressurize it and re-balance the system. If you still have the lean I would make the dealer fix it. It should be corrected as part of the repair.

Thank you! I hope this dealer knows what they're talking about cause they don't even have the tool to replace the KDSS valve and I'm a sitting duck waiting. They claim that it may possibly need the steering damper and rear coil damper as well if the kdss valve doesn't fix the lean.

Thank you again.

 

[afgman786]

View attachment 2387290this is the picture of the part they made me pay for. See the condition it's in. Unfortunately the part is unreturnable and they made me pay for it upfront. The part and suspension fluid they made me pay for is 1600. I might file a complaint and just take my LC to another dealer.

Jeez that might be the worst I've seen posted... You were going to have to replace that eventually whenever you did suspension work in the future.

 

[KLF]

It makes sense that your dealer doesn't have the tool to service and recharge the KDSS system. I was told at one point that none of the dealers in my area have one on hand, there is one in the Boston region that they have to get on loan if they need it. It's a very expensive tool with a high pressure pump system, and with very little use, it isn't worthwhile for a dealership to invest in the machine.

Now, @Eric Sarjeant probably has one on hand (maybe?) because his service dept works on these trucks all the time. Most of the dealers in my area don't have any idea what KDSS is, and have never touched one.

 

[bloc]

FWIW steering dampener and rear coil dampener can better be described as front and rear KDSS cylinders. They typically don’t rust nearly as badly as the valve assembly because they have less exposed metal surfaces. The problem is that to see if replacing the center valve will work they’ll have to do a lot of the KDSS specific fill/purge work.. then redo all of that if/when they do the cylinders too.

 

[BJSeriesExpert]

Just an update, I pulled the car out of the dealer and with a lot of arguments and altercation, they finally released the part to me. My question is can I coat this part with some kind rust protector before I take it with the car to the other dealer in my area that has a master technician that will work on the car?

Btw, this is the new part, not sure if it already has some protective coating on it.

 

[BJSeriesExpert]

FWIW steering dampener and rear coil dampener can better be described as front and rear KDSS cylinders. They typically don’t rust nearly as badly as the valve assembly because they have less exposed metal surfaces. The problem is that to see if replacing the center valve will work they’ll have to do a lot of the KDSS specific fill/purge work.. then redo all of that if/when they do the cylinders too.

Hi, what is the likelihood that these cyclinders are bad? I hate to replace it cause it's another 3K for parts and labor.

Is there a way to tell if these cyclinders are bad for a normal driver like me who has no knowledge to work on kdss and neither have the tools such as wrenches etc.?

 

[BJSeriesExpert]

Sorry guys I have another question, not sure if this is part of the KDSS, but below is a picture of a part that's heavily rusted where the rust has eaten a portion of it. Does anyone know what this part is? And based on the condition it's in, does it need replaced? Thanks guys!

 

[CharlieS]

Just an update, I pulled the car out of the dealer and with a lot of arguments and altercation, they finally released the part to me. My question is can I coat this part with some kind rust protector before I take it with the car to the other dealer in my area that has a master technician that will work on the car?

Btw, this is the new part, not sure if it already has some protective coating on it.

View attachment 2390121

View attachment 2390122

View attachment 2390123

Unfortunately, that looks like it has the same unprotected (or poorly protected) bare metal surfaces as my '13. I'd clean, prime and paint all of those bare metal surfaces. Sounds like you don't have many tools, so this may not be an option for you? I would NOT just spray it with a spray can. Good preparation is key to the longevity of any paint.

 

[CharlieS]

Sorry guys I have another question, not sure if this is part of the KDSS, but below is a picture of a part that's heavily rusted where the rust has eaten a portion of it. Does anyone know what this part is? And based on the condition it's in, does it need replaced? Thanks guys!

View attachment 2390129

Nothing to do with KDSS, it is a part of the skid plate/heat shield around the diff. You might find someone here that took theirs off to install more beefy protection, and would be willing to let go?

 

[BJSeriesExpert]

Unfortunately, that looks like it has the same unprotected (or poorly protected) bare metal surfaces as my '13. I'd clean, prime and paint all of those bare metal surfaces. Sounds like you don't have many tools, so this may not be an option for you? I would NOT just spray it with a spray can. Good preparation is key to the longevity of any paint.

