ok, lets see. First, in the summer my bags leaked and finally broke and i had driven the car for quite a fiew miles like that (4k). that was "fixed" with new bags and solenoids and compressor from arnott inc. then about a month later i go start up the car, and i hear a LOUD pop! and the suspension slowly deflates.so i take it back in to the shop to have them fix it again. so i was told that it was my new compressor, that it was defective, and that the soleinoid broke (which "was" the pop) and that it was just leaking air and compressing air out into space. not going into the bags at all. so he put my old compressor back in the car and it was fixed. so i take the car home about 25 miles on the interstate at about 80-85mph and as soon as i get past 55 for about a min (im guessing it was 1:30, the time that the compressor works at a time) i got a msg in the computer display saying check air ride suspension. i didnt realy think much of it, because i was just happy to havethe car back. so, i let it sit over night. the next day, i go take it for a test drive out on the interstate again for about 75 miles at about 55-90mph. i got 3 msg's during that trip about the suspension. i went home and parked the car for the day, and night. In the morning (christmas day) i go out and the front is down AGAIN! I listen to the compressor, and it is NOT leaking air out,its just not going into the bags. so today, i didnt want to flatbed it again because of a bad experience last time (they broke my front bumper and drove off with my driver's window down in the rain), so i tried to remidy the situiation. i took my jack and lifted the car's weight off the bag, thinking that it would fill up, and id turn off the suspension so all the air would stay in the bag. it kinda worked, but did not get the car more than a fiew inches off the tires. then i waited for my mother to follow me down to the shop and by then it droped back down to the ground, and i decided to do it again, but this time id take the tire off the ground and let it pump up all the way (forgetting that the car would think that it is already inflated and decrease the back). so what happened was that the car became a 2.5" lowrider all around. Other than my f'job with the rear, can anyone tell me or speculate WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CAR!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
suspension problem for the third time(HELP!!!!!)
- Thread starter MrWilson
- Start date
NYC LS8
Dedicated LVC Member
Since you live near me and it does get cold around here, I'd take the dryer off of the compressor unit and see if - when you shake it - any water comes out. It's pretty simple to do, and you can get at it through the air intake hole in the body (if your resonator is removed). It's directly under where the air filter housing sits. If not, you can get to it from the inner fenderwell.
Mine's been acting up lately with the cold weather, dropping the front end, due to too much condensation in the system, which freezes up and doesn't allow air out of it towards the bags. I too had a problem with hearing a hissing sound, which I'm thinking was either the drying coming off of it's mount a little and letting air out, or an air line was letting air seep out.
I took everything apart last week, relocated the spyder valve (from American Air Suspension) to under the hood where I could actually get to it to fill up the bags in case this happened and all was fine for a day. I've since ordered a couple dryers from Arnott in hopes of eventually getting all the water out of the system by changing the dryer when it acts up again. I'd use compressed air to blow everything out, but I just lost my hook-up at a friend's shop, as the manager is closing the doors. :\
Good luck, man. I feel your pain.
Mine's been acting up lately with the cold weather, dropping the front end, due to too much condensation in the system, which freezes up and doesn't allow air out of it towards the bags. I too had a problem with hearing a hissing sound, which I'm thinking was either the drying coming off of it's mount a little and letting air out, or an air line was letting air seep out.
I took everything apart last week, relocated the spyder valve (from American Air Suspension) to under the hood where I could actually get to it to fill up the bags in case this happened and all was fine for a day. I've since ordered a couple dryers from Arnott in hopes of eventually getting all the water out of the system by changing the dryer when it acts up again. I'd use compressed air to blow everything out, but I just lost my hook-up at a friend's shop, as the manager is closing the doors. :\
Good luck, man. I feel your pain.
1wykdmk8
LvC Dues Collector
MrWilson said:
You more than likely have moisture in your system like NYC LSC said, and it seems to be intermittent with the cold weather. I would say that if you have ANY moisture in your system your compressor is either no good now, or will not be good in the VERY near future. What you can do, is do what NYC LSC said and pull the dryer off and see if you can find any moisture in it. But, you do not even have to go that far, if you have any moisture in your dryer, you most likely have it in the compressor itself. If you decided to take the dryer off of the compressor, just look into the compressor thru the hole that the dryer is attached to, and if you see ANY water/powder in the opening your compressor is no good.
