Front slammed, Dryer leaking.

Calabrio

Calabrio

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The front of my Mark VIII is slammed.
After some digging, I've found that there is a very severe leak where the dryer is connected to the compressor assembly.

Why would this connection fail? I think I saw a bit of material sticking out of the threads, so perhaps the guts of the dryer are shot?

I'm not sure what happened, but I'm certainly pissed off.
 
Happened to me A LOT a couple years ago. Went through four driers in one winter! Long story short - Mark VIII and big puddles do not mix. Years later the intake for the compressor still was flooded with water. So when the compressor ran, it saturated the dryer quickly.

Now in winter a saturated dryer will not let air through easily, but the nature of silica is that some will. Unfortunately you can reach a breaking point and the first point of failure is where the dryer and compressor mate. Only two small tabs old it in place. If you lucky it will still pump up, just very slowly, even with a major breach.

So I am guessing saturated dryer, ESPECIALLY if you have a spyder valve. It does not blow back through drier to expel water, so it builds up. Then you have a few days of freezing and stress and eventually - snap. In my case I had more water than normal of course.

I was told a newer design in the dryer made the tabs stronger, but I have yet to see this better design.

Go thing is that its a pretty easy fix. You can do it without taking the compressor out.

Here is the best price I have ever seen for these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-9...05QQitemZ150097752867QQtcZphoto#ht_500wt_1386

I recommend that everyone once a year take the dryer out and dump the silica onto a pan and place in over to dry it out. I do it just before winter now every year even though my system is dry. The beads are still a little wet.
 
kustomizingkid said:
Is this what the spider valve helps to prevent/fixes?
Click to expand...

No. The spyder valve goes AFTER the drier and then vents before compressor. So air becomes one way in the dryer, goes in but never goes out. Eventually the drier saturates. It can happen without a spyder valve, but the valve seems to make it worse.

The new V3 valve does fix this problem though, I think. I think it goes pre-compressor?
 
Would that be enough to back up moisture into the compressor and lock it up in freezing weather, my compressor quit running. The nose of mine is on the floor now and I have to drive 100 miles home tomorrow. I hope I don't tear anything up.
 
I doubt if moisture could back up that far. The compressor is a mechanical piston. Very simple and easy to service. Contrary to belief, the vent valve is replaceable, etc.

I took a few apart now.

If the compressor is dead then it could be a number of electrical related things or the compressor flat out died.
 
unity said:
Happened to me A LOT a couple years ago. Went through four driers in one winter! Long story short - Mark VIII and big puddles do not mix. Years later the intake for the compressor still was flooded with water. So when the compressor ran, it saturated the dryer quickly.

Now in winter a saturated dryer will not let air through easily, but the nature of silica is that some will. Unfortunately you can reach a breaking point and the first point of failure is where the dryer and compressor mate. Only two small tabs old it in place. If you lucky it will still pump up, just very slowly, even with a major breach.

So I am guessing saturated dryer, ESPECIALLY if you have a spyder valve. It does not blow back through drier to expel water, so it builds up. Then you have a few days of freezing and stress and eventually - snap. In my case I had more water than normal of course.

I was told a newer design in the dryer made the tabs stronger, but I have yet to see this better design.

Go thing is that its a pretty easy fix. You can do it without taking the compressor out.

Here is the best price I have ever seen for these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-9...05QQitemZ150097752867QQtcZphoto#ht_500wt_1386

I recommend that everyone once a year take the dryer out and dump the silica onto a pan and place in over to dry it out. I do it just before winter now every year even though my system is dry. The beads are still a little wet.
Click to expand...

:shifty: this could get expensive X2
 
So the dryer should just twist and pull out.
Put a replacement on in it's place, give it the half turn, and that's it?

Then, next fall, take it out, and go through the process of drying the silica again.

Very frustrating. The car just came from a high moisture enviroment (west coast of Florida.) The Spider Valve was a good investment, but it couldn't get the moisture out of the dryer.
 
So, it's a half hour job... it'll take me longer to get the car jacked up and remove the wheel lining than the rest of the work. That's a relief..

Now, I just get to play the game of jacking up the front end of a slammed Mark VIII.... looks like I'll be driving up a stack of 2x8s again...
 
Well there is a screw in place, thats what is keeping the dryer from moving back any further. A short screw driver works to get it out. THis is assuming you have your intake silencer removed?

Otherwise yes, half hour. Its only a slight twist in and out. Once you have it out just look at how it holds it place and it will all be clear.
 
unity said:
I doubt if moisture could back up that far. The compressor is a mechanical piston. Very simple and easy to service. Contrary to belief, the vent valve is replaceable, etc.

I took a few apart now.

If the compressor is dead then it could be a number of electrical related things or the compressor flat out died.
Click to expand...

A piston compressor? That's ancient tech there. Why did't they go with a vane or screw, those types were around at the time, and are alot more reliable

Has anyone converted to something from air ride technologies?

http://store.summitracing.com/partd...art=ART-ARC5001&N=700+400455+115&autoview=sku
 
I thought of getting a high volume 12 volt and trunk mounting it. Should not be hard to do at all and I am not sure why other have not yet. Seem to be stuck on this idea that is has to be a "Mark VIII" compressor.
 
Trunk mount would be a bitch if you wanted to retain the stock electronics and piping but it would keep everything dry eliminating those problems What I like about the AR pumps is the built in overload protection. If FoMoCo had thought of that there would be alot less burned up compressors, relays and modules. Typical auto maker built in parts sales strategy, lame
 
unity said:
I thought of getting a high volume 12 volt and trunk mounting it. Should not be hard to do at all and I am not sure why other have not yet. Seem to be stuck on this idea that is has to be a "Mark VIII" compressor.
Click to expand...

not everyone, im running markviii and a navi pump :cool:
 
Cheez_94 said:
Trunk mount would be a bitch if you wanted to retain the stock electronics and piping but it would keep everything dry eliminating those problems What I like about the AR pumps is the built in overload protection. If FoMoCo had thought of that there would be alot less burned up compressors, relays and modules. Typical auto maker built in parts sales strategy, lame
Click to expand...

Actually only the wires would have to be ran. All the lines are in place. You have two coming from the front to go to the rear bags. All you have to do is use a coupler to connect these at the dryer to go to the front bags. The only lines you may have to run would be for rear, which are easy to do. Thats assuming there is not enough slack after cutting the rear lines, and there should be though.

I have put much thought into relocating the compressor to a drier location. The trunk seems to be a much better location.
 
I can't wait to get my new Spider valve V3 and see how it is laid out... it will be nice to dig into the air suspension more and really understand how it is laid out and works.
 
Hey I have a question. If you wanted to convert to springs why can't you just use these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Quick...Q5fAccessories

If you wanted your car to be lowered you should be able to get springs from Eibach. I know they used to make them. We had a couple TB SC's when I worked for the Bondurant School that had Eibachs on them. Not trying to take away any Bizz from anyone selling on here but it appears that these would work and may cost less.
 
If you want to convert fro CHEAP... go to a junkyard and get the coils and struts out of a Thunderbird and slap them in, you will have to fab up a plate for the rear spring to hold it in, other than that you should be able to do it for $40.
 
Hey Guys ...Just to let you know that the ebay link for that 29.00 drier is for the old style not the new style (f6lz-5346-aa) which is $111.28 and cost LVC $80.12.
Max
 
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