3200gt shocks and actuators

[Assetto 52]

This Sunday I'm going to tackle the Error light on the dash, i took the car up to F Tech to clear any errors collected during the rebuild that i couldn't get at with my bluetooth dongle.
All cleared except the suspension errors which came straight back it says lock down on 3 and problems with the 4th, now with the car on the ramp i can hear all 4 actuators working in unison and i know the spindles are free to rotate quarter turn each way as they should.
So Sunday I'm going to check for any damage with in the actuators or spindles i do have my suspicions it may be the suspension controller in the boot which i have had apart it appears fine but after having issues with the IGE unit i have my doubts.
So what i want to know is the easy way to reseat the actuators to shock spindle any pointers welcome because i know the rears are going to try my patience, the fuel tank was out the last time the shocks were done.
There must be an easier way any pointers much appreciated
regards Gordon.

 

[Contigo]

Hi Gordon,

The actuators simply push onto the top of the shock gear spindle and then lock in place with a metal clasp/bar. Either the plastic gears were or the spindles jam/seize. Take them all off and check the spindles/gear move on the top of each shock. The put the gear back one at a time and listen with a stethoscope to hear the plastic gears inside the actuator turn 90 degrees or so and back. This is all done at key on check time.

 

[Boomerang_GT]

The Actuators will still make sound at ignition even if the gear of the shocks or the Actuator is broken. If all gears are well, an electrical problem of the contacts inside the Actuators might be the problem. Anyway it's better to check the gears before more will be damaged. The gears cost around 30€ aftermarket. Shock rebuilding costs 200€ or 380€ if the gear is broken since it's available only with the main shock piston at Bilstein.

 

[LDM 3200]

Worth checking if the actuators are sitting correctly, when I swapped my rear shocks i got the error which turned outto be the actuator not being seated correctly - not that it was obvious initially.

 

[alfatwo]

Just a thought.. if you cant find any faults with the shocks and actuators, the same error light will be thrown by the oil sump low level sender, It caught me out!


Dave

 

[Assetto 52]

Thanks all.
Well in between showers i managed to get the first one off (drivers side front) spindle free and no damage to actuator drive and actuator rotated fine with ignition turned,
mystery continues!
Dave would the oil sump sensor through its own code error?
at present the ECU is showing a lock down (which to me says seized) on 3 shocks, codes clear then come straight back on restart.
The actuators must be able to detect a resistance when rotating and end stops each way as far as i know just removing them from the spindles doesn't clear the error
if only it was that easy.

 

[Contigo]

IIRC the oil error is ERROR OIL LEVEL in red.

 

[Boomerang_GT]

You could change the Actuators and see if the errors travel wit the actuator.
After all it could be a weak sensor contact inside on the top that sometimes occurs due to vibrations.

 

[Mott The Hoople]

I bought a second hand actuator for mine but it turned out that all I needed was a replacement shock gear. Nice and cheap.
Steve.

 

[Assetto 52]

All actuators work fine i even put them under slight stress when rotating to make sure there OK, spindles all rotate to stops and no damage to splines.
So I'm going to beg and borrow a control unit from Mcgrath's tomorrow to see what difference it makes.

Is there a way of checking the codes other than traveling up to F Tech in Exeter?

 

[voicey]

If the cogs on the top of the shocks and the mechanisms inside the actuators are intact then the only way to diagnose this system is with an SD2 connected to a PC running Ferrari F355 software. This allows you to command each individual actuator to rotate by a varying amount in order to determine where the problem lies.

 

[Assetto 52]

As i thought, well i will borrow a second control box and get up to F Tech its a 90 mile round trip but its the only way I'm going to make any progress, plus good excuse to get the car out.
Is there a reset procedure for the suspension?
Clearing the codes docent fix things its almost like the suspension has lost its way! similar to the electric garage door where i am working which really dose have a mind of its own.