One thing that makes me believe that the compressor is no good is the fact that when you jacked the front of the car up, it seemed to pump it up, but when you let the jack out it went to the ground basically. The reason for that MIGHT be a bad bag, but since you got 'new' bags from Arnott, it is not that possible. The real reason is more than likely that the compressor puts out air, but not enuf pressure to actually pump the car up, and once you put the car back on the ground from the jack, it sinks to the ground because of the lack of pressure in the bags.
Your compressor is basically toast. I would call Eddie Spinks from American Air Suspension, and get yourself a rebuilt compressor from him. His compressor is only $150 and is rebuilt to better than factory specs. I have had his compressors on both of my Marks and have NEVER had a problem with them.....and I hit my switch to lower the car to the ground EVERY DAY, and still no problem. I would also look into purchasing a spyder valve from him as well, that will allow the system to vent itself of the moisture that may still be present. You will most likely still have moisture in your lines, but with the spyder vavle, and new compressor you should not have that problem any longer....most likely.
Hope that helps...... :Beer
1wykdmk8
LvC Dues Collector
NYC LSC said:
Dude, unless you have a new compressor you are wasting your time with the dryers. It will not stop the problem from returning. If you have moisture in your dryer you are almost guaranteed to have it in the compressor. So, the dryer will help, but not completely resolve the issue. You need a new compressor, if when you take the dryer out, do you see anything inside the opening in the compressor body from where the dryer is connected?? If so, the compressor is either bad, or will go bad very soon. I would not waste my money on dryers, but give Eddie Spinks a call at American Air Suspension and order a new compressor.......that is most likely your problem....since you already have the spyder valve.... :Beer
NYC LS8
Dedicated LVC Member
1wykdmk8 said:
It's a coupla months old, from Eddie - put it in in August. And there's no "white stuff" at the port of the muffler on the Spyder valve either.
1wykdmk8
LvC Dues Collector
NYC LSC said:
You did mention that you heard hissing sounds coming from somewhere. Since you changed the compressor out recently, you may not have seated the lines all the way into the ports on the dryer. They have to insert close to 1/2 an inch if not further into the port for the connection to be considered fully seated. If it is not fully seated, but it was still warm, the oring that is inside the connection could have swelled enuf to keep a good connection, but now that it is cold the oring could have contracted enuf to allow some of the air to seep by......but I am only guessing now, but could be the problem......or you may have a bad bag........ :Beer
NYC LS8
Dedicated LVC Member
I heard the hissing sound after the 4th time of trying to start the car (to see if it would air up) the night before I fixed the car. I'm guessing that with nowhere for the air to go, it decided to either blow out of an air line o-ring or the dryer's o-ring. It's since been fixed (the hissing sound) and the car aired up right away after doing what I did in my earlier reply. There's no hissing sound now, even while airing up the front with the sypder valve. The car's been parked since yesterday morning (switch was turned off Sunday afternoon after airing it up), and it's still sitting at normal height.
When I first got the car, it sat on all four tires. Aired it up from a port on my Mark VIIs dryer (one corner at a time jumping some wiring for the system under the dash), shut off the switch and it sat the two weeks at my friend's shop at the same height as the day we aired it up to get it there. After a new air suspension module, new compressor and spyder valve and it's been fine (before the cold weather hit, that is).
I'm hoping that having a couple of spare, dry dryers will help prolong the life of the compressor and hopefully get some of the moisture out of the system - at least until the Spring when I can get in there and dry everything out in front of my apartment. My thinking with getting 2 more dryers is that the compressor is virtually new and the dryer's are a helluva lot cheaper and easier to replace. If the compressor wasn't brand new, I'd go for a new one from Eddie.
