Will these new front struts FINALLY fix my hard riding L322 Range Rover?
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- čas přidán 2. 08. 2024
- Aerosus kindly sent out these front struts to help me fix my hard-riding L322 Range Rover. Here's how I fitted and tested them.
Head over to Aerosus' website and use discount code SAM15 for a £15 discount! They ship to the UK and all over Europe.
L322 Front VDS struts (2010-2012): bit.ly/3xbj2uw
All L322 suspension parts: aerosus.co.uk/land-rover/rang...
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:35 Aerosus strut overview
2:25 Jacking the L322 up
4:32 Front strut removal (method)
5:20 Removing front strut 1
9:10 Fitting new Aerosus strut
13:48 Doing the other side (timelapse)
15:11 Wheels back on
15:30 Air suspension initialising
17:54 Torqueing wheel nuts
18:18 Heading out for a test drive
19:56 Ride height calibration (IID)
23:00 Damper calibration (IID)
24:54 Summing up / verdict
26:22 Outro
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#RangeRover #l322 #project - Auta a dopravní prostředky
For clarity: These struts were kindly sent to me FOC by Aerosus - and I'm keen to see how they perform longer term. But so far, so good!
After another few days of driving, the ride quality is definitely improved 👍 The rear end still feels a bit funky though.
Sam, I love watching your videos on the L322. Your videos are really helping to remove the fear of owning these older cars. I have to admit because of your videos I am now seriously considering getting an L322 (2010-2012). In South Africa when I live, good ones are still available for about R400k ZAR. Thanks very much.
Andile, I’m in JHB if ever you want advice. Sams vids are great but a local to help hold the beer while fastening bolts sometimes helps. 😁 FYI, i recently bought my L322 2011 4,4 like Sam’s and am learning a ton from his channel so don’t go it alone, there’s a huge community out here to help.
Hi Sam. Just watched your uploads on your suspension issues. I used to run a D3 HSE and had a bunch of suspension and ride quality issues that never gave codes. The one thing I had done was to fit some oversized Cooper Discoverer STT’s to a set of OEM rims to the car immediately after purchase; they were both oversized and over load rated. In a last ditch attempt to solve the issue I borrowed a set rims with factory spec Pirelli Scorpions - this fixed the issues (unsettled and non compliant ride) completely. As I didn’t want to run road tyres I compromised with a set of GG AT’s at the factory spec diameter and load rating - fully sorted. Apologies if you have already tried swapping back and forth already. I think the excess load rating was the issue in my case.
One other comment about your findings re road noise for the off road tyres, off road tyres are quiet over the first few thousand miles due to the freshness of rubber, once they are older and start to go hard the road noise starts to kick in, have you done a DB check as the tyres gain miles and age?
Been looking forward to this Sam, great vid!
Fantastic video
Great and informative video yet again, thanks. 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you Sam. Many of these updates have been educational.
Watching such videos is always therapeutic for an LR fan like myself.
Another good vid Sam keep them coming you were very close to me at the flyover I'm only a few hundred metres from there
Always enjoy seeing a new video from you Sam. I have a 2010/11 AB with 150k on the clock that needs similar suspension work and will definitely be doing myself.
Run range rovers for 20 years now. Classic, p38 , l322 and just swopping over to l405. Tyres are critical on these air ride motors. Have pirreli zeros m/s on my l322 and ran great until a puncture and changed over to spare which was a good year of uncertain age. Ride changed until I put 2 new pirrelis on. In snow and ice leaves big wheel motors struggling. Look good but land rover usually get it right not always but usually. L322 parts are now affordable for DIY. £5000 To fix air suspension now complete system , compressor, air bags, reservoir with air unit and sensors can be sourced from good suppliers for under a grand. Just get a good ecu reader , good battery, and use it. They do not like to be stood. Always double lock it and put handbrake on as this shuts all ecus down and stops power drains. My 2006 xk jag has same ecu and I always leave it on trickle charge. Any faults come up check battery first and don't panic. My l322 went with 158000 miles on it. My l322 bmw 6 is going with 112000 on.
