Looking for some advice on AHC and selling my Lx

[mjbjhu]

I have a 2006 Lx470 that I have absolutely loved but I fear it is time to move on. When I bought the car, I planned on doing a mild overland upgrade once something major went wrong with it…but life has changed for me and I don’t think the lx will serve my growing family well so I’m planning on selling

The problem is that just as I was coming to that decision, the rear AHC suspension gave out on me it’s sitting on its bump stops in the back. I don’t know what the issue is with it, and I don’t really have any shop around here that I trust to diagnose it accurately and give me an idea of repairs if any that may be needed. Since I plan on selling, I’m trying to see what would be the best way to go.

1. Convert it to a basic coil spring suspension and list it for sale or
2. Leave it as is and sell it to someone so that they can put the suspension they want in it (lifted, basic, repair the AHC etc).

Any thoughts in the matter? Or anyone know a reputable shop near Albany NY I can take it to?

For more info, it’s a 2006 cypress pearl with about 130,000 on it. Thanks

 

[mmbirtcher]

Does it make sense to flush and bleed the entire AHC system to see if that fixes it? It’s often overlooked maintenance.

 

[mjbjhu]

Does it make sense to flush and bleed the entire AHC system to see if that fixes it? It’s often overlooked maintenance.

Would that potentially cause the rear to go out if it was the issue? Seems worth a try if it could be

 

[Kabanstva]

Probable height sensors

 

[Kabanstva]

AHC front end collapse - height sensor link fail

Hi all - first time posting, hope it can be of some help (searching for this issue turned up nothing). Front end collapsed on my 00 LX this week: no lights, error codes, just suddenly felt like every Land Rover / Navigator on air springs, riding on the bump stops (spine shatteringly poor ride...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Wilsil]

How did the AHC in the rear gave away?
Did you add more weight?

 

[Bisho]

I have a 2006 Lx470 that I have absolutely loved but I fear it is time to move on. When I bought the car, I planned on doing a mild overland upgrade once something major went wrong with it…but life has changed for me and I don’t think the lx will serve my growing family well so I’m planning on selling

The problem is that just as I was coming to that decision, the rear AHC suspension gave out on me it’s sitting on its bump stops in the back. I don’t know what the issue is with it, and I don’t really have any shop around here that I trust to diagnose it accurately and give me an idea of repairs if any that may be needed. Since I plan on selling, I’m trying to see what would be the best way to go.

1. Convert it to a basic coil spring suspension and list it for sale or
2. Leave it as is and sell it to someone so that they can put the suspension they want in it (lifted, basic, repair the AHC etc).

Any thoughts in the matter? Or anyone know a reputable shop near Albany NY I can take it to?

For more info, it’s a 2006 cypress pearl with about 130,000 on it. Thanks

If there isn't a puddle of AHC fluid, I agree with @Kabanstva that your rear height sensor is probably the culprit. It could be as easy as the linkage rusted apart and it collapsed, or it could be the sensor or wire.

 

[David310]

I would add option 3:

3. Do basic checks such as fluid and height sensors.

If it is a sensor or globes it would set you back a few hundred dollars vs the hit you’ll take on your option 1 and 2.

YotaMD has an awesome video that covers everything:



And Techstream:

How-To: TechStream In 5 Minutes

Getting Techstream up and running can be a bit of a pain. Hopefully this helps someone get started quickly. Step 1: Purchase an OBD-II / Mini-VCI interface. - I have sold out of my cables and supply chains are back in order, so no reason to purchase more. Anything like this will work: Mini-VCI...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[SteveH]

If you're in NY, you need to study the rust situation relative to the whole system, as well as the height sensors. That's old enough to have significant rust issues, if not mitigated before now.

 

[mjbjhu]

How did the AHC in the rear gave away?
Did you add more weight?

I was taking my two oldest camping and definitely had some more weight in the back than usual. What does that make you think of in terms of issue?

If you're in NY, you need to study the rust situation relative to the whole system, as well as the height sensors. That's old enough to have significant rust issues, if not mitigated before now.

Yeah I’ve been trying to take care of rust prevention on all of my vehicles. It’s certainly worth exploring further as that could definitely be the issue

 

[mjbjhu]

So I just checked (not sure why I didn’t look sooner) and the AHC reservoir is bone dry. I didn’t see any puddle of fluid under the car when this happened but I didn’t see the height control flashing until driving a few miles down the road after leaving one of my kids soccer games on the way to the camping. So I wasn’t in a place I normally go to and didn’t think to go back and look to see if there was fluid under the car

 

[suprarx7nut]

You're not going to gain back much value by swapping suspension so I'd sell it as is or fix the AHC if you can do some basic troubleshooting.

If it's not leaking on the ground and it's sitting low, chances are high that you have a bad sensor. Relatively easy fix if it's not a rust pit.