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The EAS (Electronic Air Suspension) Valve Block is one of those many things that Land Rover will charge you a small fortune to replace. A major cause of problems associated with the valve block is the o-rings wearing out. Fortunately these can be replaced fairly easily and cheaply.
This procedure has been documented before, such as this page at RangeRovers.Net. My attempt at documenting the rebuild procedure is a bit more verbose than others I’ve found… mostly for the benefit of keen amatuers such as myself. I took these pictures as a record of what I was doing so I could remember how to put it back together again.
Another subtle difference between this page and others is that my EAS system has an air-locker regulator and EAS Emergency Bypass Kit installed. If you are thinking of installing these add-on components to your Rangie, parts of this guide may be useful as you can see where these units are patched in to the EAS system.
Intention of this project
I believed I was getting a slow leak in the EAS from inside the valve block and decided to replace the rubber o-rings. Most of this procedure applies if I had wanted to replace the diaphragm too.
Preparation
A complete set of o-rings for the valve block from Rover Renovations
A diagnostics tool such as EASunlock or FaultMate to depressurise the EAS and then to test it afterwards. Dennis Altman of Rover Renovations has documented a method of depressurising the EAS using a set of “pigtail” wires at this page.
Assortment of spanners, screwdrivers, pliers, cleaning fluids and rags.
A few hours to spare, plenty of coffee and suitable background music… I chose “Movie Hits of the 80’s” and “70’s Greatest Hits” for this job.
Cleaning the removed bits and pieces
I just used a clean rag sprayed with a bit of WD-40 to wipe the block parts down until they looked shiny again. I’ve read on other guides that cleaning the block with soapy water and letting it dry slowly in a warm (not hot) oven also works. I didn’t have the patience to wait that long and I’m pretty happy with the results I got.
For the airways, I used a can of computer keyboard compressed air to blow any dust and WD-40 residue out.
For the plastic case, you can’t go past Windex (or similar) glass cleaner in my view. I didn’t worry about trying to make the plastic case too clean as it is just going to get filthy again real soon.
Removing the EAS unit
Depressurise the EAS system using your tool of choice. I used EASunlock from Storey Wilson.
IMPORTANT: after depressurising the EAS, leave the ignition switched off until you have finished this procedure and reconnected the electrics. Otherwise you will generate an “EAS Hard Fault” which you will need to clear with a diagnostics tool or by a dealer.
A photo showing the dirty engine bay, EAS housing and EAS Emergency Bypass Kit. The blue air line runs to the rear air-locker.
With the cover off the EAS housing.
Top view of the EAS Emergency Bypass kit.
Location of the two screws that secure the Cruise Control unit. You need to remove these to get access to the two bolts that hold the rear of the EAS case in place. The two bolts at the other end of the case are much simpler to remove.
Remove the three nuts holding the compressor in place and then lift it a little to get access to the air line below.
Use a 12mm spanner to undo the brass nut holding the air line in place. Note the Tee-piece on mine is used for the air-locker.
With the compressor removed.
Slide the retaining clip to the side to release the wiring loom.
Remove the second retaining clip and unplug the wiring connectors.
Use a screwdriver to depress the collets on the airlines going in to the housing and pull out the air lines. Note the line marked below is easier to detach once the unit is partially removed.
If you are inclinded to do so, you could label each of the air lines to ensure you know which goes where. However, I’ve found that mine line up pretty well with the case and not much guesswork is involved.
It is a good idea to cap off the exposed air lines to prevent dust and moisture entering.
Note the area in the middle of the picture below where the EAS case has been rubbing on the body.I’m pretty sure this would be contributing to excessive compressor noise inside the cabin.
I’ll attempt to correct this with a few washers a bit further on in this narration.
The removed unit on the bench ready for further disassembly.
This pic is so I can remember how to reconnect the EAS Emergency Bypass kit.
Using a small set of pliers to more evenly press the collet to remove air lines.
Undo the 3 bolts holding the valve block in place.
Gently squeeze the lugs holding the wiring connector and push through.
Simply unscrew the exhaust filter/silencer.
Remove the wiring retaining clips to aide in removing the valve block.
Valve block removed. The brass fitting is the pressure relief valve. The green one is the pressure switch.
