99 Continental Air Ride Problem

lawdog1

New member
Having an air ride problem and need some expert advice.

I replaced my power steering pump a couple of weeks ago and had to jack up the front end because it can only be changed from underneath without pulling the motor. I turned off the air ride trunk switch before jacking the car. I noticed while jacking the passenger front end, the rear passenger tire came off the ground a couple of inches. Everything seemed fine after the install until a couple of days ago. The air ride pump began activating longer at startup (from 10 seconds or so before to 45 seconds to a minute now) and I observed the rear end of the car lowering completely after parked and off for a while. This morning, it was significantly colder and the "Check Air Ride" error on the dash activated. Any suggestions of what I can do from here or do I need to be looking for a rear spring kit? Thanks.
 

steve

With "LOD" Since 1997
Sounds like a leak has sprung, you may be getting the error now because the compressor is timing out. See if you can detect an air leak.
 

lawdog1

New member
Thanks. I will check it this weekend. Is it common for air ride problems to follow repairs where the vehicle is jacked off the ground? Forgot to mention above, the car has around 130,000 miles.
 

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
if I had to guess, I'd say that the two are nearly, or entirely, unrelated.

I suppose it's possible that you had an existing crack in an air bag that was exacerbated by the additional load from jacking up the car, but I suspect you'll find that they were simply due to be replaced.

If you can get it to inflate, get under there with some soapy water and start checking for leaks. If you can't get it to inflate, it could be the compressor itself, or the fuse that provides power to it..
 

lawdog1

New member
Noticed about 15% of the time the air ride shocks stayed inflated while parked. Also observed when they went down, the right side was a bit lower than the left.

Crawled under it with my bottle of soapy water yesterday and found the right side was leaking.

Do I need to buy anything other than what is in the link below to repair this?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/231152346020
 

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
I can't speak to the brand, but assuming the rear of your car does not have the shocks integrated with the air springs, I'd think those would be a good fit, and a good price.

Take a look under the car to make sure that what you have looks like those, and that the solenoid fittings are in about the right places. I'd go for it. It's a pretty easy job.
 

lawdog1

New member
I looked when I was under there with the soapy water. The shocks are separate from the air ride and the air ride shocks and their fittings look identical. I will post a follow up once they are installed. Thanks.
 

lawdog1

New member
This is the air spring bag set I purchased and installed, mainly because it includes the much needed solenoid O-rings. Took about a half hour to install both and ride is perfect again. No sagging in the rear and no warning lights! Thanks for your help!
 

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
I'm glad to hear that they're working well for you. Thanks for reporting back with the results!
 
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