When I first got the car, it sat on all four tires. Aired it up from a port on my Mark VIIs dryer (one corner at a time jumping some wiring for the system under the dash), shut off the switch and it sat the two weeks at my friend's shop at the same height as the day we aired it up to get it there. After a new air suspension module, new compressor and spyder valve and it's been fine (before the cold weather hit, that is).
I'm hoping that having a couple of spare, dry dryers will help prolong the life of the compressor and hopefully get some of the moisture out of the system - at least until the Spring when I can get in there and dry everything out in front of my apartment. My thinking with getting 2 more dryers is that the compressor is virtually new and the dryer's are a helluva lot cheaper and easier to replace. If the compressor wasn't brand new, I'd go for a new one from Eddie.
hottweelz
Dedicated LVC Member
Replaced the compressor... done .... Dryer looks clean? (I got lost in the paragraphs) .... O-rings O-rings O-rings.... say it with me everyone OOOOOOOOOO-Rings OOOOOO-Yeah
haha, well you have been a bunch of help, perhaps i can tell my mech what to do and he wont f' it up again. though i did get a new dryer and compressor and it failed at about ... 45-50 degF. so i dont think there was much of a chance of freezin. im just getting fed up with the car now, so im gonna sell it and use some money i have savvd up and buy an old 89 burban 3/4ton, and a project trans am. but in time i will more than likely wind up buying another 8, if i have the money. 
thanks again
thanks again
hottweelz
Dedicated LVC Member
how much?! but do urself a favor and check the $6 o-ringsMrWilson said:haha, well you have been a bunch of help, perhaps i can tell my mech what to do and he wont f' it up again. though i did get a new dryer and compressor and it failed at about ... 45-50 degF. so i dont think there was much of a chance of freezin. im just getting fed up with the car now, so im gonna sell it and use some money i have savvd up and buy an old 89 burban 3/4ton, and a project trans am. but in time i will more than likely wind up buying another 8, if i have the money.
E
ERIC1
Guest
bring her here i will fix her for you i am a way better ford tech than anyone you will fond in south jersey except geno. my doors are always open. that goes for anyone. just ask jamler and hottwheelz.
Eric
Eric
E
ERIC1
Guest
brooklyn nyMrWilson said:
1wykdmk8
LvC Dues Collector
MrWilson said:
And what fixed it?
mespock
Marxists - Socialists
ERIC1 said:
Ok i'll be over tomorrow!! :Beer
E
ERIC1
Guest
ok im here for ya.mespock said:
i havent talked to the mech yet, i just got my car and ran outa there...good thing he did it for free this time. but as soon as i find out ill post it, even though i do get quite a fiew check suspension msg's.
struts-r-us
LVC Member
Hi Mr wilson
If or when you deside to conver from Air to Non Air, We will be glad to ship you the conversion kit at a resonalble price. We will not be under sold on any of our Conversions. Thanks Tim
If or when you deside to conver from Air to Non Air, We will be glad to ship you the conversion kit at a resonalble price. We will not be under sold on any of our Conversions. Thanks Tim
hottweelz
Dedicated LVC Member
That opened up a can-o-worms. Whats the reasonable price? I'm thinking about getting rid of the Air Ride, although mine is A-O-K, I don't trust it, and don't want to refinance my house when/if it ever lets go.struts-r-us said:
signature1
LVC Member
please fix my car
like i am riding with the shocks fully inflated please help i live in staten island
and my email address is busmen@walla.com also my dash keeps saying
"check air suspension". :Bang
i have a problem with my air suspension my rear is all the way up and it feelsERIC1 said:
like i am riding with the shocks fully inflated please help i live in staten island
and my email address is busmen@walla.com also my dash keeps saying
"check air suspension". :Bang
fossten
Dedicated LVC Member
MrWilson said:
You know, I haven't had a single problem (or check air ride message) with my suspension since I did a coil conversion...I figure that $400 investment will sustain the car for life, at least underneath. Pretty cheap trade for being worry-free.
67Continental
Dedicated LVC Member
i guess but i love having my car looooooooooooooo.