ok i'm lost....another suspension problem

cbigclarke

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at first the check suspension light came on last saturday. rode around for a bit turned the car off and it went off. thursday it came back on; stop to go to store with key off the pump kept running. restart and the light went out. get to work (about 15 minutes) it comes back on. leave work it comes on,the pump is not running, and it's sitting on the ground. before this happened there was no blinking lights, and it maintained ride hight always . should i assume that the pump is dead?
 
The air suspension computer will time-out if it does not come to trim height within an alotted time. This sounds like the issue you are experiencing. It is possible that the compressor is on it's way out, but not the only possibility. You might also have an air leak somewhere in the system. I would recommend using the self-test procedure for the suspension and see what results that gives.

Should that be unaffective, I would buy a package of #6 o-rings and swap them all out; one on each solenoid and two per outlet on the dryer. Another option is to use soapy water (windex also works well) and spray down the air springs and all connections to look for bubbling, which would indicate a leak.
 
Josh is right. THe light comes on because the compressor didn't raise the car within a given time. Shut off the suspension and drive the car around after it is up to full height. If this is a Mark VII or Fox Continental, you can manually add air with a 150 psi shop air compressor via the schraeder valve on the compressor. If the car sinks, you have a leak in one of the 4 air springs or struts. Likely, the compressor has worn out trying to keep up with the leak in this scenario. However, if you do not have any leaks, your compressor may just be worn from normal use and age. If your car has over 100k miles and is on the original compressor, getting a new compressor drier assembly is probably the better bet. They are $150 at a place like www.americanairsuspension.com.
 
it's an 86 with 95K on it. there are no leaks. i'm going to hit up the junk yard in the morning and grap a used one to see what happens with that. i was just hoping to get some fedback before i spent any money on it
 
JoshMcMadMac said:
...
I would buy a package of #6 o-rings and swap them all out; one on each solenoid and two per outlet on the dryer.
...
#6's
That is the answer to one of my questions on another board.
Thanks !!

airdryer001.jpg
 
cbigclarke said:
it's an 86 with 95K on it. there are no leaks. i'm going to hit up the junk yard in the morning and grap a used one to see what happens with that. i was just hoping to get some fedback before i spent any money on it

Used compressor and dryer at the yards in Philly is $50.00
FORD REBUILD KIT is $10.00. You'll need four.

 
cbigclarke said:
i was just hoping to get some fedback before i spent any money on it

...and I believe that is what I gave you. Run the self test and check for leaks; both the bags and the o-ring connections. Unless you have checked for leaks in all the places I have mentioned don't be certain that you are leak-free. ;)
 
OldSchool1 said:
#6's
That is the answer to one of my questions on another board.
Thanks !!

Always glad to help Mr. Dancy! However, I must make it clear that it might be that the original dryer o-rings may not have been tubular; they may have been squared. This is not a certainty, and I am not sure what the Ford repair kit provides, but it seemed that my original o-rings were not standardized o-rings. Just food for thought. #6 o-rings work correctly, and doubling them up really prevents the leaks.
 
JoshMcMadMac said:
Always glad to help Mr. Dancy! However, I must make it clear that it might be that the original dryer o-rings may not have been tubular; they may have been squared. This is not a certainty, and I am not sure what the Ford repair kit provides, but it seemed that my original o-rings were not standardized o-rings. Just food for thought. #6 o-rings work correctly, and doubling them up really prevents the leaks.
I can dig it. The one that I removed was round and tubular and you KNOW that I've got pictures :)

The original
Rubber O-ring
Plastic Washer
Brass Barb Connector
after being bemoved from the 1989 dryer
(plastic grommet is NOT show here)


The FORD replacement F1LY-5B321-A Air Spring Repair Kit
Rubber O-ring
Plastic Washer
Brass Barb Connector
before being installed into the 1989 dryer
(plastic grommet is NOT show here)
 
ok mow this really gets wierd. i leave for work and the damn thing air's it's self back up after start up. i started to run self test and no codes......i give up
 
For what it's worth, i was messing in the engine compartment on something unrelated and i take it for a ride.. (88 Mark7) The front end is on the ground?? Back in the garage i run all the air suspension self-tests. Pass all tests but the front end won't pump up. Compressor runs for 90 seconds and times out.

mess with it for hours.. finally i found the leak.. someone had patched an air line with a repair joint.. a little black push-on connector. It was in the middle of the air line right behind the intake manifold on the firewall. It hadn't popped off but was cracked and leaking. Fixing that fixed the problem. So, I'm leaning towards an air leak as the cause..
 
OldSchool1 said:
I can dig it. The one that I removed was round and tubular and you KNOW that I've got pictures :)

I took a few pictures of the process myself for my 1989. My rings were flattened, but I was not sure if that was by design or from my neglegence, forgetting to remove them before baking the dryer to dry the desicant. :Bang
 
JoshMcMadMac said:
I took a few pictures of the process myself for my 1989. My rings were flattened, but I was not sure if that was by design or from my neglegence, forgetting to remove them before baking the dryer to dry the desicant. :Bang
"Experience is ... the ability to recognize a mistake before you make it again."
- John "Why-Is-Everything-Melted" Dancy
 
Hi Oldschool

OldSchool1 said:
"Experience is ... the ability to recognize a mistake before you make it again."
- John "Why-Is-Everything-Melted" Dancy

I thought.....

Experiance is...Remembering how you dis-assembled the wheelbarrow :D

Regards

Dereck
 
If I were now that the vehicle is back up I would turn the switch in the trunk off to test the air bags for leaks. Just turn the air ride switch in the trunk to the "off" position. Drive the car for a day or two. If the car goes down then you know the problem is the bags themselves, not the compressor/dryer, or an electrical component. This is the only way to determine 100% whether your bags leak or not. Most bags will look OK when you do an on car visual inspection. That should put you in the ball park for diagnosing the problem, and should help keep you from throwing parts at it in vain. If you need any more help or have any questions please feel free to post back or visit our vendor section on this forum, and I'll be glad to help.