Hi harry, I just bought a 323 series 3 , the suspension seems to ride at a higher height sometimes regardless of my speed being over 60 , other times it stays lower but the symbol remains in the middle, is there something out of whack,I ask you harry as your comments seem to come from experience.
Great vid. Down the road in Cork with a 2005 facelift TD6.
Lovely job 🚗🚙🚘👍👍👍👍👍👍
One of the best CZcams channels, excellant
Thanks for your vids Sam. Loving the detail and your explanations. I must say, I recently did my front control arms and it improved the small bumps drastically. I’m about to start on the dampening (we call them shocks in South Africa) mountings, and ultimately the full dampeners as a last resort. For context, i have an ‘11 L322 4.4 with about 143Km’s (88K miles) and trying find more or less when to replace these items. Good luck on your search for the fix.
Great video again mate. Take care. Steve.
Glad you enjoyed it, cheers Steve!
Another great video, Sam! You were lucky removing your struts. When I did mine the nuts came off the bolts at the hub without any issues but getting the bolts out of the hub was an absolute nightmare! I've just replaced all 4 wheel bearings, both diffs, every ball joint and every single bush from front to rear on my L322. Can't wait to drive it again now, just got to get the cylinder heads back on as the LPG that was installed by the previous owner didn't agree with the Supercharged valve seats. New heads and removal of LPG should sort that though.
Awesome vid. Thanks man. I'd say you guys can help all of us dealing with the audio unit and the MOST. Black screen for me :( 2006 range rover
Wow those 2 bottom bolts came out very easy on those struts ! Mine were seized solid and needed heat to free them.
just so you will not get so much brake dust on your body next time i always put a old towel over the brake disc and calliper when working in side the wheel arch . typical boy with dirty knees . nice vid as always sam .nice to see a bit more copper slip being used on some of the bolts etc they call me greasy oggy for that reason
Lobe your video, thank you!
Soapy water is definitely on the envelope of my technical expertise
It's definitely a 5 spanner job in the Haynes manual.
Soapy water works great. If you're lucky enough to catch it while it's leaking.
My front block soap tested good 4 times before I caught it. I swear these cars like to jack with us. Lol
Great video. I’d like to see more general maintenance such as servicing, brakes etc and perhaps an inside and out detail. Fascinated to learn what the day to day living with such a high mileage RR is like - makes for great content. What sort of service intervals do you run?
Cheers! I did a 200,000 mile service video a couple of months back. Brakes will be coming in the near future, and a detail video sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the comment 👍
So, whilst I'm still struggling as a 1 armed bandit following my recent broken arm, a somewhat tongue in cheek question for your Q&A with Ben - what jobs wouldn't you do yourselves on your respective Rangies and what would it take to stop you? (Ben regularly inspires me to keep going when I want to throw my tools in the bin lol). Great update Sam - keep it up
I reckon it's subframe or arm bushes. Seen something similar on a few cars where they will ride a certain way first thing, or when left a few days then will ride poorly on a longer run, Bushes heat up/cool down, and when they are tired, will change properties in use with the loads so can alter the ride.
Beautifull car
Change the front tie rod ends and do a wheel alignment. This wiill surely improve your ridequality with a few horse lenghts.
A easy way to check if this is your problem is having a friend taking the steeringwheel and turning a quater side to side while you look att the joints.
Also raise the car up while you look to see if there is play in the end of the tie rod.
Best wishes.
Hey Sam, love the vid as ever. I am crawling towards buying an L322 I think, when the lease on my boring commuter box finishes next year. Question for the Q&A - have you considered installing upgrades so you can get CarPlay in your trucks? Is it even possible? The dated infotainment would bug me!
Blessed are the inventors of the impact gun. Personally I anti-seize the whole bolt so I can get them out easier later. So any advice on fixing rust at the bottom of the wheel arch where the rear passenger door meets the wheel arch?
Great job sam , not too hard a job but I had mine done for me at a cost 😂😃
It's one of the easier suspension jobs on the 322 for sure!
A request for the collaboration with Sir Ben would be your opinions on the use of wheel spacers on the l322. Thanks, can’t wait to participate in that.
