My 2014 Range rover sport L494 have a leak on one ACE pipe at the left rear, at a bend underneath the mounting bracket for side step. . Corrosion and rust.Problem in salted roads here with corrosion/rust Can I cut the pipe and insert a high pressure hose ?
I can not find parts /new pipe to buy.
And what is the service procedure for the ACE on L494. On my L405 every 80000 miles new oil and filter. I find no ACE filter on L494 and I have searched for information abou thos t ACE system but dont find anything when googling.Only a lot about the L405 ACE comes up . Range rover sport TDV6 autobiography 2014
Discovery 5 HSE TDV6 2018
RANGE ROVER SPORT TDV6 2006 HSE dynamic pack and brembo brakes ,DVD. Zambezi silver.
DISCOVERY 4 3.0 HSE 2010 ,buckingham blue
Discovery 4 3.0 HSE luxury 2013 .
ROVER SD1 3500 vanden plas 1985
MASSEY FERGUSON 4235

It’s an 80k mile service item, change the reservoir, which I believe has the filter in. It says miles but I did mine at year 5 which is the 80k service

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1994 Defender 90 300 tdi

I came across this thread and thought it was worth commenting to help others.

I have just gone through the same with my 2016 RRS S/C Autobiography and found there are no spares available in the UK and the cost of labour is crazy - your garage will need to detach the body from the rear frame and raise it 25mm to gain enough access to replace. RR quoted 14 man hours @ £230/ph, and a specialist the same 14 hours @ £100 p/h to do this. If they can find a part...

To resolve this, I cut out the corroded sections and replaced them with a hydraulic hose rated at 5000 PSI and high-pressure compression joints rated at 400 bar. I don't recommend using brake line or 10mm copper pipe (as per YouTube videos) as RR says there is 2000 psi in the system. My fix has been working perfectly and reliably since the repair some 6 months ago.

SAFETY NOTE: Don't try to use a hydraulic hose with jubilee clips, circlips etc, for this fix - they'll blow off as soon as you start moving. Your hoses must be made by a hydraulic hose supply company, with fittings machine attached, and the connections to the original pipe made using high-pressure pipe fittings.

Points to note:

(1) The original hydraulic line is 10mm outer diameter and 8mm bore. THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS BRAKE LINE, so brake line repair kits won't work for this repair. Be sure not to use a hydraulic hose which is < than 8mm inner bore to avoid restricting flow. Outer diameter is not a major concern.

(2) Use 316-grade (or similar) stainless steel fittings for the compression joint, rated to 300 bar or above. I used 4 no's Swagelok fittings rated at 400 bar, which cost £10.90 each.

https://products.swagelok.com/en/all-produ...0?clp=true

(3) There are two lines, a feed and a return. Each line has one joint and a fitting, the feed joint is near the rear arch. The return joint is inside the sill undertray. I recommend changing both as the removal of the undertray is a pain in the a*s that you won't want to do twice. When removing this undertray, watch out for a face full of dirt as you lower it

(3) It's your choice to cut out the original fittings and have new fittings on both ends or, retain the original fittings and add a new fitting where you cut the line only. In my case, the fitting in the rear arch was so corroded the threaded bore snapped off as soon as I put a spanner on it. The fitting inside the sill undertray was only slightly corroded but I decided to replace both. If you choose to retain the existing fittings, the company that makes up your hydraulic hoses will need to know what thread is on the original fitting, so once removed take it to the hose company to avoid mistakes.

Note that the fitting under the sill has a non-removable stop ring in the line, (unlike the fitting at the rear arch), which makes finding the correct fitting for the replacement hose difficult. This is another reason to cut this out and use new, standard fittings on both ends of both lines.

Be sure to mark which line is the feed and which is the return and don't get crossed over once both lines are cut out! Make sure you have cut far enough back to remove all corroded sections.

Check the size of the replacement hoses. If replacing all connections and fittings, my hoses were 770mm and 795mm long, but measure up and add 25mm for errors - the replacement hoses flex so no worries if slightly too long.

I bought custom-made hoses with fittings from Hose World, https://www.hoseworld.com/ who made and tested the hoses for £15.00 each!!! Somewhat cheaper than the £440 excluding tax for the RR part.

