Air ride trouble!

Sounds like the speed sensor to me that lowers the car at 55+. That seems to me why you're not getting the code till you get out on the freeway. IMHO
 
Lets try again.

wkokaneeman said:
After I pull over after the check air ride comes on, and I shut the car off, restart it, the pump turns on, and when I check the system check button, it says that system is ok. the bags hold air over night no problem. They're brand new! I just wonder if the codes have to be cleared with a reader. that was the question originally.
Click to expand...

It stores no codes, its giving a hard fault there is no clearing of codes.

Next time, shut the car off, get out and see if it lowers to curb height.

Does it lower at highway speed?
 
So Chris, you think the pump is bad, correct? I mean this doesn't happen driving the car in town. Only on the freeway, after the car sits all night, I get on the freeway driving at least 65+ mph for 6-8 miles, before it comes on. I pull mover, shut it off, restart it, it lifts a but, and I can drive the rest of the 75 miles to work without it turning the "check air ride"?
I mean none of this stuff was happening until I developed a leak in the system, and it caused the pump bearing to burn up, and I had to take the pump out, and send it off the get rebuilt. I even put brand new Motorcrsft front air struts on the car, seems to me it could be the pump , unless when the pump failed, it caused yet another problem, other than the leak, with something else.
 
the pump and vent valve, while both mounted together, are seperate.
and having a stuck vent valve is not unheard of.

when you get on the highway and drive in excess of 45 for a certain time period, the car will vent to highway height.
if the vent valve is stuck, which it sounds like it might be, then the car obviously can't drop to the lowered height.
the car sees this, and throws a fault and check air ride message.
 
On my way to work a little while ago, the "check air ride" came on again in own, but, i know why, because i heightened the right front sensor bracket, to match the front left, that was all the way ip, and the right was all the way down. i was having a problem getting the lower ball stud into the lower slot on the sensor. i was tols they are very loose, so i left it. o nmy way to work, it fell off, and the front bags filled all the way up, and it turned on the check air ride. so i get to work, and i tried to reconnect it, but i'm not sure if it's going to stay. i don't know why it won't go in properly, but i think i got it, but the front of the car is now all the way up, and the front of the car bounced like crazy going over bumps, and i can't get the pump to vent them down. i've tried several times, and i need to get them vented, so i can get to where i'm staying tonight, and then home tomorrow, 84 miles away. ican i get the bags vented in front, without driving it at freeway speeds, or having to jack the car up, and disconnecting the solenois from the bag, to vent the bag? i'm stuck at work right now, and am not sure wahat to do, other than lifting it with a jack, and venting the bag by solenoid, or driving the car on the freeway, which will be a hair raising experience, and i think rather unsafe. crap, this sucks!
 
You will need some alligator clips and wire.
Unplug the wire at the bag.
To vent a bag ground one side of solenoid at the bag "were the wire goes" the other side needs 12 volts run the wire up to your car battery, you will hear it click as it opens. Use the alligator clips with the wire so you can attach it to the tab on the bag solenoid.
unplug the comperssor.
The plug going to the compressor has four wires black, red, blue, white.
Run a ground wire to the white, 12 volts to the blue, this will make the vent solenoid open.
The bag will vent.
Stop at ride height, do the other side, turn off the air ride switch in the trunk, drive it home.

The pump does not vent, the solenoid right next to the pump does the venting.
If it does not vent, your vent is plugged or the dryer is.

If that happens, close the solenoid at the bag, pull the air line off the dryer, open the solenoid at the bag, close solenoid when you reach ride height.
 
Nope. no can do. i'm at work, on the busiest day of the year so for. i just vented at the solenoid by twisting it, bot front went all the way down, it pumped back up when i started the car, but now, it's not holding air in the front. i will pump up, but then deflate in a few minutes. now i'm in trouble! don't know why? i know i twisted the solenois all the way back in, and replaced the clip, but it's venting in the front. this is pretty crazy stuff trying to get it working properly! don't know what to do now? and it's a 84 mile driver home tomorrow afternoon. don't know if thats going to happen or not?
 
you blew the o rings out of their seats.

the solenoids won't seal until you remove the solenoids and put the o rings back into their places.
 
Hot*Mk8 said:
:q
Click to expand...

What bad word? geez, who owns that pretty black 97 LSC? NICE!


Chris;

You were right, blown o-ring. replaced, back to normal! thanks for your knowledge. i didn't even think of it. i just happened to have 1 spare with me, and that took care of it.
 
holy never ending air ride issues batman! i agree with everything said on here (except sapp, bad springs sapp, bad!) sounds like the vent solenoid was stuck open on the compressor. hence the front dropping and compressor running, compressor wont build any psi with the vent open and marks lift the front first, so compressor kicked on, ran for a second then when the ft bags opened it just released the psi instead of lifting the car. you called and made the guy mad so now he could of stuck your vent shut somehow so now when the car tries to vent it cant and trips the code. best thing to do is look around for a "spider valve" from american air suspension, this eliminates the factory vent (which was a bad design anyway) and has a remote vent solenoid. that and if you look up member 96hotrodlincoln you can make a "rays switch" with the link in his signature that you can manually slam the car when parked to make it look sleeker i like the rays switch because it makes it very easy to see if your venting system is working properly. my air suspension system is modified alot and my vent solenoid occasionally gets goobered up and i can tell by the sound it makes (i have a loud vent) by if i need to clean it out. a few years ago mine tripped the check air ride message at highway speeds, i got to work, flipped the switch and nothing, pulled the vent, cleaned it out and reassembled it hit the switch and viola! best thing is you can mount the spider valve anywhere to make it easy to get too mine is under the hood near the airfilter
 
Chicken;

Nice frickin ride you got there! I had none of these issues prior to the front strut leak, which caused the pump to burn up the pump bearing, period! I put thousands and thousands of miles on that car until the failure, without ever the "check air ride system" warning ever coming on, until the pump failure. Now I have nothing but problems. In thinking about it, it has to be the pump. Why would something else fail, other that the leaking strut, that then made the pump fail? It has to be the pump.so, I am going to purchase a new rebuilt pump and throw it in, and keep my fingers crossed. So, I would ask you, what company would you suggest to buy a pump from, and for me, american air is not an option. He says he doesn't have any. I have found 6 companies that sell pumps, anywhere from $155.00 - $235.00 a piece.and if you want to know the whole story behind what i have been going through, pm me.it will surprize you big time!
Yes, I would love to put a rays switch on the car. Ill have to check that out. I have more i'd like to talk to you about. When you get a chance, send me a pm, i'd appreciate it. Thanks again!
 
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