New front shocks, but still loses air

johnc9999

New member
I replaced the front shocks on my 97, but find the car still goes to low-rider mode (front only) within 24 hours. Wondering if the air lines might be the problem. Does the air distribution system remain pressurized when the compressor is not running?
 

chris2523

New member
I replaced the front shocks on my 97, but find the car still goes to low-rider mode (front only) within 24 hours.
were they new or used?
did you replace the solenoid o rings?
did you put grease on the solenoid o rings?

Wondering if the air lines might be the problem.
probably not.

Does the air distribution system remain pressurized when the compressor is not running?
it does not.

the fittings for the lines leak a bit.
it doesn't matter because they do not hold pressure except when inflating.
 

johnc9999

New member
Thanks for the info, Chris. The shocks were new Westar units and they came with new solenoids, hence I was wondering if any other part of the system might be the problem. I'll take a little leak detector fluid out and see if I can spot any leakage out of the solenoids or their O-rings.
 

beerdog

New member
If the car goes down overnight then either the strut or solenoid is leaking. If needed you can easily remove the strut after it is pressurized to test it for leaks. Just dunk it in a filled bath tub. Otherwise spray it down with soapy water or leak detecting fluid.
 

johnc9999

New member
Thanks for the suggestions! I was unsuccessful in finding the leaks with leak detector fluid, so I followed your advice about the bathtub (try explaining to your wife why you're giving your shock absorbers a bath ;-) ) I found that I was getting bubbles out of the RHS solenoid about every 2-3 seconds, and out of the LHS solenoid about every 10 seconds. I pulled the RHS solenoid off, and found the top o-ring was out of it's groove. After re-seating the o-ring, lubing with silicone, and reassembly - No Leaks! The LHS looked OK when I took the solenoid out, but I cleaned, lubed, and re-assembled it. Looking forward to putting the car back together, but the seals on both upper ball joints were torn so I figure I'll replace the upper control arms with new ones from NAPA while I have the shocks out.
 

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
That's great news. I'm glad you got it resolved!
You probably have the cleanest struts around after that little bath, too!
 

johnc9999

New member
Is there a way to remove the driver's side upper control arm without taking out the brake master cylinder? The nut on the rear bushing seems to reside directly under the master cylinder and I've not been able to get a tool on it that can loosen it.
 
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