Yeah I don't have much tools at all but stuff used to fix things around the house. Should I do what you said clean, primer, then paint the part before having it installed? I'm just worried the dealer would make me buy a new part if I did a paint job on it.

 

[TeCKis300]

As much as I don't like to see rust long term, I would not modify or paint it right out of the gate. The part has a warranty that will be rendered nil if you paint it.

I have to ask, what are you trying to achieve here? Replace the part due to rust? Fix your lean? As I said before, you're chasing a red herring diagnosis if you're trying to address the later. I'm not looking to be correct. But I hate to see you throw good money after bad diagnoses only to come full circle and not have made any progress.

As rusty as the current part is, externally, it's working parts are likely completely fine and functional. It's not causing or contributing to your lean. It's the KDSS fallacy on these boards.

Sway bars do not cause lean. Sway bars should not be used to correct lean.

Lean is caused by the springs themselves weakening, with weight further biasing on the weaker spring over time, furthering the lean. This is a $100 fix. Not a $3k side project.

 

[04UZJ100]

I suggest coating it entirely in grease or other O2 barrier. Paint is susceptible to corrosion because it can trap water.

I slathered marine grease all over mine.

 

[CharlieS]

I can't tell you what you should do, only what I would do.

If it was me, and I already paid for the part, I'd have it installed, whether it fixes any lean or not.

KDSS fallacy or not, having a working system is useful. Being able to open the shutter valves (no more than 3 turns) is a useful feature. Been there, done that, wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck replacing your suspension if you can't turn them. It can be done, but it is a huge hassle.

 

[BJSeriesExpert]

As much as I don't like to see rust long term, I would not modify or paint it right out of the gate. The part has a warranty that will be rendered nil if you paint it.

I have to ask, what are you trying to achieve here? Replace the part due to rust? Fix your lean? As I said before, you're chasing a red herring diagnosis if you're trying to address the later. I'm not looking to be correct. But I hate to see you throw good money after bad diagnoses only to come full circle and not have made any progress.

As rusty as the current part is, it's likely completely functional. It's not causing or contributing to your lean. It's the KDSS fallacy on these boards.

Sway bars do not cause lean. Sway bars should not be used to correct lean.

Lean is caused by the springs themselves weakening, with weight further biasing on the weaker spring over time, furthering the lean.

Thanks for keeping me on track. I just want the lean fixed but at the same time protect the really expensive kdss valve I just purchased. I was hoping Toyota just diagnosed the problem with coils. But they said has nothing to do with coils. They did said that I would most likely need to replace the kdss cylinders(steering damper and rear coil damper). I just hope that wouldn't be the case.

 

[BJSeriesExpert]

I can't tell you what you should do, only what I would do.

If it was me, and I already paid for the part, I'd have it installed, whether it fixes any lean or not.

KDSS fallacy or not, having a working system is useful. Being able to open the shutter valves (no more than 3 turns) is a useful feature. Been there, done that, wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck replacing your suspension if you can't turn them. It can be done, but it is a huge hassle.

I completely agree with you. Have the part already so just have it installed. Hopefully it fixes the lean and improve the kdss performance.

I'll post an update after the kdss valve gets installed.

Thank you all!

 

[grinchy]

Sorry guys I have another question, not sure if this is part of the KDSS, but below is a picture of a part that's heavily rusted where the rust has eaten a portion of it. Does anyone know what this part is? And based on the condition it's in, does it need replaced? Thanks guys!

View attachment 2390129

i have those skids in my parts graveyard I think. I replaced with an aluminum skid recently. If you want to pay shipping from wa they are yours

 

[bloc]

Hi, what is the likelihood that these cyclinders are bad? I hate to replace it cause it's another 3K for parts and labor.

Is there a way to tell if these cyclinders are bad for a normal driver like me who has no knowledge to work on kdss and neither have the tools such as wrenches etc.?

There may be no way to know without just doing it. Even if the outside appears ok without leaks if the cylinder is damaged internally it won’t work correctly.
Sorry to hear you are dealing with this. It is a great system but toyota really messed up not making it more corrosion resistant.
As for your new valve assembly, buy some LPS3 and coat all of the bare metal surfaces with it, and reapply it from time to time. It is designed specifically to stick to surfaces and prevent corrosion.
The other rusted part you posted is just a protector for the rear of the transfer case and ujoint. Not a big deal, frankly. If it were to fall off you basically wouldn’t notice.