# e-Level Troubles



## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

A buddy and I tackled the e-Level install just a couple nights ago and we've got all the hardware mounted and everything wired up. However, we were having a couple troubleshooting issues. As I mentioned, all leveling sensors and wires have been mounted/connected/run. 

**One of the issues we are having is that the compressors run, but do not turn off when turning the car off. The compressors also were running longer than usual. I assume this may have been because we might have accidentally set the system to fill to 200psi? 

**In terms of operation, we are having issues with the front right fill/dump. When depressing the button that controls the LIFT of front right bag (#2, according to diagram), it does nothing. In other words, I cannot lift the front right individually. However, when I press the larger button that lifts the front up in general, that bag fills. I do believe the DOWN button for the front right deflates the bag as it is meant to. We have not yet checked the soldering connection, but we observe that may be a possible culprit. Any other ideas what it may be? 

**Also, when airing out the front, the left side airs out at normal speed, but the right side takes nearly FOREVER. I am confused as to why this may be? 

**Finally, for SOME reason, my battery got drained. The car does not start. The ignition clicks, and the controller lights up, but it just doesn't crank. This is a BRAND NEW battery...literally got it a couple weeks ago. 

If you have any light to shed on my issues, please let me know so we can get this bad boy up and running. 

Thanks!
Jason


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## arethirdytwo (Apr 4, 2007)

You wired something way wrong or these is a damaged component causing drains and the malfunction.

Take a step back. Check ALL connections, double, triple check. The drain makes me think you may have a short to ground or something wired incorrectly. Compressor wise, is your system hooked to switched power? Check your power source, should only be active when your ignition is on. 

You have a lot more diagnosing to do here. Are you running no gauges? If that's the case then at least grab a cheap tank gauge. 

Best of luck.


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## fasttt600 (Apr 12, 2007)

what do you mean, solder points. Did you cut any of the wires to the levers?

The only way the compressors should run without the ignition on, is if you have the remote feature, and you choose your highest ride height and your tank isn't filled up enough to lift is to set point.


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## ericjohnston27 (Dec 31, 2005)

jason i nregards to the fill issue, was the car already bagged before the e-level was put in? when you push the right up button do you hear a click from the relay? what size compressors are you running? when the car is trying to start and it doesnt, does the controller blink at all? when voltage is low the controller i believe will blink all white. i am unsure how to change the psi from one to the other, but im sure theres a solution in the manual for that. does the car go up at the same rate when pushing the all up button? sorry for all the questions, wanna help out


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## reynolds9000 (Oct 16, 2003)

I don't know about the other problems you're having, since i have no experience with e-Level, but for the issue with your compressor not turning off when the ignition is off makes me think you might have it wired to a constant power instead of a switched power.


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

First of all, thanks for all the responses so far. I will have to go through everything and check the things you folks mentioned. After speaking with my buddy last night, a couple things came to light and could possibly be the reason for our malfunctions.

One of the things I believe he did was wire the ignition wire (supposed to go to the ignition) to the power supply for the rest of my management I think; it was either that or one of the fuses. Not sure. But that leads me to believe that since it isn't to switched power (ignition, etc.), it not only keeps the compressors running, but also draws constant power...which in turn drained the battery.



arethirdytwo said:


> You wired something way wrong or these is a damaged component causing drains and the malfunction.
> 
> Take a step back. Check ALL connections, double, triple check. The drain makes me think you may have a short to ground or something wired incorrectly. Compressor wise, is your system hooked to switched power? Check your power source, should only be active when your ignition is on.
> 
> ...


I have 2 dual needle gauges inside the car that monitor corner pressure, but no tank gauge. We will check all the grounds and re-wire the ignition wire to another spot.



fasttt600 said:


> what do you mean, solder points. Did you cut any of the wires to the levers?
> 
> The only way the compressors should run without the ignition on, is if you have the remote feature, and you choose your highest ride height and your tank isn't filled up enough to lift is to set point.


I totally forgot to mention...since I was running an AccuAir VU4 manifold wired to EAI 7-switch box prior to installing e-Level, AccuAir just sent me a half-harness. Because I was running a switch box, I had to cut the original harness that came with the VU4 and wire/solder it to the switch box. Thus, I technically already had the "half" of the harness that plugged into the manifold itself...they sent me the other half that I would connect to the e-Level ECU.



ericjohnston27 said:


> jason i nregards to the fill issue, was the car already bagged before the e-level was put in? when you push the right up button do you hear a click from the relay? what size compressors are you running? when the car is trying to start and it doesnt, does the controller blink at all? when voltage is low the controller i believe will blink all white. i am unsure how to change the psi from one to the other, but im sure theres a solution in the manual for that. does the car go up at the same rate when pushing the all up button? sorry for all the questions, wanna help out


