deflating bags for removal of k mamber

ryanharrington said:
anyway to trip the solenoids and deflate the front bags?
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Why?

Unplugging them is easy.

Unless you're looking for a repetitive way to get that slammed look when the car is parked. In addition to the look, it would make towing the car much more difficult.

I think I see the gears turning - being able to park in areas where you might otherwise get towed...
 
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I think logres missed the subject line... ;)

Anyway, you can deflate them (with the car in the air already) by removing the metal clip on the solenoid and twisting the solenoid until air comes rushing out. Pry the clip off with a flathead screwdriver. Don't allow the solenoids to shoot out of the airbag assembly as they may get damaged if allowed to hit anything at speed. When you reinstall the solenoids, make sure you lubricate the two o-rings with some dielectric grease or similar to avoid chafing.

Just as a disclaimer: YOU MUST DO THIS WHILE THE FRONT OF THE CAR IS IN THE AIR SECURED ON JACKSTANDS. Mental images of someone's arm stuck inside the wheel well (or worse, cut off by the fender and weight of the car) make me shiver. I am not responsible if you forget to do this and injure yourself.

-Domenic
 
batterys been out for months at this point i just need to finsih this damn thing before a head swap ends up taking me a year. on the chance those o rings tear or whatever are they still a part available at ford?
 
Not sure about availability from Ford, but you can order them from American Air Suspension now and have some spares when you take everything apart. It would be good to get fresh ones in there while you have them apart anyway, especially if yours are stock or high mileage.

http://www.americanairsuspension.com/cart/proddetail.php?prod=MK8SOL-KIT

Be sure to lubricate them with some dielectric grease prior to installation to avoid chafing and tearing, and to augment seal effectiveness and lifespan.

-Dom
 
You will definitely need new "O" rings based on my experience. The old rings dry out over time and will not seal when re-installed. Again, make sure you lube up the new ones on install as above. Local stores and dealer should also have, although I would order from Eddie if I had the time as "he is the man".
 
Roadboss said:
You will definitely need new "O" rings based on my experience. The old rings dry out over time and will not seal when re-installed. Again, make sure you lube up the new ones on install as above. Local stores and dealer should also have, although I would order from Eddie if I had the time as "he is the man".
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Ditto here...I reused the old ones and got burned. The rear kept deflating down over the weekend (when not in use).
 
coolness. i minaged to get all the rear work done without deflating the bags, but i seem to tecall one side might have leaked down a bit if it sat for a week. dunno anymore hasnt moved since december.
 
as others have said, just pull out the clips.

When you lower the car off the jackstands, keep in mind that it'll go really low and you won't be able to get your jack out. Take the back end off the jackstands first.

I took the front off the jackstands first, and the bumper ended up sitting on my jack handle, so i couldn't pump it back up when i realized that the suspension wouldn't pump up because the o-ring was cut. That was not fun.
 
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