Thanks,
Strutmasters Team
 
Strutmasters said:
If I were now that the vehicle is back up I would turn the switch in the trunk off to test the air bags for leaks. Just turn the air ride switch in the trunk to the "off" position. Drive the car for a day or two. If the car goes down then you know the problem is the bags themselves, not the compressor/dryer, or an electrical component. This is the only way to determine 100% whether your bags leak or not. Most bags will look OK when you do an on car visual inspection. That should put you in the ball park for diagnosing the problem, and should help keep you from throwing parts at it in vain. If you need any more help or have any questions please feel free to post back or visit our vendor section on this forum, and I'll be glad to help.

Thanks,
Strutmasters Team

With the greatest respect; How does this test convince you the problem is the air-bags leaking when there appears to be a number of other possibilities?
 
With the system turned off, there is no way the problem could be electrical. The only way for the car to go down when the system is turned off is by a leak. Now you are correct by saying the leak does not have to be in the air bags. It could be a leak at the solenoid, however leaking bags are MUCH more common. But, with the switch off there are only two options when the car goes down. Bad bags, or a leak at the solenoid. If you have any more questions I would be glad to help. Thanks for keeping me sharp guys. :)

Thanks,
Strutmasters Team
 
Strutmasters said:
With the system turned off, there is no way the problem could be electrical. The only way for the car to go down when the system is turned off is by a leak. Now you are correct by saying the leak does not have to be in the air bags. It could be a leak at the solenoid, however leaking bags are MUCH more common. But, with the switch off there are only two options when the car goes down. Bad bags, or a leak at the solenoid. If you have any more questions I would be glad to help. Thanks for keeping me sharp guys. :)

Your the expert, I'm here to learn; If the air is leaking, why (o' why) doesn't it leak consistently!? As others report, and the same with me, it will remain at the highest level with no sagging for days or even weeks while parked. How could that be if there is a leak? Likewise while driving, it will go for multi-days without a problem, then after reducing speed to below 60, instead of raising 1" it will lower until your riding on the shocks alone, (sorry if frustration shows... :Bang
 
Exact same problem with me Click about the leak being so incosistent. What was even wierder with my car was the fact that when the front first started dropping both sides dropped!!!! now, the front passenger seems to have rectified itself, and only the driver side drops!! Im open to any suggestion for these leaks, but im kinda hoping that it could just be the solenoid sticking occasionally as when i switched the air off in the trunk, it still dropped but too a lot longer to do so. If you see my other thread there was a good suggestion to prove the solenoid by swaping the two front ones over to see if the problem transfers to the other side, which is what im gonna try when i got time.
 
The reason it doesn't leak consistently is because of where the leaks occur. The leaks mainly generate at the bottum of the air bag where the rubber folds. Due to the fact that the rubber folds under, your leak might not always be exposed fully. This is why the car seems to stay up some days and drop on others. If there are any other questions about this please let me know and I will go into more detail.

Thanks,
Strutmasters Team
 
I have an 89 LSC and im running into a similar problem. The front drops like a rock then after a week the rear dropped. I will admit the lines are leaking at the dryer but it doesnt seem like enough to drop the whole car.
I brought it into my shop and did the soapy water thing around the bags and solenoids and found nothing.
I manually inflated it and turned the switch off just like its outlined here,drove it home(about 45 minutes)and the front dropped again and the rear sagged a little bit.
My question is could the lines leaking at the dryer cause it to drop that fast?
I have 2 new (from ford) front bags and solenoids not yet installed
 
Air Suspension Has A Mind Of Its Own

I own a mark 7 LSC that was doing similiar up /
down cycles whenever it feels like it problems --
The only sure way to tell if bags are leaking is to
get it pumped up to ride height and
DISCONNECT THE BATTERY --- this is due to
several components ( like solenoids and module ) that have
battery power through the fuse link at the starter
relay that is hot at all times regardless of the
suspension switch position in the trunk -- this
will eliminate any possible shorted wiring / bad diodes
causing unwanted movement--- let it sit at least overnight
or a couple days if you have the time
-- if you have leaking bag / solenoid or seals it will show itself --
To check individual lines -- disconnect them at the filter and
at each soleniod and put rubber cap on one end ( available at any auto parts store )use a vacuum tester on the lines -- if it pumps up and
holds vacuum ok then your lines are not the problem.
This system also knows when you have the drivers door
open or closed and runs raise/ lower schedules accordingly
( like bag fill schedule / self testing mode - etc )
Any problems with the courtesy lighting systems or
door jamb switches can also mess with the suspension --
The factory manual has pages and pages of multi-meter testing that
should be done prior to changing any big bucks items --
See if you can get your hands on one for your ride --
Hope this was of some use - I have over 30 yr as a mech and
This one drove me insane before I found the messed up wiring
from a prior front end collision.
GOOD LUCK & HAPPY HUNTING
Walt Tallman Tallman910@aol.com
 
opps.. my appologies.. I didn't read Walt's 2 posts before posting in that other related air-suspension thread.. and i essentially just repeated the fact that the solenoids are "hot" even with the trunk switch off..

The only thing i dont agree with is vacuum testing the lines.. and only for an unusual reason.
I have a line that has been repaired. The line cracked so one of those short o-ring push-on couplings was installed. These hold pressure well but are not vacuum tight. The vacuum test result would be a leak where there was no leak but so what.. installing a new air line can't hurt.

Anyways.. a careful, systematic, knowledgable (another vote for the service manuals) diagnostic procedure is called for.
 

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