1990 BMW 530I TOURING height adjustment

16
Level Control Systems
The control module incorporates two filters (slow/rapid) for processing the input signals
from the ride height sensors. Depending on the operating mode, either the slow or rapid fil-
ter is used to check the need for a regulating sequence.
The slow filter is used during the normal operation mode to prevent normal suspension trav-
el from causing the system to make adjustments.
The rapid filter is used during the pre-run and tailgate (LID) modes to ensure that the sus-
pension is adjusted quickly while the vehicle is being loaded or checked prior to operation.

17
Level Control Systems
Air Springs
The air spring is made from a flexible rubber material. It
forms an air tight cavity which provides the calculated
spring rate required for the sport wagon.
As the spring compresses downward the bottom edge
of the rubber material rolls along the vertical surface of
the base mount cylinder.
Air is added or removed from the air spring through its
top port. The top port of each spring is connected to a
reservoir and the air supply pipes. The reservoirs are
required to hold additional air due to the compact design
of the springs.
Rear Axle Level Sensors
Hall effect sensors are mounted on the left
and right sides of the rear suspension for
ride height detection. They are pivoted by a
coupling rod through the rear axle swing
arms.
The hall sensors produce a varying voltage
input to the control module as the suspen-
sion height changes.
If the vehicle is equipped with Xenon head-
lights the right side sensor contains an
additional sensor for the automatic head-
light level adjustment system.
Warning Displays
If the system is faulted and off-line or set in the transport mode, the following is displayed:
Basic Cluster:A warning lamp indicator is illuminated used on the basic cluster.
High Cluster: A message is posted in the high cluster matrix display.
E39 Features 07

23
Level Control Systems
Special Operating Modes
Assembly Line Mode (New control module)
The assembly line mode refers to control module manufacturing. New control modules
are stored in a deactivated state. The control programming is not active and must first
be ZCS encoded.
After installing a replacement control module, it must be coded using the DIS or MoDiC.
The instrument cluster fault display will remain illuminated until the control module is
coded.
Transport Mode
The vehicle rolls off the factory assembly line with the EHC control module in the trans-
port mode. The transport mode inflates the air springs to a higher position (approx.
30mm higher) than the normal mode in order to avoid damage during transit.
The system will not respond to any inputs that would alter the height of the vehicle. The
fault indicator (base cluster) is illuminated or instrument cluster matrix display (high clus-
ter) provides the message “Leveling System” to draw attention to the transport mode
setting.
The Service Functions section of the diagnosis program is used to activate/deactivate
the transport mode. Once the transport mode is deactivated, check the vehicle Ride
Height Offset making sure the vehicle rear axle height is to specification.
Control Interrupts
Cornering
To prevent unnecessary suspension adjustments while driving through corners, a “control
interrupt” is built into the system. Above 30MPH the control module monitors the left/right
ride height sensors for a difference of 30mm. Exceeding this difference will put the system
into a control interrupt and no adjustment will take place. The control interrupt last for a
duration of 5 minutes.
Vehicle Lifting
The ride height control is interrupted when the vehicle is raised on a lift or with a jack. The
system monitors the ride height sensor inputs and when the height limit of 90 mm is
exceeded, the control is switched OFF until the vehicle is lowered again.

25
Level Control Systems
DISplus/GT-1 Service Functions Program
The Service Functions program of the DIS/MoDiC provides the Transport Mode activa-
tion/deactivation and Ride Height Offset functions (see next page).
Once the transport mode has been released, or if the system requires left to right side
height adjustment, the ride height "OFFSET" must be carried out to ensure that the vehi-
cles suspension has a base ride height level starting point.
The "HEIGHT OFFSET" is adjusted using the DIS or MoDiC. The procedure is as follows:
 Place the vehicle on a level surface unloaded.
 Access the Height Offset program in the service function menu.
 Measure the base ride height from the lower edge of the wheel housing to the center of
the wheel hub.
 Check measured height against the specifications listed
 Use the DIS/MoDiC to correct the ride height if the value differs from the listed specifi-
cation.

37
Level Control Systems
In addition to the LED indicator, the following text messages can
be displayed in the instrument cluster:
T TR
RA
AI
IL
LE
ER
R
M
MO
OD
DE
E
A coupled trailer is identified via the trailer connector. To avoid damaging the trailer and
the vehicle, changes of vehicle level are generally avoided. The standard level is "frozen."
If the trailer is coupled at a level other than the Standard level, the vehicle ride level is
not changed to Standard unless a button is pressed or the speed threshold for auto-
matic change-over is reached. The standard level is then "frozen" until the trailer con-
nector is disconnected.
R RI
ID
DE
E
H
HE
EI
IG
GH
HT
T
C
CO
ON
NT
TR
RO
OL
L
I
IN
NA
AC
CT
TI
IV
VE
E
Faults in the system and on the control unit which are only identified by the instrument
cluster, e.g. control unit disconnected
R RI
ID
DE
E
H
HE
EI
IG
GH
HT
T
C
CO
ON
NT
TR
RO
OL
L
I
IN
NA
AC
CT
TI
IV
VE
E
+
+
M
MA
AX
X.
.
6
60
0
k
km
m/
/h
h
For safety-critical faults (vehicle is too high or at inclination)
Control Modes
Sleep mode
If the vehicle is parked, it enters Sleep mode after 16 minutes. No further control opera-
tions are executed. A "watch dog" wakes up the control unit for a few minutes every 6
hours (wakeup mode) in order to compensate for possible inclination of the vehicle. (Vehicle
height may only be corrected once as air supply unit only operates with engine running.)
Wake-up
In wake-up mode, the control unit is woken up for a set period of time in order to com-
pensate for possible inclination of the vehicle. Inclination of the vehicle can be caused by
large temperature differences or by minor leaks. Adjustments to the front and rear axles
ensure that the vehicle is visually level. To minimize power consumption, the vehicle is low-
ered only. The nominal level of the lowest wheel serves as the nominal level for all other
wheels. The lowest nominal level to which the vehicle is lowered is the Access level (-35
mm).
Exception:if the vehicle is parked at Access level, the vehicle is lowered to max. -50 mm
in wake-up mode. If the vehicle is parked for a prolonged period of time and there is a leak
in the system, further loss of pressure does not produce a change of ride level since the
weight of the body is born by the auxiliary suspension and the residual tire pressure.
Advance /Overrun
When the vehicle is woken out of sleep mode by the load-cutout signal (VA), it normally
enters advance / overrun mode. Since the engine is not (no longer) running in this mode,
however, there are restrictions on the control operations that can be performed in order to
conserve the battery. Ride level compensation is restricted to tolerance ranges of 20 mm
and 25 mm in the up and down directions respectively. This serves to reduce the frequen-
cy of control operations.