Great filming. Cecille B De Mille couldn't have done it better. And so informative.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Sam, great video as always. I am particularly interested in your findings as my L322 seems the same. Its hard to put my finger on what but the ride quality does not seem as smooth as it could be. So good luck and hope to see an update
There are quite a few of us now! What year is yours?
@@SamsMotors 2011
I read that they got a lot firmer after 2009/2010, my 2012 is pretty firm but I'm not judging it against anything comparable.
Great video as always with good info. A question i have is Range Rover Sport related, my 2013 l320 kick's out a plume of blue smoke now and again when i boot it. Any tips as to what this could be? . I have noticed a small amount of oil in the bottom hose coming off the intercooler into the by pass valve. Someone mentioned it might be the turbo drain pipe needs changing to the newer version which feeds oil into the sump from the secondary Turbo. ! cheers
Top video Sam.!..Did you ever show how to connect in daylight running lights on your led. Fogs? I brought the same and haven’t been brave enough to cut into anywhere yet.
Cheers! I haven't yet, no. I should return to it before winter comes around again really 😅
If you head over to Shedlock2000 here on CZcams, I think he's recently done a video showing how he did it 👍
Another great video in the series. I have the same car on a 12 plate with 75k and I also feel the ride isn't as good as it should be. I'd describe it as crashy over imperfections and potholes in the road surface. Keen to see you get to the bottom of this one as I know you've been on it for a while! Out of curiosity have you driven any known good 322's of the same spec so you can compare?
I actually drove a 2009 3.6 earlier this week and it confirmed my suspicions about mine not riding properly. The 3.6 felt wafty and well controlled on the same road that mine feels fidgety and unsettled.
Love your vids, I'm in Dublin and I see that you're now in Galway...........if you thought the Range Rover was "a bit" expensive to keep on the road in the UK you maybe or perhaps you're already aware of the expense of keeping the car living in Ireland.
It wasn't always like that in Ireland surely? What changed? What caused it? New greedy government?
Great video! Could your secondary ride problems be caused by your tyres? They do have an aggressive tread pattern on them.
Q & A comment.
Is there like a menu list for the IID tool. I keep scrolling through it and stumble across things by a system of elimination ?
What is the IID tool Sam? Can you put a link to it? Seems to be very good! Loving the videos - Just purchased a L322 2011 4.4 and really enjoying learning about them.
Sam, Thanks for showing how to do the height calibration, i've just fitted a new front bag/strut and will be soon getting a the alignment checked. should I do the ride height calibration before or after alignment? Thanks so much for all your L322 Videos!
Hi David, cheers for the comment. Definitely calibrate it before the alignment. You'll also need to put it into "tight tolerance" mode to make sure the alignment is done at the perfect ride height.
Sam
Hi Sam, great vid, thanks again. I have a L322 4.4 TDV8 2012 like yours with 234k km on the clock. I am willing to flush the transmission fluid entirely my self because where I live that service costs between 800 and 1200 €!! In your Q&A with Ben could talk how to flush and clean the full transmission fluid at home and how to connect the hose to the oil cooling pipes using the gearbox oil pump to make the job to flush the old oil and how to pore/inject the fresh oil in the same time… any suggestions ? Thank you guys. Thomas
8 speed has a thermostatic valve so it’s a little more complicated than the earlier 6 speed.
Sam try fitting urethane rear bushes
Great video question please. If I were to undo the two bolts from the leg (as you did) with the drive shaft nut removed would the drive shaft have enough room to pop out. Cheers. Terry
hi Sam, great video once again.which impact gun are you using, if its doing those strut bolts easily, i guess it should be sufficient for all other jobs.
Cheers! It's a Milwaukee Fuel 1/2" mid torque. Not their biggest one but I haven't found anything it can't bust yet. Milwaukee stuff is expensive but there are much cheaper alternatives (I think even LIDL makes one now) that will get the job done.
