AHC - is my mech fleecing me?

[Quade]

Hi Guys

I took my car into the workshop
They said i needed new shocks all round which sounded reasonable as I thought as much

The car used to go up and down fine with the pump

The mech called me yesterday today to say he fitted shocks, primed the shocks and put new oil in
However, the car goes to high, then drops down to N

He took it to his mate who has another workshop who know about these things (apparently)
Anyway, now the pump isn't running and he's saying I need a new pump and this was the problem all along (he said there is not enough pressure)

Does this sound reasonable?
I get the feeling he doesn't know what hes doing and hes screwing up the car!
any advice appreciated

 

[camino70]

I'd get it out and to someone proficient in ahc.

If it went to h and back to n, the pump at least worked for a minute.

 

[Quade]

Thanks
he just sent me a pic of their diagnostics for the machine, and it says "abnormal oil pressure for pump"
Any ideas what this could be?

 

[PADDO]

It's unlikely you really needed four new AHC shocks - the "shocks" are essentially simple hydraulic actuators and their shock damping is via the remote damper assemblies with their ECU controlled valves and damper accumulator globes. The AHC is definitely not like a conventional system where you replace worn shocks as a matter of course to restore damping and ride quality.
In the process of removing/replacing the "shocks" I suspect he has damaged a height sensor mechanism and this has thrown the system out, causing the hydraulics to drive to H, overextend and then the system returns to its N height when it registers the fault.
The second shop has most likely managed to draw air into the system, causing the pump to loose prime and air lock whilst they've bumbled around. When it can't make pressure the system shuts off the pump drive cct for self protection.
There will be a few fault codes stored within the system that need to be cleared to get back to normal operations, the pump likely needs to be driven in the manual mode to initially prime and provide normal pressure. Your height sensors need to be checked/fixed. Hopefully your mechanical maestros are using Techstream and have access to the relevant AHC FSM pages to fix their problems. I've previously posted the relevant FSM pages on how to manually drive the system and restore normal functionality if your mechanics are just guessing.

 

[Quade]

Thanks
The 2 fault codes that they cannot clear (keep coming back i think) are
c1751 - Continuous current to compressor motor
c1762 - abnormal oil pressure for pump

Would this be the case based on the above comments?

 

[PADDO]

Yes, the pump has an air lock. I'd recommend they try the Ts and Cg short.

 

[Quade]

Thanks Paddo, i'll look for that jumper short guide

 

[Quade]

I Only have Ts
I dont have Cg

 

[PADDO]

Ts and Cg in the dlc3 (under dash) or Ts and E1 in the dlc1 under the hood. This is for an OBD2 vehicle and I'm not sure what you have (M-OBD?) and any difference between the different protocols.

 

[Quade]

I have a 2006, so guess thats obd2

 

[Quade]

So shorting Ts and E1 will run the pump manually ?
Anything else I need to know when doing this?

Does ignition need to be on or off
Thanks btw!

 

[e9999]

an interesting reminder about the desirability of simple vehicles in the middle of Africa

 

[feddomw]

Well OP is in Nairobi. Most people I know who lived there did not have simple vehicles either....

As with all car-related things, it boils down to how well you can fix it yourself or how good your mech/tech is. I am in Holland, yet I also have a hard time finding someone who knows about AHC. And as evidence here many times, from my point of few, 100's are numerous in the US yet even there it can be hard to find someone who knows these cars....

 

[2003lx470]

My advice to Quade:

Send an airplane ticket to PADDO and he will gladly fix your AHC for free. I am just saying.

 

[PADDO]

View attachment 1259779

So shorting Ts and E1 will run the pump manually ?
Anything else I need to know when doing this?

Does ignition need to be on or off
Thanks btw!

Here is a screen shot from the DI to rectify C1762, it has you short at the DLC3. It may be worthwhile verifing the pin out of your DLC3 matches the image - I am aware of variations between actual fitted and some FSM images of the pin out.
Shorting Ts and E1 in DLC1 should net the same result - just follow the same steps.

 

[PADDO]

My advice to Quade:

Send an airplane ticket to PADDO and he will gladly fix your AHC for free. I am just saying.

LOL - done my time knocking around Kenya when I was operating out of Mombassa!

 

[Quade]

Awesome. Thanks
This will keep me busy!

 

[e9999]

Well OP is in Nairobi. Most people I know who lived there did not have simple vehicles either....

As with all car-related things, it boils down to how well you can fix it yourself or how good your mech/tech is. I am in Holland, yet I also have a hard time finding someone who knows about AHC. And as evidence here many times, from my point of few, 100's are numerous in the US yet even there it can be hard to find someone who knows these cars....

my point exactly. If you can't easily find a good tech to work on this in Los Angeles or Amsterdam, how likely is it that there are many in Nairobi? I imagine we would not be having this conversation if it were a 40 or even an 80.
There is a price to pay for more convenient more complex modern hardware. The price is likely greater in the middle of Africa than in Holland.

 

[Quade]

Actually labour is dirt cheap out here
And Toyota parts are also quite cheap as most cars are toyota

I got my other car resprayed (color change) for $500

There are no shortage of 200 series here, it's Nairobi not 'africa'

Outside of Nairobi It a totally different story!!!

That said
Most garages don't have the expensive tools
They exist but you have to know who has what.... I don't for sure

Toyota Kenya maybe my next stop

 

[Quade]

Any ideas how long i have to manually drive the pump for to get rid of airlocks?