I recommend numbering the solenoids so you remember which one goes where.
Remove the wiring loom/connector from the bottom of the unit.
After removing the top solenoid housings, and showing the four hex/allen key screws required to remove the driver unit.
Removing the pressure switch using a 14mm (I think) spanner.
Note the orientation of the solenoid bases for re-installation.
The inlet solenoid and diaphragm block removed. Don’t lose that spring.
Removing the old o-ring from the diaphragm.
Gently remove the metal cap from the diaphragm.
Diaphragm removed.
New o-ring inserted with a touch of Vasoline to aide in sealing.
Although I had a spare diaphragm in case I needed it, the existing one looked fine so I re-installed it. I suspect the previous owner had probably replaced it already.
Non-return valves at the other end of the block. Note the orientation of the valves for reassembly.
Remove the old o-rings.
Gently remove the o-rings from the NRV housings.
NRV’s reinstalled with new o-rings. I’ve been told that Vasoline and NRV’s don’t mix, so I spared the Vasoline here.
Front block re-installed on main block.
Gently pry out the air-line keepers to reveal the o-rings underneath.
Each keeper has two o-rings beneath. I’ve read mixed reports on this, but since mine had two o-rings under each keeper, I replaced them with two new ones.
A top tip from Shadow Keeper at RangeRovers.net:
“When I re-built mine I kept finding that the air-line keeper o-rings kept folding when I tried to seat them in the valve block. I ended up using the blunt end of a drill bit (can’t remember if it was an 8mm or 6mm) and pushed them in that way, it really did the job.”
As most of these air lines are 6mm, I reckon an 8mm drill bit would do the trick nicely to flatten out those fiddly o-rings.
Replace the top and bottom o-rings for each of the solenoid valves. Again, a little Vasoline helps to seal it.
Don’t forget to replace the inner o-ring as well.
You can also replace the o-ring on the shaft of the solenoid valve if you want to be thorough.
Rubbing and Vibration
You can see at the centre right of the picture below where the EAS housing was rubbing on the body.
The housing can be lifted approx 5mm by inserting a metal machine washer and three fibre washers. To hold these in place, I put a dab of glue between each of the washers and then used some cloth tape to align them with the holes in the body.
The picture below shows the extra 5mm of lift afforded by the washers.
Reassembly
Reassmbling the EAS unit is essentially a reversal of the removal procedure.
Reconnecting the brass fitting with the compressor lifted out a little.
Another way of tightening the brass nuts for the compressor outlet line.
EAS Emergency Bypass kit and exhaust silencer reinstalled.
Everything back in place.
Pumping up the system. Air-tank pressure gauge at left and air-locker pressure at right. I’ve used this opportunity to install an additional air-line connector to allow me to pump up the air-tank with an external compressor.
With the cover back on. Note the markings on the case to remind me which valve corresponds to which air-spring.
Testing for connector leaks using soapy water. Note the bubbles on the tee-piece at port 2, indicating a poor seal. Push and pull the air-line until it seats correctly or perhaps trim the end of the line (1-2mm) to square it off.
Follow-up
After 2 days of running the renewed system, I’ve had no problems with the EAS.
I’d recommend keeping an eye on it for at least a week as the new components bed-in and I’ll be re-checking the nuts and bolts to make sure they haven’t loosened up in the coming weeks.
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[...] EAS Valve Block Renew [...]
I have rebuilt my P38 block today and I don’t have the Bypass Kit installed. It is worth stating that re-installing the airlines into the block requires that the collets (keepers) are put back into the block FIRST, THEN feed the pipes in. If one tries to feed the pipes into the block with the collets attached to the pipes, then the end flanges can bend and break off as they are only made of brass. Collets can be bought individually on the web though if the worst comes to the worst.
Great article, thank you very much.
Hi and thank you for posting this, it has been a great help, i look forward to trying out my re-furbished valve block tomorrow.
Thanks again for a really good discription
Thank you for the detailed step by step description, it was very helpful for me to rebuilt my block. When i rebuilt mine i found that Non-return valves are hardly consumed at the conical head (side). Can i buy them somewhere? anyone rebuilts them?
thank you for the support
Rezi – try http://rover-renovations.com for EAS compressor and valve block parts. Cheers, Paul.