Hi Sam, changed all my suspension today, 2011 4.4 TDV8 all went well few hassles, used iid tool and calibrated it front left would not go down was 505mm had to reduce to 493mm, pressed down a few times but went up instead, our biggest problem was after testing up and down a few times front left hose let go, took it apart cut 5mm off hose and reassembled tested hose blew again, I did notice locknut was tight going onto hose collet was a little loose but it seated on locknut fine, I’m going to take it off again and use an old collet that fits tighter on hose, what are your thoughts, cheers Mike
Question for q/a with Ben range rovers are they worth the grief high expensive maintenance in your and Ben's opinion is there not other 4x4s that are as good I have owned a lot of Rovers and 4x4s so I have my own thoughts thanks
Thanks Ben. Can the memory function be fitted to the passenger seat electrics. I have a 2012 Westminster
Hi Sam, I'm still waiting for you to solve our suspension woes! I think my "lurching" side to side ride is the same as you are describing. But mine is a 2006, pre variable damper car. Your replacement of air springs, shockers really rules them out. What else is there? Bushings? Alignment? Great videos, please keep them coming. Thanks. Mal.
Hi Malcolm,
I'm still waiting for me to solve it too! Bushes and alignment are definitely high on the list.
@@SamsMotors Sam, A thought. Each air bag should be totally independent of the others, Am I correct? The compressor pumps each up, and there is no interaction between them? If a valve was leaking, could the air from a strut, say that has just hit a bump, be pushed back to other strut(s), or air tank? If you have no external leaks from an air bag, you would never know if say 2 air bags were "sharing" air? So, could it be the valve block at fault?. Possible? Mal.
have you thought about upgrading your audio to apple or android car play.
thanks
love the channel Noel
Yes, watch this space 👌
Where on the lower control arm do you jack? Where it bolts to the subframe inboard I assume? A video would be useful
If (like me) you use a bottle jack, it probably won't have the travel to lift the truck up if you jack under the subframe. So I jack on the lower arm itself, as close to the hub as I can get. This way you can get the vehicle nice and high before dropping it down on the axle stands under the sill points. Might not be the "by the book" way of doing it, but it has worked for me!
Thanks for uploading. What diagnostic tool are you using for calibrating the suspension?
Thanks! I’m a GAP IID tool user. 👍😎
Hey Sam. This is of particular interest to me, as I also really enjoy the ride on my late L322, but feel it could be improved somewhat. My left (driver’s side here in the US) front air strut is also damp, so I’m thinking I will also need to replace both front ones. I’ve also been needing an alignment and 2 new front tires, but didn’t want to do those until I do the struts. Have you also been having tire wear issues or vibration in the front? Do you think the struts were complicit in your harsh ride? Thanks again for the relevant videos. Now I just need to find an IID tool for a discount…
Damp struts are a surefire sign that they need replacing. They shouldn't affect the alignment even when worn though - so that's likely to be bushes or ball joints in the front end that is causing your uneven tyre wear.
My ride is definitely improved with the replacement struts fitted. 👍
Where did you buy that tool from does it read all the faults too? I’ve just bought a l322 and I’d like one so I’m prepared thanks.
Has the wiring been checked on the top of the struts. I know that can be a common fault and there is a loom extension
Good suggestion - but yes it has been repaired once before and is still OK. Usually when the wiring fails you get an "Adaptive Dynamics" fault on the dash
Hi sam.i had the chance to get these very recently going for a song..but after watching another youtuber in the states who bought a New one from aerosus plus shipping..it leaked and they ignored him..so I didn't bother with aerosus.. hope you fair better.. keep us updated.
Have you still got the Dunlop's?
Hi Sam. Did you ever sort this?
Hello me again ! Can you please tell me what you have on your phone to effect those changes ?
It’s the censors that make the suspension hard
Have you considered whether it could have anything to do with the ABS and rings? I was reading through the parkers website and it mentioned this in relation to problems with the L322
I've not, no. What would you say the ABS system has to do with ride quality?
@@SamsMotors well I'm no expert and i dont have any direct experience of the problem you're suffering but im wondering if its anything to do with the wheel speed sensors as they are connected to ABS but also traction and stability control and there may be different readings coming from them that is being processed incorrectly.
