The Rover-Landers of BC

It sits on the passenger side behind the rear tire. Doesn't seem to be connected to the brakes. It is leaking an amber coloured fluid.

Also, I have a 99' Disco 2, does my truck have a fancy air suspension or is it just springs and shocks?

Thanks for any help.

pi

http://studioville.org/images/hose.jpg

It looks a lot like a brake line, however it's more likely an ACE line.

Best way to find whether you have air suspension is to get under the back and see if there's coils or air bags. The coils will be obvious.

A lot of trucks that had ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement) also had air suspension, but the two were not necessarily always combined options.

To confirm if it's ACE, check your power steering reservoir under the hood. If it is a single reservoir, likely you don't have ACE, however if the reservoir is split into two chambers then you likely have ACE, and likely one chamber is close to empty...

If you don't have ACE, then I'd be taking it into a mechanic to check your brakes.

cheers, Dave

After further investigation, I am pretty sure it is the ACE system which is leaking. Is this feature important for non off-road use? I am sad to say that I do not do any off road stuff with my truck it's just for going skiing, pulling a small runabout boat and driving paved roads.

I am a very conservative driver who stays well within the speed limit. If I am cornering safely, am I ok without the ACE?

I've heard some crazy stories about the hose being installed before the body was attached to the chassis....result, it's a bitch to change.

Dave, thanks for the advise. Would like to hear your thoughts on whether or not the ACE is critical to regular operation.

Kurt

I would say yes, if you have an ACE-equipped truck it should be working, as the hydraulic fluid in the ACE system works as your front and rear anti-sway bars for on-road driving. On a non-ACE truck, these hydraulically operated bars are replaced with all-steel anti-sway bars.

I drove my 99 D2 for one summer without sway bars. It was not a comfortable ride, and rocked and rolled so bad I wouldn't even let my wife drive it. They went back on after a couple of months.

An alternative would be to remove both bars and replace them with the steel bars from a non-ace truck. They should just bolt in place of the ACE bars. You would also then have to remove the ACE pump, change the serpentine belt, and, IIRC, get one of the shops to turn off the ACE option with their diagnostic computer.

cheers, Dave