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Air suspension leak HEEELP!!

30K views 57 replies 17 participants last post by  TRespect 
#1 ·
I have a air-leak on my Treg.

It´s where the air-hose is connected to the "air spring damper". Between the "residual pressure retaining valve" and the damper. (front suspension).

Don´t wanna change the whole "air spring damper" because of a little leak. Same leak on both sides!
Someone must know how the parts are putted together!
VW-Sweden doesn´t know.

Is the connection between the "residual pressure retaining valve" and the damper a screwthread or is the connection squeezed together?????

Help!!!!
A damper change on both sides will cost me about 4200 $.
I hope I can fix it myself......just wanna be sure of how it´s putted together before I start destroying something!

Drawings? explanation? Something which can help me out?

VW Touareg 2003-03 V6

Best regards
/Jimmie
 
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#28 ·
Jimmie said:
NOW!!!!!

After a few new hours in ETKA I finally found the little bastard!!!!

7L0616813:pressure valve
7L0616817: the thing called o-ring in swedish which I think is the little problem.

All these numbers go to an 2006 year model Touareg, but when crosschecking the numbers........it´s the same thing on 2003-2006...

Now the question: Anyone got a picture of an 7L0616813 ?
The one in ETKA looks like my 4 year old son made it :p


/Jimmie
And where did you find these part numbers on ETKA? Which page/illustration?
 
#29 ·
For the 2007 years model: 411-07

Didn´t write out the page for 2006 because the numbers where the same, exept for some parts in the damper!

The valve and seal are all the same on 2004-2006 and 2007.


If you make a search for a 2004-2005 you will not be able to find them!
But 2006-2007 works ok. There you can find spareparts for the entire air spring damper. You don´t have to buy a brand new complete one... That´s good..... isn´t it.....



/Jimmie
 
#32 ·
I have had air leaking between the pressure valve and damper on a touareg in work, the o ring had split. I just replaced the o ring with one of a similar size and fixed the leak ( not a vw part just a normal o ring). I just used a pair of pliers to loosen and tighten the valve, it is threaded into the damper. Just check for leaks afterwards using a soapy water solution.
 
#33 ·
"it is threaded into the damper"

WONDERFUL!!!!!

Excactly the words I wanted to hear!!!!!
As I suspected from the start.

Strange that VW want to replace a complete damper on each side......And nobody on "VW Sweden" knows how the parts are fitted together...

THANK´s a lot..

Yearmodel on the one with same leak as mine?

/Jimmie
 
#34 ·
Have checked a similar vehicle to yours this morning in work and the parts are identical to the vehicle I had with the leak. You have to unscrew the air supply line, then you can unscrew the brass valve. There is an o ring on the end of the valve and thats what leaks. I have checked elsa ( our workshop manual ) and you are correct the pictures and descriptions are poor. Just make sure that you don't damage the brass valve when loosening and tightening with plyers.
 
#36 ·
you might try a different approach.

1. use water and dish soap and spray at leak location to identify exactly (look for bubbles) where it comes from.. if it looks like a connector then..

2. remove connector or part it is attached to, have someone do this as it is a pressure system!!!

3. take to plumber, aircon repair or high pressure hydraulic hose repair company

4. have them either further dismantle part and "silver solder" it (sweat it), this may also involve having them machine it etc to enable assembly and silver solder to repair leak..

good luck

remember man put it together, so man can fix it!
 
#37 ·
Did the operation Yesterday and guess..............

It took me about 1 hour and saved me (4200-6)=4194$.

It was no problem loosen the valve. Pre-treated the area with som WD-40 for five days.

I borrowed the special-tool (T10158/1) from my local VW-dealer too unscrew the valve. NO PROBLEM AT ALL. The easies thing I ever done when it comes to cars.

Nowdays the suspension is like new, no leak!

Thank you all for helping me out!!!!

Best regards
/Jimmie
 
#38 ·
air leak suspension

Hi Jimmie,
please note that i have a simmilar problem with my touareg 2004 v8 air suspension , since start to diplay me ''a fail on runing train'' message , so the guy from dealer servise told me that i have to replace the compressor, but i'm sure that this is not the real problem , because as soon as i start the engine in the morning the display shows the problem but after 5 minutes passed, then the problem disapear, so i must have a supension air leak,
so how do you find it the rigth place were your leak was ?
regards.
Marcelo.
 
#39 ·
I never got any messages displayed. Cause the leak was bigger in one side I started to search there. Soapwater in a spray-can.... And there it was!

I think your problem can be a combination between a leak and bad compression in the compressor! Does your suspension sink over the night?

After I had found my leak I´ve heard of, at least, 3 T-regs with the same problem. Airleak after the ressidual pressure valve in the front suspension.

/J
 
#40 ·
hi Jimmie ,
i just find another guy on the forum with same problem , so i just lern that there is an air copmpressor repair kit available , so i just place a reply to him in order to find which part number will correspont to this kit ,
best regards and thank you very much for your help
 
#42 ·
warranty in mexico

unfourtunely , here in mexico the vw waranty last one year , then when i baugh the treg and i note all the possible fails ,then i get an extra year warranty for $1,000.00 , so now the warranty already expired, but i have several argues with the vw factory after sale servise people ,
because the vw dealer quote me $2,000.00 for compressor replace and they will offer me a ''cortessy'' in order to just pay 50% of the total cost,
so they never mention about a repair kit , so now that i just lern about the kit ,then i like to find which part number match this kit ?,
so i hope someone of the guys that i replied answer my inquiry asap ,
regards.
 
