Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

Maybe it is just me, and I need to go out and measure, but I swear my left rear side of my Gen 2 looks slightly lower than the right side.

This is at park, will check right after I get out of the car and once with the car running ( making the measurements).

Of course I cant tell when driving , because no one else is allowed to drive it ( LOL ).

I thought the rear air suspension had a single ride height sensor and the 2 rear air bags were tied together ? Is my assumption incorrect ?

Car has 68K miles on it. Have any of you ran into something like this ? Any ideas what it is ( once I go measure and make sure it isnt just me being silly).

Any thoughts ?

RE: Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

Jayhawk,

If I'm not mistaken the rear end has one air bag and two struts, but don't quote me on this. If you park these cars on ground that is not completely level, then you can see a noticeable difference in height. However, my car was doing what yours is in the rear when my front air struts were going. Go figure! Do you hear any hissing sounds? Any clunking in the trunk, or bouncing in the front end? Make sure your compressor is not loud, because it should be dead quiet. Check your message center after taking the car to 70 on the highway. See if you get alot of bouncy nose diving. Also, try and park it on completely level ground for one evening. If you come out in the morning and the rear fender distances don't measure up, then there is a problem.
http://pstr-m02.ygpweb.aol.com/data/00E/10/B2/BE/92/5K1NnmkK7UVBb0BSrmZzOvj4-a0F7Kjd0060.jpg

RE: Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

The rear has one height sensor.

It has two bags.

And I concur, you park on a weird angle (left to right) and your car will sit funny because it levels based on readings from one side only.

Working as designed.

RE: Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

It's really easy to think only one corner can be out of wack but think about it...imagine a flat board, and you try to raise one corner - unless you actually warp the board, either the front opposite corner will have to go down or the corner across or in front will have to go up.

Now it's possible for a *little* warpage to come into play with the car, but the unibody is basically pretty stiff. So I'd guess that you either haven't found a truly level at 4 corners parking spot, or else your front height sensors aren't equal left to right.

John
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L

RE: Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

Ahh, the light comes on , I didnt think about it possibly being the ride height sensor out of adjustment on the front ! Duh, so simple now that I think of it. Perfect time to check this afternoon as I am doing the front breaks !

Thanks...

RE: Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

'Sounds like a plan. If you get the front sides equal and the back still seems different, try a bunch of different parking places. When you finally find one where both the front and rear sides are equal, remember the spot for future checks...it's probably the closest you'll find to level.

John
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L

RE: Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

If the rearend just got out of kilter from being parked on a unlevel surface, you can disconnect the rear sensor and let the car vent all the way down. Then reconnect it and let it go up. If nothing needs to be adjusted,it should be level now.

BTW, the car will probably level itself with time but depending on certain parts of the system, it may take a while.

If it still has a problem, I'd recommend find a fairly level area and measure from the wheel lip moulding to the bottom lip of the rim. (this takes the tire pressure out of the equation) Measure all 4 corners. Compare side to side. Whichever end is worse, thats what you should key on first.

EXAMPLE: A high LF corner will push down the RR. A low LF corner will push up the RR.

RE: Left Rear Slightly lower than the right

Ah-hah... This answers my question from the other post. Vent and re-inflat on a level surface!

Shoulda read a bit more before posting...