Suspension Air Bags

[JayDeavor]

Hello;
We have a 1998 Lincoln coming in our shop this Wednesday for us to replace a Spring Solenoid on the Right Rear Wheel Air Bag. I was wondering if there was something or could you point me in the right direction for replacing that Solenoid... We don't usually work on suspension air bags but the customer wants us to replace it instead of the local dealership.. Could you please help?
Thank You
Jay
P.S. The picture below looks like the one we need to replace!

[nailfoot]

www.arnottindustries.com (http://www.arnottindustries.com)

Welcome to LoL!

[megaforcer]

Pry that clip that on the right in the picture. First twist let the air out then second twist pull the solenoid out. Disconnect the air line. Install in reverse.

What makes you think that the solenoid is bad? Have you done any diagnostics or the customer just wants to throw parts at a car?

[JayDeavor]

www.arnottindustries.com (http://www.arnottindustries.com)

Welcome to LoL!


Does this web site give you the procedure for replacing this part?

[JayDeavor]

Pry that clip that on the right in the picture. First twist let the air out then second twist pull the solenoid out. Disconnect the air line. Install in reverse.

What makes you think that the solenoid is bad? Have you done any diagnostics or the customer just wants to throw parts at a car?


The customer wants to try this part first.. He had called the dealership about the problem and they sort of told him that the leveler under the car always goes bad..
Here is what is happening to the car.. The air seems to leak out in the rear every so often.. Sometimes they will pump back up and other times they wont.. Once they pump up the air bags stay up for a day or two and then the same thing.. We tried a trick and hoping it works. We sprayed soapy water around the solenoid and low and be hold we can see small amount of bubbles.. We also have tried another trick, Once the air bad was full of air, a few of us leaned on the back of the car and low and be hold you can hear air escaping our of the right rear bag area..

The customer is willing to try this part, But he does not want the dealership working on the car because of past problem.... We informed him that we do not work on Suspension air bag but he is insisting.. I am just trying to find out how to replace this part for now just to make sure it is not the problem since we seen small amounts of bubbles coming from there.

Jay

[v8_dave]

OK sounds good, its a 5 minute job once the car is up. :)

[megaforcer]

First of all, no offense to you or your business, but what kinda shop are you running exactly? Replacing the solenoid is not exactly quantum physics. If you are a Mechanic then you should have Alldata in your shop. I just cant imagine a serious shop without it. Second of all, leaning on the trunk is not a way to check for leaks in the air suspension.

Turn off the suspension, raise the car and look at the actual spring. Is there any cracks at the bottom? Spray some soap water on the entire spring and check for bubbles. Exhaust your resources first before you start installing parts that wont resolve the situation.

[Tman70]

I'm in agreement with the guys above. Check our tech section for everything you need to know about air suspension diagnosis and replacement. If the failure is still a mystery, it is more cost effective to just replace both air springs and solenoids and have it done with. Simply cheap insurance.

[JayDeavor]

[QUOTE=megaforcer;605656]First of all, no offense to you or your business, but what kinda shop are you running exactly? Replacing the solenoid is not exactly quantum physics. If you are a Mechanic then you should have Alldata in your shop. I just cant imagine a serious shop without it.

As stated above, We do not work on Air Suspensions (nothing wrong with that) not all garages work on every type of problem on every car.... The customer has had previous experiences with the local dealership and would like for someone other than the dealership to replace the part..

As a well known successful garage, They strive to please and are willing to at least try and make the customers happy and are always willing to learn a little more..

As always thank you all so much for the chat,
Jay

[ekooke]

If there are soap bubbles AROUND the solenoid valve at the valve holder interface during the soapy water test, the most likely problem is a bad sealing o-ring. If the leakage is where the airline goes in, that’s normal with the line attached, due to residual airline pressure.