Can You please tell me what harware Y used for the calibration? Greeting Fritz Hoffmann from Germany
Hi Fritz, I used the IID tool from Gap.
Thanks
Hi Sam,
A question for both you and Ben for the collaboration vid. I have a 2011 L322 4.4TDV8 vogue se and the windscreen washers are absolutely rubbish. The only way I think I got through MOT was by completely brimming them and even then the spay barely dribbles a quarter of the way up the windscreen. And if you’re at motorway speeds you are almost wasting your time. Would love to know how the washers are on your trucks and if you have any ideas. It’s almost as if the washer motor isn’t powerful enough.
Ps, just watched a bit more and saw you wash your screen. Mine are nowhere near as powerful as that!
It'd be worth running a fine sewing needle or similar pin through the washer jets Andy - my bet is they're blocked up.
I've had issues in the past when a main dealer had put in their blend of screen wash and I later added some run of the mill gear, basically they reacted result I would describe as mill pond weed like substance.
I had to fully clean out the bottle, clean all the lines out remove and clean all the jets, it was a pain but never returned, as it never went back to a main dealer for service etc.
Hi Sam. Which IID tool do you use? Is it the IID BT or PRO? I have a 2008 Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 and want to replace the struts and level sensors but need to calibrate the corners like you did. Which would be the best option as I don't really want to go down the subscription route. Thanks. Jason.
Hey Jason,
You just need the BT version. The PRO is for garages/workshops who need to use it on customer cars. Cheers!
@@SamsMotors Cheers Sam. I’m only down the road from you in Clare too!😉
Hi I did a straight swap blind for a Range Rover sport 2.7 hse with my land rover Freelander2 hse it was delivered while I was at the hospital to my disbelief the car required a lot of repairs it’s had a replacement gearbox new rear calipers along with other repairs my question is would it be wise to install springs rather than have the air ride many thanks
I'm always an advocate for keeping the air suspension system. For the price of the conversion kit you could replace most of the critical parts in the EAS.
Can you tell me please why the ride was bad? I’m about to buy one like yours and am worried about going ahead 🤷🏼♂️
Hi Sam, just a quick note, we were taught when fitting new air springs to never, ever reuse the old spring connection fitting. Apparently you risk leaks if you do.
What you're supposed to do according to Land Rover is to use a very sharp blade and cut the plastic air supply pipe right at the end by the fitting leaving a clean cut pipe to insert into the new suspension leg.
Cheers David - yeah I know that's the 'correct' way to do it by the book.
From my own experience though, if a fitting isn't leaking already, I tend to re-use it. I had some trouble with using brand-new Voss fittings that just wouldn't seal, despite me cutting the pipe back etc to a clean new section. Probably not the best practise but it works for me.
Thanks!
What are you comparing this ride to, another Land Rover of the same make, model, mileage and year?
Chiefly, to what I know it "should" ride like. I also drove a 2009 3.6 TDV8 recently with the same VDS dampers, and it confirmed my suspicions that mine doesn't ride properly.
Don't you have to lower tyre air pressure like most cars for a softer ride , higher pressure for fully loaded and/higher speed driving
Does anyone know what is the tool he used to adjust the height please if you could kindly tag me with the project he used on his phone
Hey Sam
I recently changed my two front struts - everything runs fine but overnight the car seems to lose the air in the front bag over night Is this normal?
Please let me know if you have any thoughts
Manny thanks
Hey, it’s probably leaking at the connection point to the strut. If you spray soapy water around it you will probably see air bubbles.
The connection needs to be perfectly clean and pushed in fully to seal properly
HI Sam, I think you are using wheels that come from the L405? You might want to consider buying a set of 19" 10 spoke style 15 alloys on a 255/55/19 tyre, calibrating your dampers accordingly, and using these a bench mark to gauge secondary ride feel in my experience this alloy and tyre combination gives the most comfortable ride. You could also mount a set of accelerometer to each of the struts to measure your secondary ride quality. if you can, find a volunteer with the same car and do a test and control run on the same section of road - this should tell you for sure if you have a difference (and therefor fault to chase) in ride quality.
Great video, make it look so easy!
Question.
