sagging front for no reason?

soma

soma

Registered
Hi!

I have a mark from 96 and the front end is occasionally deflating while parking. this occures in 5 day periods, like it lowers completely or not at all!!! One time I left the car parking for abbout 24 hours and I had the air ride switched off and the car didnt deflate at all !!! so I believe that the airsprings are not leaking. Also I found that one time after stopping and shutting the doors the air ride system did not settle in parking position.
Thanks for your help!!!
Soma from Hungary
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
I had the air ride switched off and the car didnt deflate at all !!! so I believe that the airsprings are not leaking.[/div]

If you turned off the Air Ride in the "raised" position, then likely the leak wasn't exposed and the front didn't drop.

Then when you park the car and it settles to "parked position", then the leak may be exposed and the front WILL drop.

99-100 times a dropped nose indicates a leaking bag, VERY RARELY is it anything else.

It took me along time to accept the fact that I had a leaking bag and it cost me MORE in the long run, {killed compressor, relay and the computer}

How many miles does your car have, if it's between 100-150,000 miles you can probably be "assured" you have a leaking front strut.

I've seen them go bad as low as 50,000 miles as well, so.

"more than likely" you DO have a leaking strut, dont make the mistake that I did... and go into "DENIAL" and wind up costing yourself MORE MONEY.

How many mile on the car?
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

Thanks for your help!!!

I have 110.000 miles in my car. Do you think its passible that there is a leek which can complitally deflate bouth front airsprings in 3-4 hours, but on other day's, non of the airsprings would deflate at all for 24 hours??? In fact the right airspring was replaced 4 mounths ago. If I did change the left one as well, what do you suggest what brand I sould by?
thanks for you help aggain!

Soma from Hungary
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

Mine did the same thing at 85,000 miles, a pair of new struts fixed it right up. I used OEM Ford/Motorcraft '97-98 struts on mine, which I purchased from Ford Parts Network. I'm sure that aftermarket or reman struts would have cost less, but after reading about failure after failure, I didn't want to take the chance with them.
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
Do you think its passible that there is a leek which can complitally deflate bouth front airsprings in 3-4 hours, but on other day's, non of the airsprings would deflate at all for 24 hours??? [/div]

Sure, that's what I said above..
At the "parked position they might leak"
in the raised position they may not leak.

I would get the 97-97 struts from the vendor "monoped" suggests.
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

Hi, Soma!

I agree with everyone else. Based on your description, chances are very, very, good your struts/bags are leaking. As far as getting replacements, why don't you try Eddie at www.americanairsuspension.com ? His prices are great, and based on my personal experience, the quality of his products is superb.

Oh, by the way, I know this isn't the right forum, but what did you do about your air bag light flashing?
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

hi everione and Frankie X!

Well, since I posted the messidge, the leeking got wors, now I hear the compressor go off 4-5 times on a way which it did only like 1 time before... this moorning I contacted the garage so next week I take it and they will chack if the left air spring is the one which is wring, but I belive you all are right!!! If I had rimemmbered which one was replace on the summer (left or right) the other one I woulow ordered allready on phone.
Do you think its a problem if the compressor is a littlebit noisy, or I should wait untill it dies compleatally and than get the hall thing replaced???
Abbout the air bag monitor FRANKIE X was completally correct, it can't be fixed, as he sead (I have translated his letter to hungaryan and I gave it to the electrichian but he couldnt help) and so it has to be replaced, I chacked and it costs abbout 200 dollars, so I will get a new one, just I have to order it. In fact right now the yellow light is flasing but I'm so thankfull to you guis because it is way way better than when it was beeping (before I reinstalled the light bolb which was taken out probobbly by tha dealer)
Do you think it would be a problem if I had different airsprings on the left and the right, because as I sead on the summer one allready had been replaced???
thanks for your help!!!
Soma from Hungary
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

Hi, Soma!

The compressor is getting noisey because it's working too hard. It's only meant to work for very short periods of time, just to pump up the car slightly when the suspension system does a height check and when lifting back up after a highway drop. Imagine a water glass with a hole in the bottom; you must fill it and fill it because the water is always draining away! Your compressor must run too long to try to overcome the leak.

Get your leaking air bag fixed before you start looking for more trouble. If this goes on too long, you'll destroy the compressor. If the leak is stopped, the compressor may even quiet back down. I've seen that happen a number of times. I've also had customers with REALLY noisey compressors go 1-2 more YEARS before they quit working. It's hard to predict.

Last, if one airbag is fairly new, you don't need to replace both. The only time I advise my customers to do that is if both bags are in very poor condition and one just happened to fail before the other.
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

Hi Frankie X!

Thanks for your suggestion, its good to know that I dont have to deal with the compressor yet. I understand complitally that if there is a leek the compressor fails eventually... I think that it became noisy when the previus owner didnt fix the leek on time, only I made him fix it, I told him: I'm not buying the car just if he replaces the leeking airbag! So I have to replace only the other one now.
When I was chacking the hight of the car (before it started to leek) I recognised that the parking position is unsimetric because the left front is higher and the right back is lover. In fect this seems logical because usually the driver is the only one sitting into the car so than it gets equalled out, am I right abbout this???

Soma from Hungary
 
RE: sagging front for no reason?

Yes. It may vary from one car to another, and is dependant on a number of different things, but no air suspension system at "rest" will be perfectly even. Ford allows for 3/4 inch (22mm) difference from corner to corner. I have often seen slightly more.
 
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