front drops entirely but no leaks

dnehthend

dnehthend

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I left my car parked for a day or two, came back to find the front completely down. I thought that maybe I had sprung a leak, started the car, pumped up as it should, then I left the car alone for a few hours, came back, same thing.

I did it again but stuck around to see if I could figure anything out. I hear a nice psssssh, sounds like one hell of a leak, maybe something is sticking open I though? So I pulled the battery but the sound continued. Then I sprayed around with soapy water, no bubbles. So I grabbed an empty paper towel roll to pin point the sound, it's coming from the solenoid on the bag... both of them (fronts)

so what is the issue? They pump up as they should but apparently stay open and leak out? The back is fine, no air loss.
 
Sounds like the vent solenoid on the pump is sticking open just enough to take it down completely within that time frame. I probably have the name of it wrong but I would say it's a venting issue with the pump that's stuck open.
 
yes,it your solenoid, swap it out.

had the same thing,some times i would go 5 days sitting no leaks,sometimes 10 hours and down
 
dnehthend said:
do I just have to pull the fender well lining to get to it?
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Yes, pull the pass side fender well lining out and you'll see it right up in the front. If you have the money, just get with Eddie with American Air and get him to send you a new pump. Send your air pump back to him within 30 days to stop an additional $50 core charge. You'll then have a whole new pump and vent solenoid, dryer and most likely never have another problem with it again for as long as you own the car.
 
nolimit94VIII said:
Yes, pull the pass side fender well lining out and you'll see it right up in the front. If you have the money, just get with Eddie with American Air and get him to send you a new pump. Send your air pump back to him within 30 days to stop an additional $50 core charge. You'll then have a whole new pump and vent solenoid, dryer and most likely never have another problem with it again for as long as you own the car.
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+1 I agree with all of the above.

the vent solenoid that is inside the compressor has corroded and will no longer seal.
Since it's a non serviceable part, your only option is get a soleniod from a junkyard compressor and HOPE.. or call Eddie at American Air and get a new pump.

Since the solenoid wont hold the car up, you cant just toss a spider valve on there, because the spider valve depends on a compressor that doesnt leak down.

on my 95, I got lucky the vent corroded shut.. so putting a spider valve on the car was an option.
 
nolimit94VIII said:
Sounds like the vent solenoid on the pump is sticking open just enough to take it down completely within that time frame. I probably have the name of it wrong but I would say it's a venting issue with the pump that's stuck open.
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Nope... you nailed it.. and not even a trace of a splash as you entered the pool
(holds up 10's across the board)
 
Well it could be the vent solenoid, as everyone thinks, but the bags have separate solenoids.

Those only open if the car is venting or the compressor is running. If your vent solenoid is stuck open, the car has a VERY hard time pumping up if at all. Yet you mentioned it pumped up just fine.

So I dont see how its the vent solenoid unless one or both of your bag solenoids are also stuck open.
 
Both bag solenoids sticking open and or going bad would be rare. The vent solenoid on the pump is stuck open just enough to make him think it's airing up just fine, which it probably is but as he drives, I bet the pump is giving the bags air every few minutes or so just to keep it at it's height. It's just hard to notice or hear it while driving.
 
nolimit94VIII said:
...The vent solenoid on the pump is stuck open just enough to make him think it's airing up just fine, which it probably is but as he drives, I bet the pump is giving the bags air every few minutes or so just to keep it at it's height. It's just hard to notice or hear it while driving.
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Again, makes no sense. Once the bags reach height those bag solenoids close. The system may adjust up or vent out as usual. But if the vent is stuck open just a little all that would happen is a longer inflation time.

The front bags are likely leaking if it pumps up fine but then drops. There is no other explanation unless the compressor is dying. In which case it runs for a bit then "over heats" and stops, but the vent solenoid and thus bags solenoids are commanded to be open to rise. Without air being pump, it just vent out then errors. But with the system pumping up fine I doubt it.

Need to pump it up and turn the switch off.
 
unity said:
Again, makes no sense. Once the bags reach height those bag solenoids close. The system may adjust up or vent out as usual. But if the vent is stuck open just a little all that would happen is a longer inflation time.

The front bags are likely leaking if it pumps up fine but then drops. There is no other explanation unless the compressor is dying. In which case it runs for a bit then "over heats" and stops, but the vent solenoid and thus bags solenoids are commanded to be open to rise. Without air being pump, it just vent out then errors. But with the system pumping up fine I doubt it.

Need to pump it up and turn the switch off.
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Yes, letting it air up and then turning the switch off would disable the bag solenoids. It's possible that one bag has suddenly sprung a leak loud enough for him to hear and if that's the case, the entire front IS coming down because the other strut can't hold the whole front up. The bag solenoids leaking is possible but unlikely. He says he can hear this leak so either a bag has went bad and not with just a slight leak but a 1 hour leak or the compressor vent solenoid is stuck open. I would think that if it was a bag leak, this has been happening for a long time and now that it has been neglected, the bag has cracked in the fold so much that it can be heard.

It could also be one of the bag solenoids has a bad O-ring and is leaking which in turn is going to bring down the entire front end because of the one strut not being able to support that much weight. If it's a complete slam in the front and one side isn't just a tad higher than the other, (in the time frame mentioned) I would say it's the vent solenoid on the compressor.
 
Unity, while you perceive it doenst make sense..I've seen it.

The compressor puts out more when the engine is running than it will after the engine is turned off.

If the car tries to jack the fronts up, the leaking solenoid will let the car slam right down.

I've watched it happen...compressor comes on.. front falls flat on it's nose.
 
in order for air to be coming out of both bad solenoids the computer would have to be commanding an adjustment.

I wonder if the car isn't completely closing the vent soleniod when it "vents to park height"? thus slamming the front.
 
Ok, your right that the compressor may not be keeping up under battery power. Mine certainly has a slower, deeper drone when on batter than running. So I could see that happening.
 
unity said:
Ok, your right that the compressor may not be keeping up under battery power. Mine certainly has a slower, deeper drone when on batter than running. So I could see that happening.
Click to expand...

mine changes sounds if I hit the brake lights.. as well.
 
i swapped a solenoid on one of the bags with one that i know works, same hissing sound, there has to be a leak somewhere that i cannot find, it definitely sounds like it's coming from both sides though

this happened after i parked the car for 3 days.

maybe there is a crack that finally split deep enough to leak after sitting for a few days?

If there is a leak I cannot find it, the sound is definitely coming from the top area of the bags, near the solenoids

I have a good vent solenoid I can swap to try, I have the fender well cover off, I can see the compressor assembly but I don't see an easy way to get at it
 
The solenoids will make a hissing sound even without a leak, it the nature of air being compressed into the solenoid opening.
 
I think the sound is louder on one side than the other, it seems to be coming from the top part, where it is metal and not from the solenoid. Do they ever leak from the metal part as opposed to the bag itself?

maybe there is a bigger leak on one side than the other

all this because I left it parked for 3 days :(

If I can't figure it out by this weekend is just might be... :shifty: spring time
 
try my advice now, open the hood and take the plastic strut tower covers off, let the car pump up, and when you hear the hissing air, spray the very top of the stuts, through the holes in the tops of both strut towers, everyone says its a solenoid, i say its the rubber bushing/plug on the top of your strut/s
 
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