Whilst I’d agree, using an impact driver to remove nuts and bolts makes the job so much easier, I’d question using it to re tighten them. I’ve had experience before, albeit with Mercedes, where wheel bolts were over torqued and caused many issues having them removed. I noticed in your video that the majority of the nuts you torqued, after using the impact driver, were at the required torque on the first go. We’re they are the correct torque or were they over torqued??
Hi Sam, what is the name of this calibration program?
It's the GAP IID app. You need their tool to use it 👍
@@SamsMotors Where can I get the tool?
Your car looks great - I love the height, I was just wondering. Is it lifted, and what size wheels are you running?
Hi Andile, thanks. It was running around a 20mm lift (but I've since reset it to standard height). The wheels are 20" L405 rims with 275/55 R20 Cooper Discoverer AT3 Sport 2 tyres on them.
Could it be the tires that spoil your expectations of the ride quality? You have all terrains, they have much harder sidewalls and barely eat any imperfections of the surfaces. Road tires are day and night when it comes to the road quality ...
Your suspension problem sounds like worn rear subframe bushes - to be expected at that age of L322 ..
Hi Sam, are they good because I wanna buy
So far so good, been on for a couple of years now with no issues 👍
@@SamsMotors thanks because I ordered this morning to
I just bought a 2007 l322 and it has done the same miles,I keep being told the gearbox can’t be any good it is inevitable that it will not last any longer, has yours lasted? Did you flush or service yours.
Hi, I had the transmission flushed at about 192k miles, it's now on nearly 220k miles and still shifting like butter. I am planning to do another fluid change in the next year and will do the filter at the same time. There's not reason these transmissions won't do over 300,000 miles if looked after correctly.
@@SamsMotors thanks that’s encouraging ,I will do a flush myself ,someone said you can add anti slip by revenol, I think it is but I am not sure if additives ore ok, also I heard you must be very sure you are using the right fluid for a zf box. Do you know what fluid they take. I appreciate the reply and help, tracy
@@tracygeddes5867 Yes, they take a very particular type of oil. If yours is the 3.6 TDV8 it will take ZF Lifeguard 6, or if it's the 4.4 TDV8 like mine it will take ZF Lifeguard 8. Under no circumstances use normal ATF, it will destroy the box.
@@SamsMotors thanks, I will go with life guard 6 ,it’s expensive but nothing like a new box! Ha ha.
Make sure you follow the correct procedure for refilling 👍
Sam i wonder if you could help me an idiot ran into my car and i need the back passenger door also front passenger door my question is i phoned a car breaker they said they have two in stock but they are just
Range rover not a vogue i don't know if the doors would fit my what do you think.
Regards. David
Hi David, what year is your car?
@@SamsMotors My car is 05. Range rover Vogue black
Regards. David
@@davidsloan9804 they should fit fine David. You'll just have to swap over your door cards etc if you want it all to match.
Intro song anyone?
It's this: www.epidemicsound.com/track/gwDgaQhdGe/
Gaillimh abú
Out of interest, what was the ride like before you changed tyres?
It's a long time since it was on standard tyres (over a year now) but the ride quality problem has been present ever since it was delivered to me. Changing the wheels and tyres didn't have a noticeable effect that I remember... but I'd still like to try a standard set if I could find one nearby.
There’s not many men can hold it with 2 hands lmao 😂
I held it with two hands and still needed help from the Mrs 😅😅😅
@@SamsMotors lol
@@SamsMotors can you just change the shocks and not air bags ?
Why is she on Irish plates? She had English plates at the start of the vid lol. Sorry I've only seen one of your other videos. I don't follow the channel normally
I emigrated to Ireland a couple of years ago - still use some stock footage sometimes from when I was in the UK 😅
@@SamsMotors Ah very good mate. 😅 Thanks for clarifying and belated welcome to the emerald isle!
Tyres man......JLR never launched these with cooper tyres as oem for a reason. If you ride the road all the time get a road biased tyre
The car rode exactly the same on standard tyres, there was no difference when I went from the 255/55R19 Pirellis to these. If anything, it smoothed it out a bit.