(4) When you cut the lines, you'll find there is no room for a pipe cutter and like me, you may end up using a multi-tool with a metal cutting blade. Because of this, be careful to remove metal debris from the pipe by angling the pipe down and getting hydraulic oil to flush the debris out. If there is any metal burr from the cut, use a small circular file to remove it by inserting it into the line and filling USING BACKWARD STROKES ONLY. This is IMPORTANT to avoid pushing metal into the system. Once complete, flush again, use a cotton tip to swab and when clean, plug the ends of the pipe to avoid dirt entering the pipes.

(5) Using 120-grade emery cloth, clean the lines where the fitting will sit to bare metal.

(6) Using gas-grade PTFE tape on the compression fitting olives and threads, install the new connectors. My fittings came with small olives to make up for pipe ends that may not be perfect due to cutting in situ and felt positive when assembled. Fit to 50% tightness and route to the lines. Once you have a good route, tighten the fittings 100%.

(7) The old RR rubber mounts will no longer fit (the hydraulic hose is thicker than pipe), so fit rubber/alloy P brackets to hold the hydraulic hoses in place securely. This is important to avoid movement in the hoses under operation. There are plenty of holes in the underside where I routed the hoses to bolt the P clips into, but check there is nothing that will be damaged when doing so. Use a plastic/rubber washer under the clips to avoid vibration and corrosion issues.

The 8 P clips used cost £0.50 ea from Hose World.

( Refitting the tray etc should be no problem as there is plenty of clearance for the hoses to fit inside.

(9) Take the car for a test run and any air in the system should be purged through operation. Check the reservoir level after the test and top up if necessary using RR spec fluid, not cheap steering fluid from your local supermarket. My vehicle took about 0.2L.

(10) While under the car, paint the visible parts of the original pipe that remain with rust converter and then rust oil the lines, compression fittings and connections on the hoses for added protection.

In my view, the RR original part is cheap and barely fit for purpose, and the exposed routing at the wheel arch asks for trouble.

More than happy to share this experience in detail or provide pictures if helpful. PM me.

Thank you very much for this detailed post @Peelwalls_Man

I have the same problem outlined above on my 2014 Range Rover Sport and the replacement ACE pipes are subject to a 6 month waiting list according to suppliers I've contacted.

Im going to ask my local garage if they can carry out the work that you described above as it seems the best option without spending horrendous amounts of money on a 10 year old car. I have to say that, as much as I love my Range Rover I am disappointed with how corroded the ACE pipes have become for a car of this age.

Fingers crossed I can find someone to carry out the work above without too much trouble.

Here is a photo of the ACE fluid leaking from the pipe under the rear passenger side wheel arch area. Not sure exactly where the leak originates yet, it appears to be clinging on to the pipe and then dripping off the bend.

@john858257

Its shocking - non-galvanised and exposed critical system lines. One would almost think they were designed to fail.

I fully agree - there are so many things I like about my RRS when its running well, but in contrast there are so many poorly designed systems and failures waiting to happen that if you're not the sort to think outside the box, the thing is a liability after 7 years. The owner of an independent RR specialist near me joked that buying a post 2008 RR is the same as taking a lifetime mortgage on a time bomb - at some point -boom -and your going to pay for it

But it could be worse, my sons 2018 RR Evoque is simply rubbish: Front hubs, bushes, arms and wheel bearings are almost consumables, and it has the ride quality of a 1990's transit van.

Good luck with the ACE pipes, message me if I can be of any assistance.

My wonderful SVR has been off the road since Feb waiting for front pipes. 

3. 2. 1. She's back in the room:

Click image to enlarge

corrected post below

@Peelwalls_Man Thanks for the great write up I am have similar issues and previously a garage overcharged and did the replacement with a hose on the bottom pipe now the second one from the bottom is leaking. I want to make the cuts and replace with hoses. the pipes have a fair bit of rust and are not smooth, are pitted. so how did you get a tight seal? did you apply anything to the pipes? any help is greatly appreciated. see pics thanks

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Peelwalls_Man wrote:

I came across this thread and thought it was worth commenting to help others.

I have just gone through the same with my 2016 RRS S/C Autobiography and found there are no spares available in the UK and the cost of labour is crazy - your garage will need to detach the body from the rear frame and raise it 25mm to gain enough access to replace. RR quoted 14 man hours @ £230/ph, and a specialist the same 14 hours @ £100 p/h to do this. If they can find a part...

To resolve this, I cut out the corroded sections and replaced them with a hydraulic hose rated at 5000 PSI and high-pressure compression joints rated at 400 bar. I don't recommend using brake line or 10mm copper pipe (as per YouTube videos) as RR says there is 2000 psi in the system. My fix has been working perfectly and reliably since the repair some 6 months ago.

