I just had the compressor go bad and I put a new one on with a new relay. The bags air up and I don't hear any leaks but the car (94 Mark VIII) won't get off the ground. Talk about a low rider. What do I need to check now. I need to get this fixed so the little lady can have a car to drive to work. HELP !!!!
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Air ride not working right.
- Thread starter fastford
- Start date
GRAND_LS 400
Registered
RE: Air ride not working right.
Does the car raise off the ground at all?
Does the car raise off the ground at all?
RE: Air ride not working right.
The front dose not want to come up off the ground. I unhooked the battery last night to see if that would do anything. The back is up and looks ok. The " check air ride " comes on the dash still. I know the motor was bad becauce it made a lot of noise when it would run. I can feel the new compressor running and the front air bags have air in them just the front is just about on the ground. Unhooking the battery did help some. The front is not as low, but still looks to low.
The front dose not want to come up off the ground. I unhooked the battery last night to see if that would do anything. The back is up and looks ok. The " check air ride " comes on the dash still. I know the motor was bad becauce it made a lot of noise when it would run. I can feel the new compressor running and the front air bags have air in them just the front is just about on the ground. Unhooking the battery did help some. The front is not as low, but still looks to low.
RE: Air ride not working right.
I'm confused - you say the bags "air up", yet the front is on the ground. That's a contradiction, unless you mean only the rear bags are filled. It sounds like a classic case of leaking front air struts. You need to spray the front air bags with soapy water, then see if air bubbles form when they try to pump up. If they do, your front bags probably need replacing. Go to www.americanairsuspension.com and read through the extensive diagnostics posted there for more info.
John
[link:mark8.org/lodnca|NorCal Chapter Website]
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L
I'm confused - you say the bags "air up", yet the front is on the ground. That's a contradiction, unless you mean only the rear bags are filled. It sounds like a classic case of leaking front air struts. You need to spray the front air bags with soapy water, then see if air bubbles form when they try to pump up. If they do, your front bags probably need replacing. Go to www.americanairsuspension.com and read through the extensive diagnostics posted there for more info.
John
[link:mark8.org/lodnca|NorCal Chapter Website]
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L
RE: Air ride not working right.
I agree, it's possible that your old compressor was working fine, and the real problem is a leak in one of your struts. Although, from my experience, you should still be able to pump them up. I would check the solenoid valve to see if it works as well as the lines coming out of the dryer and into the struts. If there is a leak there, you won't get enough pressure to raise the car...
Kale
I agree, it's possible that your old compressor was working fine, and the real problem is a leak in one of your struts. Although, from my experience, you should still be able to pump them up. I would check the solenoid valve to see if it works as well as the lines coming out of the dryer and into the struts. If there is a leak there, you won't get enough pressure to raise the car...
Kale
RE: Air ride not working right.
the old compressor was make a lot of noise and it took out one relay. So I do think I need a new compressor. where is this solenoid valve your talking about ? I never unhooked any of the air lines when I changed the compressor. when i have the tire off the car the front struts have air in them. Do i need the weight of the car on the struts to check for leaks ? How do I do that when the front end is all the way down ? I can't even see the strut with the front end doing what it's doing ?
the old compressor was make a lot of noise and it took out one relay. So I do think I need a new compressor. where is this solenoid valve your talking about ? I never unhooked any of the air lines when I changed the compressor. when i have the tire off the car the front struts have air in them. Do i need the weight of the car on the struts to check for leaks ? How do I do that when the front end is all the way down ? I can't even see the strut with the front end doing what it's doing ?
GRAND_LS 400
Registered
RE: Air ride not working right.
Do you have the car or Jack stands?? OR did I mis understand your post?
IF you do, you need to take them off, and let the car support itself. Now, to check the solenoids, jack up the car, they will be located near the top of the strut, they are about 6inches long. There will be a metal locking tab that you need pop off in order to twist the solenoid (don’t be scared, all the air will be released releasing a loud pop) take it out, and check to see the 3 rings nice and tight. If one is out of place, which will cause slow leaking.
Do you have the car or Jack stands?? OR did I mis understand your post?
IF you do, you need to take them off, and let the car support itself. Now, to check the solenoids, jack up the car, they will be located near the top of the strut, they are about 6inches long. There will be a metal locking tab that you need pop off in order to twist the solenoid (don’t be scared, all the air will be released releasing a loud pop) take it out, and check to see the 3 rings nice and tight. If one is out of place, which will cause slow leaking.
RE: Air ride not working right.
Hmmm...It looks like my post has vanished...Or maybe I screwed up, anyways...
I would check where the compressor and dryer meet. It is probably leaking in that area if you didn't touch anything else. There is an o-ring that should go between the dryer and the compressor. If it is missing or installed incorectly, it will not allow the front to air up.
http://www.lincolnmarkviii.org/suspension/suspension/compressor_dryer_check_here.gif
The o-ring is 7/16x5/16x1/16 #6 O-Ring, STOCK # 35723B at Ace Hardware. Here's a pic:
http://www.mark8.org/lod/suspension/oring.jpg
You could have just had worn bushings on your compressor which made it louder. You should have pressure tested it to make sure it needed to be replaced.
I don't know if the compressor could have taken out the relay or not, but I would imagine that it is possible if the compressor were to encounter excessive cycling. The computer should be able to keep it within a safe range since it is programmed to run the compressor accordning to a duty cycle. It should error before anything breaks. The keyword there is "should" :7
Kale
Hmmm...It looks like my post has vanished...Or maybe I screwed up, anyways...
I would check where the compressor and dryer meet. It is probably leaking in that area if you didn't touch anything else. There is an o-ring that should go between the dryer and the compressor. If it is missing or installed incorectly, it will not allow the front to air up.
http://www.lincolnmarkviii.org/suspension/suspension/compressor_dryer_check_here.gif
The o-ring is 7/16x5/16x1/16 #6 O-Ring, STOCK # 35723B at Ace Hardware. Here's a pic:
http://www.mark8.org/lod/suspension/oring.jpg
You could have just had worn bushings on your compressor which made it louder. You should have pressure tested it to make sure it needed to be replaced.
I don't know if the compressor could have taken out the relay or not, but I would imagine that it is possible if the compressor were to encounter excessive cycling. The computer should be able to keep it within a safe range since it is programmed to run the compressor accordning to a duty cycle. It should error before anything breaks. The keyword there is "should" :7
Kale