Don't buy any more parts yet. You should get all 4 wheels on the ground, Then turn the air ride on and it should lift. Mine took a few days to get right but it is coming around. It seems that the system has to relearn what it is supposed to do. By lowereing one end you are just confusing it more.

 

Got the airbags today. Did all the o-rings and new colets. Put everything on per the instructions. Put the vehicle down and turn the truck on and yes, I remembered to turn the switch back on. Nothing from the compressor, so I am figuring I have to call Eddie again tomorrow to order a new relay. I tried hooking the Spider Jr. to a compressor just so I can at least get the *** end of the truck off the ground and let my wife drive it to work tomorrow, but nothing happened. I assume I have to do something to get the solenoids to allow air to flow in to the bags. Does anyone have that information? I tried to look it up from the American Air Suspension website, but there was an error message stating file not found.

 

Never mind, I got it worked out. I hadn't thrown the Spider Jr. directions out reading actually helps....

So it looks like the relay is bad. Everything is holding air and it auto-leveled. Just the compressor won't kick on.

 

Well that stinks, was hoping you could of gotten by without dropping more coin into it but you know how things go... You did get those bags in quick though.. got three shocks in the wifes Expy last week, need an extension to get the drivers side rear in, kinda tight up in there.. Good luck brother, you get in a jam, call me.

 

How do you know the relay is bad? What parts of the relay and compressor circuits are you checking for short, ground, or open? Have you tried to jumper the compressor to 12v directly to verify it's not the compressor? Have you tried cleaning the contacts on the relay first? How about checking the 50A fuze to the relay? Is that blown? Check those things first before running to the dealer and/or AmericanAir to buy a relay.

 

I agree.

As of yesterday I have a suspension problem.

Check the signal voltage to the relay at the compressor from the air ride computor, it must be at least 10 volts.
I only have 8 volts and I know the compressor is good as well as other components and we have tracked the problem to a low voltage signal, so today I am off to a source of Ford parts to pick up a air ride CPU. Before my problem with the suspension the only hint I had of an impending problem was a very light power steering feed back, indicating the CPU was sending incorrect signals to the components it is supposed to control, then the A/S quit.
As the A/S and the power steering is controlled by the same CPU and there is a low signal voltage to the relay for the compressor we are pretty sure the CPU has failed.

We will know later today, I hope.

 

I for one don't follow this at all. Could you be a little more specific as to what vehicle you have and what wire colors you are checking?

By 'signal voltage' are you refering to the voltage that turns the solid state relay on? If so, it doesn't go to the compressor. The compressor gets its voltage from the relay (which gets its voltage from the 50A fuse in the BJB (Battery Junction Box).

Thanks in advance for some clarification . . . ..

 

I don't. I read the frequently asked questions section on American Air Suspensions website and it said that if I replaced the compressor and it didn't power up, then the next thing was the relay. So based upon my interaction with Ed the other day on the phone, and the recommendation by people here, I took the information available from the website as quality information.

None, I am not very savvy when it comes to electronics. The main thing I know about electricity is that it hurts when it gets on you. I have a cheap multimeter, but I don't know how to really use it.

Well, because I just bought the compressor from American Air and I assume that he sold me a good unit. I know, I know, assuming that something works is a risk. But my symptoms prior to replacing it were that the truck would leak down over time and it got progressively worse over a few weeks to where in a very short time it went from overnight to in a couple of hours, to it wouldn't work at all. Based on that, and the information on the FAQ section at American Air, it said that the compressor having to cycle that much could eventually burn up the relay. Then I spoke with Ed and he said the same thing-namely that if the compressor had to cycle a bunch, there is a chance that it fried the relay.

I haven't checked those things because I have never messed with one of these systems before and before you brought it up, no one had mentioned it to me before. Therefore, prior to reading your post, I had no idea what-so-ever to try those things.

Last night after I got everything hooked up and it didn't work, I got under and found the relay and tapped on it and checked the plug to make sure the wires and everything seemed seated properly, and like I said, I overfilled the bags initially and the truck auto leveled, so I think the computer is working correctly.

 

You talking about Ed at American Air THAT USED TO BUY his relays and parts from me but is still buying from that other place I worked at?


when in doubt go OEM!

 

Did your CHK SUSP light come on? Did the CPU throw a fault code (C-code type)?

 

So far we have traced the problem to the overheat circut breaker in the compressor. I'm going to take a hard look at it in the morning and see if I can replace it, it is a soldered in unit. When the relay is jumped the compressor runs just fine for about 20 seconds and shuts down.
I don't know how hot these are supposed to get when operating properly but I can tell you that it's too hot to touch for more than a second or two. I used an I.R. thermometer and checeked the head temp a few days ago and it read 245* F and climbing, I shut the suspension switch off and let it cool for an hour or so and it's been messed up since.
If replacing the circut breaker won't cure the problem I'll probably use the compressor from my Mark VIII that I converted to coils years ago.

 

i have a 2000 expy e/b and i seems to hold air just fine but has a mind of its own on when it wants to let the compressor work...somedays it does great and other days,especially after it rains,it doesnt turn on and the susp light comes on almost right away...any ideas on where to start looking or if i switch it off on a day when it comes on and pumps up good will it just deflate or will it hold that air....if not is there an easy way for me to t into it and then i can just air it up manually on the days that it doesnt wanna turn on....im normally pretty mechaniclly inclined but have never messed with any air suspension system so any help would be appreciated,also i'm trying to fix for as cheap as possible and plan on doing right next spring

 

Check out the Spider Valve kit from American Air Suspension, it does the job you are asking about.

 

In 1 hour I learned everything there is to fixing air ride. Fixing anything on it is as difficult as maybe changing breaks. All info on it is in the many forums online. I do alot of off roading and i mean rain soaked muddy terrain. One usually experiences tire hop when going over large bumps, but with the air suspension it holds the tire to the ground better. More traction, less jolt from bumps, better handling, even in snow. Those of you who need parts, they are cheap. Look at Suncor.com or others like it. They have solenoids for system for $35. Ford wants $170. Never buy from Ford. Complete airbag and solenoid costs approx $69. Ford wants many many $$$$$$$.

P.S. Those who convert, just send me your old air ride parts, thanks!!!