Many thanks indeed Scott. I'm a very big fan of all your videos and you've inspired me to make this my next job. 170,000km on the original air suspension with no obvious issues yet but on a km bases alone they've got to be due for replacement.
Cheers. I expect you’ll notice the improvement. Too early for me to confirm yet as they’ve only just been replaced. Just replaced fronts now too, slightly more fiddly to access inner-most top bolt compared to rear.
@@sienaoverland Yes, I did read on a couple of forums that the fronts are a little more of a challenge than the rears but still doable. All 4 struts were ordered today from the same place you got yours from and I hope to receive them in a couple of months subject to Covid shipping delays. Thanks again for providing the confidence to proceed.
I've never tackled a job like that before and am no mechanic and I found it surprisingly straightforward. The rear-most top bolt and brass air fitting are fiddly but you just need to take it slowly.
Nice vid Scott. One of the complaints about air suspension I have heard from the live axle brigade is that you cant fix it yourself or get it fixed in the outback. This didn’t seem too much different from replacing a traditional coil over. How did you think this would go if you had to do it in less than ideal conditions?
Yes, I found it relatively straightforward and I'm certainly no mechanic. You really just need a jack and the correct size spanners and the job could be done virtually anywhere flat, although the second jack does help to take the weight of the strut.
Speaking of shocks for loaded up conditions (higher vehicle weight and off road) Did you consider any other struts such as the Bilstein's 4600 Series Shocks? I am trying to figure out if it is worth going that route. The originals seem to do alright but I do feel like they are under dampened when fully loaded near GVWR.
Hi Mike. No I didn't consider alternative shocks. I've always been very happy with the stock unit performance even when fully loaded. I think over 120,000km is a reasonable life and they certainly were not completely shot. It's just that we have a lot of travel planned for 2021 and I'd prefer to have that great ride for the big trips. I've also not read any feedback on aftermarket shocks for Australian conditions.
do Bilstein or other shock absorber manufacturers make a replacement shock for the inside of an LR3 / Lr4 air strut? I thought that they had all tried and given up a few years ago as there isn't enough room for an upgraded / larger shock inside the air bag assembly. Like Scott H I had sourced OEM struts from Advanced Factors in the UK and had them shipped to West Australia. Edit: just did a search and found them. This wasn't the case a few years ago. Looks interesting, a complete Bilstein strut. For example front strut part No 44-218669.
Great vids on your channel! I have a v8 Disco 4 in Canada, picked up the IID tool, haven't had to really diagnose anything yet however I understand you need it or similar or dealer to do the air suspension calibration for the air bags, what have you done for that if anything? off topic - would you ever get a roo/bull bar for your disco? I'm trying to decide if I should pick up an ARB bumper or do the discrete winch mount like yours, hmmm. Also wish they sold the TD6 in Canada, was driving my cousins all summer in Switzerland, that low torque and fuel economy is something I can only dream of in my 5.0L.
Hi mate. You don't need to calibrate anything when changing air bag struts because you don't need to touch the height sensors (or any other sensors). Calibration is needed if any sensors are damaged/changed or if the ride height gets out of calibration somehow.
I have thought about a front bar at various times but have decided against. We tend to avoid driving at times when wildlife is most risky, ie dusk/evening and dawn. This reduces the risk significantly but obviously not to zero. There's no right/wrong answer, just a balance judgement you need to make.
@@sienaoverland Ah okay, I watched a rover parts video and they mentioned anytime you change an air bag or a ride height sensor. If yours is doing fine then that's great :)
@@sienaoverland Yep understand that. I guess the reason I wouldn't is because of the fuel economy (extra weight). No idea how much it would effect it though.
Yeah I'm quite conscious about weight as well. For remote trips where plenty of extra fuel and water is required I'm basically at GVM for the first day.
A reduction in performance when loaded up for long trips or when towing, could tell that it "wallowed" a little over undulations as compared to how rock-solid it was the first few years. Every report I've read seemed to indicate a major and obvious improvement when shocks are changed and I didn't want to leave it that long, especially when we have a lot of travel planned for next year.
@@sienaoverland hey Scottie I just checked their website it doesn't say whether it's a pair or a single shock absorber for the LR038096 OEM Shock Absorber Rear Assy LR032650 RPD501090. I have a 2014 lr4. Located in brissy.
I’ve got a full set of ratchets but the restricted space around the top bolts meant that a combination of different spanners for each bolt worked best. It was even more difficult for the front ones.