SAFETY NOTE: Don't try to use a hydraulic hose with jubilee clips, circlips etc, for this fix - they'll blow off as soon as you start moving. Your hoses must be made by a hydraulic hose supply company, with fittings machine attached, and the connections to the original pipe made using high-pressure pipe fittings.

Points to note:

(1) The original hydraulic line is 10mm outer diameter and 8mm bore. THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS BRAKE LINE, so brake line repair kits won't work for this repair. Be sure not to use a hydraulic hose which is < than 8mm inner bore to avoid restricting flow. Outer diameter is not a major concern.

(2) Use 316-grade (or similar) stainless steel fittings for the compression joint, rated to 300 bar or above. I used 4 no's Swagelok fittings rated at 400 bar, which cost £10.90 each.

https://products.swagelok.com/en/all-produ...0?clp=true

(3) There are two lines, a feed and a return. Each line has one joint and a fitting, the feed joint is near the rear arch. The return joint is inside the sill undertray. I recommend changing both as the removal of the undertray is a pain in the a*s that you won't want to do twice. When removing this undertray, watch out for a face full of dirt as you lower it

(3) It's your choice to cut out the original fittings and have new fittings on both ends or, retain the original fittings and add a new fitting where you cut the line only. In my case, the fitting in the rear arch was so corroded the threaded bore snapped off as soon as I put a spanner on it. The fitting inside the sill undertray was only slightly corroded but I decided to replace both. If you choose to retain the existing fittings, the company that makes up your hydraulic hoses will need to know what thread is on the original fitting, so once removed take it to the hose company to avoid mistakes.

Note that the fitting under the sill has a non-removable stop ring in the line, (unlike the fitting at the rear arch), which makes finding the correct fitting for the replacement hose difficult. This is another reason to cut this out and use new, standard fittings on both ends of both lines.

Be sure to mark which line is the feed and which is the return and don't get crossed over once both lines are cut out! Make sure you have cut far enough back to remove all corroded sections.

Check the size of the replacement hoses. If replacing all connections and fittings, my hoses were 770mm and 795mm long, but measure up and add 25mm for errors - the replacement hoses flex so no worries if slightly too long.

I bought custom-made hoses with fittings from Hose World, https://www.hoseworld.com/ who made and tested the hoses for £15.00 each!!! Somewhat cheaper than the £440 excluding tax for the RR part.

(4) When you cut the lines, you'll find there is no room for a pipe cutter and like me, you may end up using a multi-tool with a metal cutting blade. Because of this, be careful to remove metal debris from the pipe by angling the pipe down and getting hydraulic oil to flush the debris out. If there is any metal burr from the cut, use a small circular file to remove it by inserting it into the line and filling USING BACKWARD STROKES ONLY. This is IMPORTANT to avoid pushing metal into the system. Once complete, flush again, use a cotton tip to swab and when clean, plug the ends of the pipe to avoid dirt entering the pipes.

(5) Using 120-grade emery cloth, clean the lines where the fitting will sit to bare metal.

(6) Using gas-grade PTFE tape on the compression fitting olives and threads, install the new connectors. My fittings came with small olives to make up for pipe ends that may not be perfect due to cutting in situ and felt positive when assembled. Fit to 50% tightness and route to the lines. Once you have a good route, tighten the fittings 100%.

(7) The old RR rubber mounts will no longer fit (the hydraulic hose is thicker than pipe), so fit rubber/alloy P brackets to hold the hydraulic hoses in place securely. This is important to avoid movement in the hoses under operation. There are plenty of holes in the underside where I routed the hoses to bolt the P clips into, but check there is nothing that will be damaged when doing so. Use a plastic/rubber washer under the clips to avoid vibration and corrosion issues.

The 8 P clips used cost £0.50 ea from Hose World.

( Refitting the tray etc should be no problem as there is plenty of clearance for the hoses to fit inside.

(9) Take the car for a test run and any air in the system should be purged through operation. Check the reservoir level after the test and top up if necessary using RR spec fluid, not cheap steering fluid from your local supermarket. My vehicle took about 0.2L.

(10) While under the car, paint the visible parts of the original pipe that remain with rust converter and then rust oil the lines, compression fittings and connections on the hoses for added protection.

In my view, the RR original part is cheap and barely fit for purpose, and the exposed routing at the wheel arch asks for trouble.

More than happy to share this experience in detail or provide pictures if helpful. PM me.