#44 ·
thanks , i hope the after sale service from vw factory in mex attend my claim to pay for complete repair , so if not and anyway will help me a lot to get this page in order to find any maintenance parts that i'll need on future,
regards
 
#45 ·
I have the same problem as JIMMY and I personally want to solve it . ... I need more information.

- I lift up the car, after suspension is loked


compressor must be disconnected?? how do i deflate the front wheel suspension ??

sensor has a particular position when i put it back?
 
#46 ·
Well, I bought a Touareg V8 2004 saturday. Wonderful car, until this morning...
Looked a bit low in the front when I went to it.
Started and noticed that the front was rising slowly.
Took it into my garage to see if I could find something.
As soon as I shut down I hear hissing, leaking sound from left front wheelhouse.
Found the very same leak that some of you have had on your Tregs.
Eager to dig into this I began to clean the area around the valve.
Probably that was the best Ive done today, because by the first touch of the plastic hose going into the valve, it fell apart!
Looots of air escaped and the front end of the car dropped. Luckily with no hands or other bodyparts in the way.

So, I jacked it up a bit to have a closer look.
The valve, identical to 7L0616813 as you mentioned, had separated in two parts.
One part still in the damper and the other hanging to the airhose.
And around the seating for the valve in the damper there was some buildup of
very hard "material". Seems to me like it has been galvanic current creating the buildup.
There wasn't much left to grab hold of to in order to unscrew the rest of the valve from the damper.
After trying most of my tools I ended up using a 9/16 intorx.
I hammered the intorx onto the valve, stuck a spanner in the intorx and it came loose.

Now a question to you:
My Treg are still in high level in the back and very low in the front.
How do I manage to get the car level after replacing the valve?
Should I just start the car and wait? Or do I need to follow any procedure?
I do have VCDS if that's required. If so, in what way? Just clear all codes, or are there any way of filling the front suspension through VCDS?

BR
 
#47 ·
I have not had this happen, but I would replace the valve and if it were me I would replace both sides at the same time. Once that is done I am gonna guess the compressor is going to run for a bit to fill for the loss that you have in the front. Clear the codes, put it on load level and then back to auto level to see if it levels out for you. Only reason I describe it in this way was two different garages that put mine on a lift with out locking it out first and more or less the same deal as yours. One end higher then the other. I just did what I said above and it went back to normal. By all means report back on how things went in case this happens to someone else.
 
#48 ·
Thanks Yeti for answering.
I haven't got the new valve yet. VW don't have it in stock in Sweden. Speaking to the VW rep it seems that they always change the whole strut.
But they were able to order just the valve apparently.
I didn't order from them though.
Found that www.air-suspension-shop.com has the valve in stock and for half the price including expressdelivery.
So they got my order instead.
How did we manage before the internet?

One thought that occured to me was that if the valves have differences in tolerance. Say that right front closes at 3,5 bar and the left closes at 3,2 bar.
Would that be noticeable i rideheight between the four legs?
Or does it only protect the legs from total collapse/deflation?
Am I right when I suspect that the only occasion the valves closes is when the airsupply looses pressure by fault, or do the Load-mode take it down to the valve-close-pressure?
 
#49 ·
Because the seating on the airhose nipple is the same as the seating at the valve against the damper is the same, sealing by means of an o-ring, I couldn´t hold back.
I connected the airsupplyhose directly to the damper, without the valve.
After a while on idle the car raised, settled and felt happy again.

Hmm, I wonder if one should dare do drive without the valve.
I don´t think VW applied those valves just for fun.
But they´re probably there to take care of possible leaks which otherwise could make the Treg to a sled in no time. Not that funny cruising highwayspeed and suddenly fall to the ground.
Or am I wrong? Somebody´s got an idea of the specific function of the valve?
The name "residual pressure retaining valve" sort of explains, but you newer know.
 
#50 ·
You have been VERY lucky . . . so far, so don't go and blow it by running with no valve!!
 
#51 ·
residual pressure valves

I drove mine without valves, nothing to worry about. The valves are there so that when you lower the vehicle to the lowest setting, not all the air escapes from the springs, just enough to lower the suspension on it's stops, therefor keeping residual pressure in the springs to make it easier for the compressor to pump the suspension back up. So when the valves are working properly you should be able to lower the vehicle to it's lowest setting and remove the air line to the strut and have no pressure in the line whatsoever. but the residual pressure valve will maintain a certain pressure in the spring (probably 2-3 bar)
just enough pressure to start lifting the weight of the vehicle. My buddy got me some all brass valves online from somewhere in Europe for 50 USD each. The factory ones on my Treg were half brass and half white metal so I think the aftermarket valves are better.
MM
 
#52 ·
Hi all
Old thread, I know.
But I thought I would share my latest find.

About a year ago the left front airspring went flat.
Fault then was the residual valve that had fallen apart due to corrosion. Changed the valve and all was good again.

Last weekend I found that the right front suspension had a leak. Sprayed the valve with soapwater and there was bubbles building.
Ordered a new valve and changed that today.
No more leak.
But It wasn't the valve itself that had a leak.
The seat at the strut-top where the o-ring seals was corroded. And of course th o-ring itself was crap.
The valve looked as good as new after cleaning.
I could have saved 70 EUR not buying a new valve. But then again, now I know this one's alright for a year or two.

So, just a little recommendation.
If you're able, disassemble and have a look before ordering parts.

Have a nice day y'all!
 

Attachments

#55 ·
Yes I found that on my air suspension, in case anyone is interested there are 2 o-rings on each strut which need replacing and should have grease applied to them. Check the invoice attached when I ordered the parts for dimensions etc. View attachment Polymax_Invoice_62097.pdf

I actually installed the coil conversion kit last weekend so have plenty of spare parts going for air suspension if anyone is interested.
 
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