Yes, car was already bagged. Everything worked flawlessly before install. Fill, dump, all at the same time, individually, etc. When pushing right up, NO CLICK. However, when I push right down, it DOES click. All of the other buttons click and operate just fine I'd think. The controller is all when there's power; no blinking. Like I was saying, the battery was drained and the ignition was just clicking, didn't even want to turn over. So idk if it makes a difference if the ignition is on or if there is just enough power in the car to light up the controller.



reynolds9000 said:


> I don't know about the other problems you're having, since i have no experience with e-Level, but for the issue with your compressor not turning off when the ignition is off makes me think you might have it wired to a constant power instead of a switched power.


Yes sir. That's the same thing I'm thinking. Like was suggested, we just really need to go over and double, triple, quadruple check all the connections, make a few adjustments to the wiring and whatnot. 

I think the part that confuses me the most is the issue with the controller and the fact that it doesn't click when pressing right up. But then again, it might be the soldering point like I mentioned. And I'm soooo confused as to why it goes down slow just on that corner


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## crazymoforz (Jan 19, 2006)

If the car is not airing out check the manifold. if you are running the accuair mani, take it apart because the rubber boots on the inside sometimes fall off on the early model manifold. Nicul had this issue and we called and got the revised version pistons and problem solved.


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## fasttt600 (Apr 12, 2007)

crazymoforz said:


> If the car is not airing out check the manifold. if you are running the accuair mani, take it apart because the rubber boots on the inside sometimes fall off on the early model manifold. Nicul had this issue and we called and got the revised version pistons and problem solved.


Truth.


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

Rigo, the manifold was working FLAWLESSLY right before the install. I was airing up and down that day and it was just fine. Could that still be the issue you think?

Edit: Now that I reread your comment, it's not that it WASN'T airing out. It airs out, but just takes honestly 10x longer than the other corners. But all in all, it still goes down.


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## BklynMKV (Mar 24, 2008)

this may be obvious -- but gonna ask as you didn't mention it. Did you run the calibration on the e-level? + did it run the full cycle -- no flashing reds or anything else?


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

BklynMKV said:


> this may be obvious -- but gonna ask as you didn't mention it. Did you run the calibration on the e-level? + did it run the full cycle -- no flashing reds or anything else?


I'm glad you mentioned, because it actually wasn't obvious. We actually haven't even run the calibration on the e-Level. We were at it for a day; started at 8AM, worked until like 10:30PM. Since it was getting late, we just barely got the hardware and wires run. No time to follow up on the troubleshooting issues.

Reason for that being was that I am currently away at school right now. We tackled this install on MLK Jr day, so I was home for the holiday weekend. I had to make the trek back to school that same night and we kind of just wanted to get the car back on the ground so I could take off. We figured we'd just wrap up another weekend I was in town.

Would running the calibration clear up the problems with fill/dump on the right side?


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## ACEdubs (Apr 18, 2002)

I ran into the exact same calibration issue. I didn't let it run through a cycle. It was doing weird things until I did.


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## BklynMKV (Mar 24, 2008)

Ultimatetaba said:


> I'm glad you mentioned, because it actually wasn't obvious. We actually haven't even run the calibration on the e-Level. We were at it for a day; started at 8AM, worked until like 10:30PM. Since it was getting late, we just barely got the hardware and wires run. No time to follow up on the troubleshooting issues.
> 
> Reason for that being was that I am currently away at school right now. We tackled this install on MLK Jr day, so I was home for the holiday weekend. I had to make the trek back to school that same night and we kind of just wanted to get the car back on the ground so I could take off. We figured we'd just wrap up another weekend I was in town.
> 
> Would running the calibration clear up the problems with fill/dump on the right side?


it very well could fix it -- or at least tell you where the problem is. just make sure to let it run the full cycle -- and do it on level ground. it tests for sensor connections, as well as all are within travel range. if any of the above are out of whack, it'll alert you on the touchpad.


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## crazymoforz (Jan 19, 2006)

Ultimatetaba said:


> Rigo, the manifold was working FLAWLESSLY right before the install. I was airing up and down that day and it was just fine. Could that still be the issue you think?
> 
> Edit: Now that I reread your comment, it's not that it WASN'T airing out. It airs out, but just takes honestly 10x longer than the other corners. But all in all, it still goes down.


SH** happens Jason. we took Niculs car out to an event when Falken required the car to be there, car was fine until it was time to leave. it could happen at anytime. so if the calibration process doesn't fix the issue, then i would check the mani.


