Fiat factory fit air suspension - anyone got it?

[Mad dog]

I've got Fiat's factory fitted air suspension on a PVC Rapido Dreamer D55 Select + 2019 van.

I'm trying to find out how others are getting on with it please? I love ours as you can level the van slightly without using blocks, though we still use blocks (well pieces of scrap wood!) for steeper spaces. But, we've found that after it working OK for a bit, that it starts to go down (when in the raised position) when we open the side door or front doors! A bit annoying when you've levelled it as you have to restart the engine to get it back again!

We had this before & we spoke to our Fiat garage who re-calibrated the suspension & it was fine for a while, then it started doing it again on our last German trip. They've investigated it again & Fiat can't get to the bottom of it, they wonder if some of the Rapido systems might be interfering with the Fiat systems....? My Fiat dealer has never ever seen Fiat's air suspension before.

Note, if I don't open a door it'll stay up all night, so it's definitely not a leak.

Can anyone help please ?

 

[Lenny HB]

Just wondering if it designed to do so when you open a door it lowers for easy access.
Do you know what system Fiat fit? From the controls it looks very basic or is there a remote that gives you more functions?

 

[Mad dog]

Just wondering if it designed to do so when you open a door it lowers for easy access.
Do you know what system Fiat fit? From the controls it looks very basic or is there a remote that gives you more functions?

Thanks Lenny, apparently it shouldn't! I've found one other person with it fitted so far & they think it doesn't go down when they open a door. As I said it worked fine to begin with, holding up all night.

There is no remote, just those buttons with it coming through on the LED display screen showing between -3 to +3 with 0 being the driving position.

 

[Bessy765]

If you can try just cracking the door open without the interior light coming on, it may be a.N earth problem in the wiring loom. If you know where the fuse for the system is try pumping it up then take the fuse out open the door and see what happens.

 

[Mad dog]

If you can try just cracking the door open without the interior light coming on, it may be a.N earth problem in the wiring loom. If you know where the fuse for the system is try pumping it up then take the fuse out open the door and see what happens.

Thanks, I'll try that out & see what happens. Interestingly when I tried to show this to my Fiat garage I couldn't replicate the fault initially. I found out that we had to leave the van for several minutes after the engine was turned off before we tried opening the door, then it would happen! Previously when we were away, the front doors didn't trigger it, only the sliding door, but a couple of days later, it happened with those doors too - a real weird one!

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[nicholsong]

Is it only when opening the door from inside? i.e when someone walks towards the door to open it and moves the weight over that side? Wheras opening from outside will not change the weight distribution on the flor.

 

[Mad dog]

Is it only when opening the door from inside? i.e when someone walks towards the door to open it and moves the weight over that side? Wheras opening from outside will not change the weight distribution on the flor.

No, happens when opening from the outside too.

 

[Bessy765]

Is the time you leave it about the same time the interior light goes off, it might sound strange but so is life?

 

[Mad dog]

Is the time you leave it about the same time the interior light goes off, it might sound strange but so is life?

I think it's a bit longer than that, I've been out all day today. I'll try & pop out tomorrow & test again. One thing I do notice is the light in the garage stays on along time, I think that's triggered by the doors, it can be on 10 mins or so if I pop out late at night for a call of duty!

 

[Mad dog]

Is it only when opening the door from inside? i.e when someone walks towards the door to open it and moves the weight over that side? Wheras opening from outside will not change the weight distribution on the flor.

No, it happens when I open it from the inside & outside.

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[Mad dog]

If you can try just cracking the door open without the interior light coming on, it may be a.N earth problem in the wiring loom. If you know where the fuse for the system is try pumping it up then take the fuse out open the door and see what happens.

Bessy, I've just tried cracking the side door open, it drops before the lights come on. Which fuse should I take out?

 

[Bessy765]

It’s a strange one, if you could get the down button out to get at the wires see if there is a voltage present on the live when pressed wire. In other words to see if somehow a feed is present when the door is opened. When the system goes down is it after the alarm has been used or does it happen if the alarm is not set?

 

[Mad dog]

It’s a strange one, if you could get the down button out to get at the wires see if there is a voltage present on the live when pressed wire. In other words to see if somehow a feed is present when the door is opened. When the system goes down is it after the alarm has been used or does it happen if the alarm is not set?

I've no alarm on the van, only the standard Fiat immobiliser. If I open the door even a couple of minutes after I've switched off the engine, she won't go down. She needs to be left 4 or 5 minutes, then open the door, then she drops. I'll investigate trying to test the voltage if I can get at the switch, but one thing I will try is to put her on high, get straight out, lock her up & see if she's still up in the morning (is this sounding kinky!!). I know she'll hold for an hour or two, but I've not tried longer than that.

 

[Mad dog]

Another update!

Put suspension up last night & it stayed up all night. This morning when I unlocked her she went straight down before I opened the doors.... Maybe this is linked to the lights?

 

[Mad dog]

More investigation & findings....!

Took fuse out of habitation lights - no difference.
Took Fiat interior lights fuse out - no difference.

I've realised that just unlocking the van will drop the suspension as well as opening the doors. Hmmmmmm

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[Happy1]

Sounds like it’s set up for a delivery van (no offence intended!!) rather than leveling a motorhome, presume it’s stay where you put it when driving?

 

[beachwomble]

Sounds like it’s set up for a delivery van (no offence intended!!) rather than leveling a motorhome, presume it’s stay where you put it when driving?

You could be right there. Looking at the pictures there don't seem to be a way to choose to raise or lower the left or right side, just the whole rear suspension.

 

[Lenny HB]

You could be right there. Looking at the pictures there don't seem to be a way to choose to raise or lower the left or right side, just the whole rear suspension.

Is it only air assist on the rear then, looking at the switches I can see it now.
I assumed by the thread title it was full air all round.

 

[footscray188c]

Try the Timco system from eBay you get everything Inc dual gauges and compressor etc and the bags are made by Rubena top value.

 

[Mad dog]

Try the Timco system from eBay you get everything Inc dual gauges and compressor etc and the bags are made by Rubena top value.

It's already factory fitted, I just want what Fiat fitted to work!

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