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Air suspension compressor running, but told it's bad by mechanic?????

14K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  87_Crown_Vic 
#1 ·
Has anyone had experience with air suspension compressor problems??? We just took our Mercury Grand Marquis to a local mechanic, and after agreeing to pay 443.00 to replace the two rear air bag units, which he said was the problem, he said our car isn't ready because apparently the compressor is too weak to air up the new air bags. He told us it will be another 379.00 for that part. The air compressor is STILL running, how could it be too weak to air up the new air bags???
I watched him troubleshoot the car the first time, and was a little concerned when he tried to air up the rear air bag units with his shop compressor (by pulling the air line off the car compressor and testing there). He told the other mechanic he was putting in 125 psi, and that apparently there was a line restriction. After jacking around under the car for about another twenty minutes, testing his shop compressor line there under the car, he finally stated he found the problem and it was a leak in the air bag, both bags would need to be replaced. He never said another word about the line restriction. He had said his "lift" was broken when he first started, so he had to use a regular floor jack and stands to raise the car, thus I couldn't see what he was doing under the car, just watch and listen from the side.
Could the compressor sound like it's running strong, but be too weak to air up the bags? To me a compressor is a simple concept, either it runs or it don't...
 
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#3 ·
Oh, sorry. The rear-of-the car suspension gave out completely, it's butt was almost sitting on the ground. But for the longest time, it rode fine, the suspension seemed fine. It was just the Air Susp light would come on randomly, then go away. Sometimes we could flip the switch in the trunk a couple of times and that would seem to cure the Air Susp light for awhile. Then the light finally stayed on all the time. But it was the last two days when the car's suspension finally gave notice something was really wrong. It couldn't lift its rear at all. We could hear the compressor running for longer stretches, but the car wouldn't lift. And of course it would randomly gallop down the road if we tried to drive it. Tired of my husband's refusal to take care of his own car, (his fear of a possible expensive bill), I finally took it upon myself to try and get it diagnosed/fixed. Of course we had no choice at this point, either, or he was going to kill the car by driving it. I took it to Autozone to see if their scanner would give any fault codes for the Air Susp lights but it would not. So I took to a local mechanic, not a dealership because of cost. Now there it's stuck, not sure who to trust.
 
#5 ·
I took my car to I will not say which place but I feel they did not shut the button to shut off the suspension. Reason i say this is i find the car seams to be rideing higher then before we took it in. i read in the manusl where there is supposed to be the shut off switch but I Don't see that either. My question is What happens when they lift the car and the air suspension button is not turned off? Next how would I bring the car down to the roper rideing height. I went out tonight and you can see the wheel wells especially in the back are higher than their normal ride height. I can look across the top of the fuel tank thru to the other side. I don't think this is normal? Please let me know how to off set the addition of the air. Now im getting what feels like a back brake passenger side rear is squesing on and off like it was on ice or something. This car is a 2003, its only got 29900km on it, never driven in the winter, drove very little in the summer but it is a 10 or 11 years old...and im surAe some one out ther will recomend brake service from sitting, and under coating which im going to get done, it will be my daily runner tuill i get mey lincoln sports couple out...
 
#6 ·
We never had any cars with air suspension in our fleet so I don't have any experience with what happens if the switch isn't turned off. The switch should be in the trunk and the owners manual should point it out. Have you talked to the shop and told them it rides high since they had it there?
 
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