I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 99 EXPY WITH A BLOWN MOTOR AND THE REAR WAS SAGGING BUT I HEARD THE PUMP RUN SO I WAS NOT WORRIED. NOW THE NEW MOTOR IS IN AND THE REAR STILL WILL NOT RAISE. THE COMPRESSOR WILL CYCLE A FEW TIMES AND THEN THE CHECK SUSPENSION LIGHT WILL COME ON. THE CODES ARE C1845 AND C1869. FRONT GATE SOLENOID AND FRONT INFLAMER CIRCUIT. THE REAR DOES NOT EVEN START TO RAISE AT ALL BUT I HERE THE SOLENOIDS CLICKING BUT CANNOT HEAR ANY LEAKS. I VISUALLY INSPECTED ALL THE COMPONENTS AND ALL LOOKED GOOD. THE COMPRESSOR DOES SOUND LIKE ITS READY TO DIE BUT IT STILL WORKS. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE COMPRESSOR TO NOT PUT OUT ENOUGH AIR BECAUSE IT IS SO WEAK? THE FRONT IS FINE. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

MATT

 

Maybe you already checked this out but over by the master cylinder there is a union in the air line that feeds the rear. This union is known to break.

 

Soap and water in a spray bottle.

 

tried soap and water and found no leaks. so i started playing around, i removed the pump and the drier and turned it on and it was definately pumping air out. so i put the drier back on let it pump for a while then removed the drier and it had tons of air pressure behind it. so now i am wondering if it could be the solenoids on the bags themselves or what is the inline solenoid looking thing on the drivers side frame rail that the rear air line passes through? thanks, matt

 

ok played some more and i think it is the pump. getting air pressure all the way to the bags but it doesnt seem like much. if i jack up the rear a little and take some pressure off the bags and run the pump, i got the bags to take and hold air. if i put my finger over any line while the pump was running it would not even blow around my finger. what do you guys think?

 

Matt, keep in mind that even though the compressor is making pressure, it may not be enough to raise the rearend. per the Ford shop manual, it has to be able to build 120 psi minimum. Why don't you give me a call tomorrow and we'll figure out whats going on.(423-487-4321)

 

423? you may be my saving grace. i'm over here in north alabama and my 99 will deflate 40-50 seconds after exit. i read its supposed to be more like 45 minutes. i'll be giving you a call soon if that's ok.

 

Have had alot of issues with my air suspension over the years and finally got tired of it and recently had a spring conversion done - best move I ever made and it only put me back @ $300 (parts only - my mechanic hooked me up on labor).

The first problem was a broken union in the line running back to the bags. Found the part online ($20 with shipping) and took me all of 10 minutes to install. That worked for about a year or two then noticed that the compressor was coming on more than usual. After driving about 30 min or so, the compressor would kick on and do its thing to inflate. Turns out it was the bags themselves. Try checking those - mine had small cracks in them (which they will develop over time) and could never maintain pressure. Was too expensive to replace bags so I converted to springs. Rides just as smooth.