suspension suspens

ChrisB777

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Hello .I am having my 3rd Mark VIII .First was a 1997 LSC ( 65k miles) some 15 years ago , then 2 low mileage (30k) standards non LSC .I changed airbags without issues on the first one , second one was sold at 64k without anissue .My last one has 33K and the bags rubber was cracked after 30 years in the desert of California .I changed the bags and solenoids , but still opvernight was loosing air from the front struts .I checked everything and thought it might come from the compressor .I bought one , installed it and now it runs for 5 seconds and shuts off .I tried to put back the original one and...same thing .I am stuck with empty air bags and car on the ground .Help is dearly needed to track down what could be the issue here for the compressor to shut off prematurely .Anybody has an idea ?
 
Welcome! For the compressor shutting off maybe it is a bad relay or the wire connector to it as they often go bad too. For the leaky air springs were they new when you put them in? I'll move this thread to the brakes/suspension/steering section.
 
Hi biilcu .Original Suspension worked fine but after a few days it was lowering beyond normal .2 months ago it started to go down overnight in the front and after a few days not running rear was going down too .I inspected the bags and when they were deflated I could see the rubber fold having cracks not visible when bag is inflated .At this point my whole suspension system still works fine and levels perfectly .I bought a set of new suncore struts and rear bags so yes they were new when I installed them along the new solenoid valves .After I installed the new bags car lowered again overnight , but when starting the car it was leveling up perfectly .I thought it might come from bad height level sensors , so I bought a new set of OEM sensors and changed the 3 of them .Still the same overnight lowering issue .In my mind the last thing it could be was the compressor leaking as it was abnormally noisy.So I ordered a new Dorman aftermarket compressor for the Mark VIII and installed it .That's when I got the problem .It ran and stopped after 5 seconds with the Dorman compressor .I decided to go install back the OEM and now I have the same issue .Starts and stops after 5 seconds .I'd like not to give up as I already bought new bags and struts new solenoid valves new height level sensor and new compressor . At this point I do not have any remote idea of the issue .I decided to reach out for help before opting for a coil conversion which I am not looking forward to on such a low mileage otherwise perfect car
 
If I were you I'd start with the compressor problem, checking the relay or the wire connector to it. Get that running then go for the leak. The compressor can't let the air springs deflate unless the solenoid valves are open at the air springs.
 
If I were you I'd start with the compressor problem, checking the relay or the wire connector to it. Get that running then go for the leak. The compressor can't let the air springs deflate unless the solenoid valves are open at the air springs.
I deflated my bags by removing the solenoids . I have the original relay and the dorman replacement .I tried both and same result .Not the connector though.Still the original .Were could I find a replacement for the relay connector ? Do you know?
 
I've never seen a bad module myself, it's located on the passenger side on the A pillar to the right of the glove box.
 
It's probably worth adding that the o-rings on the solenoids need to be replaced every time, or they will leak. (obviously if your solenoids were new, you should be ok there.)
 
The original problem was an air leak or leaks that now is an electrical problem. I would recheck what you did to install the compressor. 95% of the time you do a repair and a new problem appears something you did made it happen ( as mentioned before electrical connectors to the compressor) It's hard to diagnose this kind of problem not being there. Good luck .
 
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