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## arethirdytwo (Apr 4, 2007)

I will still get a VU4 soon but it sounds like I may miss my paddles. They are so easy to adjust and setup and NEVER have an ECU fail, that is unless I go dumb .


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

Some great suggestions so far :thumbup: I'll check all that stuff and see where it gets me. Thanks!


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## ForVWLife (Nov 12, 2004)

yea def check the wiring and run a calibration pretty much guaranteed to fix that issue

but the battery drain and compressor running after car is off is def lack of switched 12v like you said


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

^^Hoping so. If anybody has any other suggestions to make, I'm always open


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

One piece of advice AccuAir gave me last week when I called was to check the voltage with a voltage meter to make sure I was getting sufficient power.

Since I didn't get a chance to go home to work on it this past weekend, I wasn't able to check any of that. 

Earlier today, got a call from them to check on my progress with fixing the issues. Not only did they follow up on my status, but they are also sending me another ECU as Reno thinks that might be the issue!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :beer:


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## Capt. Obvious (Oct 23, 2006)

I installed the eLevel system on a mkV this weekend and I wonder if you're having a problem similar to the one I was having (since A3s and mkVs share a lot of systems).

Where are you running your switched/accessory 12v from on the car? Did you tap into a fuse on the fuse panel on the side of the dash board? If so, that's probably your issue. I tapped into the fuse for the cigarette lighter only to find out it's constant 12v, despite the fact the cig lighter only works when the car is on. You need to tap the actual wire going to the cigarette lighter or else the system will always be on. This would also explain why your compressor keeps running with the car turned off. Did you also happen to notice that the lights on the control pad never turn off?


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## kimchi29 (Sep 15, 2008)

Capt. Obvious said:


> I installed the eLevel system on a mkV this weekend and I wonder if you're having a problem similar to the one I was having (since A3s and mkVs share a lot of systems).
> 
> Where are you running your switched/accessory 12v from on the car? Did you tap into a fuse on the fuse panel on the side of the dash board? If so, that's probably your issue. I tapped into the fuse for the cigarette lighter only to find out it's constant 12v, despite the fact the cig lighter only works when the car is on. You need to tap the actual wire going to the cigarette lighter or else the system will always be on. This would also explain why your compressor keeps running with the car turned off. Did you also happen to notice that the lights on the control pad never turn off?


on my CC i taped into the empty 12v fuse slot on the fuse box and it works fine.


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

Darrick, if I'm not mistaken, I think my buddy must have connected the wire to the power supply for the management. We'll definitely try something different this weekend. 

I'm reconfiguring the wiring setup will fix the constant compressor power/battery drainage. And like I said, AccuAir sent me a new ECU, so I'm hoping that, along with a calibration cycle will fix the air up/down issues.


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## BklynMKV (Mar 24, 2008)

Ultimatetaba said:


> Darrick, if I'm not mistaken, I think my buddy must have connected the wire to the power supply for the management. We'll definitely try something different this weekend.
> 
> I'm reconfiguring the wiring setup will fix the constant compressor power/battery drainage. And like I said, AccuAir sent me a new ECU, so I'm hoping that, along with a calibration cycle will fix the air up/down issues.


 are you running the remotes as well? they do need constant power -- so that when the car is off the remotes will work. this will cause the keypad to light up momentarily (while its switching presets).


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

No sir. No wireless remotes...just the e-Level touchpad


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## BklynMKV (Mar 24, 2008)

Ultimatetaba said:


> No sir. No wireless remotes...just the e-Level touchpad


 ah -- then yeah, you've got a hot-all-the-time wire 

(but i think you already know that  )


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

^^YUP  

Going back home today. We're gonna be tackling it tomorrow. I'll let everyone know how it goes! :thumbup:


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## Capt. Obvious (Oct 23, 2006)

Use the cigarette lighter wires for the +12 and the headlights on wire. :thumbup:


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

Well everyone, i'm glad to say IT'S UP AND RUNNING!! 

Nik (buddy who helped me originally with my bag install) reconnected a few wires, but left the green wire to the same power source (found that it was tapped into the same add-a-circuit fuse connection that the management was hooked up to...but wasn't the cause of the constant power :screwy. 

Also, as [email protected] suspected, it WAS the ECU. Thankfully, the replacement ECU they sent me arrived in the mail yesterday, just in time for us to finish it up today. 

So, no more issues. Everything is operating great so far. Ride heights have been set and I can say it's seriously the greatest thing ever! I just get in and drive! 

I appreciate everyone's help and input.


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## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

Oh and btw...first time around, we skimped out on connecting the wire to the headlights that dims the controller when the headlights are turned on. 

Nik connected it and I'm totally glad he did. Didn't seem like it would be a big deal, but it really is a nifty function!


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