Is the weather causing problems?

J

Jibit

Registered
Recently the temperature in Chicago went from about 65 to 25 in
about a day and a half. The front end of the car dropped to the ground. I didn't think anything of it because my VII has done that in the past with extreme changes in temperature. The car raised itslef when started and drove fine. About a block away from work the suspension message comes on (was about a 45 minute ride). Came out from work and the car dropped again, no message though. Same thing next day. Temps have raised back into the 40's and 50's and the car is fine now. Is it a fluke because of the temperatures or is the extreme temp differences causing or exposing cracks in the front struts?


David O'Donnell
'97 Mark VIII LSC "Maxine II" (RIP Maxine I, 5-16-03)
'91 Mark VII BB "Monica"
'67 Thunderbird "Molly"
 
RE: Is the weather causing problems?

my Mark does the same thing,but bad on drivers side and worse when humid rainy or cold,but after checking the site most of the guys say i have a leak .after driving park and shut off the air ride if it falls,you got a leaking air strut(sorry),I have a bad pass side so whenever i get my vacation i am going to replace both front struts...i am sure as soon as that is done the rears will start leaking...thats my luck anyway hope this helped.
 
RE: Is the weather causing problems?

...Is it a fluke because of the temperatures or is the extreme temp differences causing or exposing cracks in the front struts?
Click to expand...

While technically, there would be some changes in volume/density of the air bags as well as the flexibility of the air bags in extreme temperature differences, I doubt very seriously it would cause it to literally slam the front end. IMHO the air ride warning message was an omen.
 
RE: Is the weather causing problems?



Crud,mine is doing the same thing.The only time it slams the front is if the temp gets down below 25 and stays there for 8 hours or more. I parked it with the air ride off and it sat there for 4 days without going down,temps were down to the mid 30's overnight.On the 4th night,it dropped down to about 20 degrees and down went the front end.

I am wondering how fast things will go downhill from here. I am not driving it in the extreme cold,just on the days when the temps are high enough to keep from slamming it to avoid overworking the compressor.


Any suggestions for replacement struts appreciated.
 
RE: Is the weather causing problems?

Temperature affects the flexability of the rubber bladder as much as anything else.

In my experience,if the solenoids have been removed(in the past), its a good chance just the o-rings need replacing.

If the front struts have NEVER been "disturbed",(solenoid not removed in the past) the o-rings sealing the solenoids to the strut are probably o.k. and its probably the struts.

I would bet money your struts are leaking, but you may try matching up the o-rings at a hardware store....you may get lucky!

Good luck.
 
RE: Is the weather causing problems?

Glad your here Eddie....... I have a problem.
If I turn off my air ride, and let it sit parked, its not really a problem, or at least that’s what’s been going on. However, if I turn it off, drive a bit, and naturally with breaking, it will lower itself in one small trip (front end), and when I park it after that and get down by the tire, and I can hear a very noticeable hissing sound from the front of the car, is it the strut leaking because of a puncture? or could it be a solenoid of some sort? this only happens when the strut is low on air.
 
RE: Is the weather causing problems?

Glad your here Eddie....... I have a problem.
If I turn off my air ride, and let it sit parked, its not really a problem, or at least that’s what’s been going on. However, if I turn it off, drive a bit, and naturally with breaking, it will lower itself in one small trip (front end), and when I park it after that and get down by the tire, and I can hear a very noticeable hissing sound from the front of the car, is it the strut leaking because of a puncture? or could it be a solenoid of some sort? this only happens when the strut is low on air.
Click to expand...

Moe, with what you have described, thats textbook leaking air struts. Each strut/spring has its own solenoid which acts as a gate for air to come in or out. When you turn off the suspension switch, your disabling the "gates". If it goes down while the switch is off, and you have never removed the solenoids, you can bet money the air struts are the problem.

Most of the stress on the rubber air bladder is where the rubber folds, like a sock when you take it off. This "fold" will constantly change with different heights. Most of the damaged or dry-rotted area is going to be about an inch tall all the way around the bladder and the location of this bad area is usually where the car has spent most of its life(lowered position).This article may help show you what I'm trying to say: (look on the lower part of the page) http://www.americanairsuspension.com/how-to leak test.htm

The faster you repair the problem, the less money you will spend in the end.

"Procrastination and Air Suspension DO NOT MIX"!
 
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