Hisss

T

tommiswizzle

Registered
A couple weeks ago, hubby, myself and our 3 (adult sized kids) were backing out of the driveway. On the way out, we heard 2 thunks from the front end (we have a very short driveway), then we bottomed (back end) out at the slope at the very end of driveway. Hubby pulled back into the drive, wondering why we bottomed out, as I was asking about the 2 thunks I heard. I answered hubby by saying well, we have more weight than usual in the back (normally we drive the truck when we take the kids), and the compressor is still running. He accepted my answer, and he also wondered about the thunks. Backed out again when compressor was done, and no bottoming out.

Dropped the kids off at an activity, and hubby and I drove around for about an hour, then came home. Didn't notice compressor running more or less than usual. He gets out of the car first, and stops when he gets near the passenger side front. I get out and I heard it... a very loud HISSSSSS. Oh crap. Passenger front drops all the way. Hubby sighed, opened the trunk and turned off the air suspension.

So in the driveway the car has sat now for 2 weeks. We haven't had a chance to look under it yet, as I just had surgery on my back last week. We replaced front air bags, compressor, soloniod, etc about 4 years ago, so we've been through this drill before. But I'm hoping against hope that maybe a hose came loose, or something like that. I mean, that hiss was really, really loud and powerful. No Check Air Ride came up or anything. What are the chances of it being something simple and/or cheap? Because along with having surgery recently, I also lost my job so money's a bit tight right now.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
If the hiss is at the wheel, then maybe you have an air leak at the valve in the area where the valve goes into the strut (o-rings) (good) or the hose to the valve is loose/leaking (good) or the air bag itself has a leak (bad.)

If the hiss is at the pump, maybe a hose is leaking at the manifold.
 
Easy....turn the air ride back on, let it pump up, and look for the source of the leak. :)

Could be the air strut leaking, the o-rings on the solenoid, an air hose, or even a stuck OPEN solenoid on that strut causing the air to leak out once you stopped.

All cheap and easy fixes.
 
So we're kinda slow with diagnosing stuff, but we finally got someone (hubby didn't feel comfortable himself) to take a look under the car. The mechanic said it's a fitting that goes from the hose to the air bag that needs to be replaced. He looked around in local junkyards but couldn't find one. What are they called, and can they be purchased seperately?
 
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