Rear air suspension system

[mbt3000]

I have a 2001 Buick Park Avenue. My compressor runs a lot and it concerns me. I am considering putting on new non air shocks on the rear and disconnecting the compressor for the factory setup. Is this a good way to go?

 

[Maylar]

Your rear shocks are probably toast. You can replace them with functional equivalents and get the auto leveling working as designed, or disable the compressor and use non-air shocks. Your choice.

 

[LARRY70GS]

I have a 2001 Buick Park Avenue. My compressor runs a lot and it concerns me. I am considering putting on new non air shocks on the rear and disconnecting the compressor for the factory setup. Is this a good way to go?

First thing to do is look for leaks, either in the lines, or individual shocks.

 

[HotZ28]

The rear springs are different between an ALC & non-ALC. If you do not change the springs, the rear will ride low. If that is what you want, go for it.

 

[LARRY70GS]

The rear springs are different between an ALC & non-ALC. If you do not change the springs, the rear will ride low. If that is what you want, go for it.

And, when the rear rides low, he will have excessive negative camber at the rear. The tires will tilt in at the top.

 

[eltatertoto]

id just buy the factory struts and let the compressor run. my compressor seized itself up and my car rides at stock height with no wear issues. you just loose the self leveling. i put over 600 lbs of people and luggage in my back seat and trunk and still had about 3 inches of suspension for the 20 min drive with the compressor seized.

 

[LARRY70GS]

id just buy the factory struts and let the compressor run. my compressor seized itself up and my car rides at stock height with no wear issues. you just loose the self leveling. i put over 600 lbs of people and luggage in my back seat and trunk and still had about 3 inches of suspension for the 20 min drive with the compressor seized.

That was not my experience with my 98 Riviera. I had bought the car, and never knew about the ALC. One day, my friend was following me and noted the negative camber. When I brought it to a friend to align it, he told me there was no adjustment for camber at the rear. You could see the tires tilted in at the top. What we did is raise the back of the car manually while it was on the rack. The tires straightened out. My compressor was not running at all, but I could trip the relay and make it run, and raise the back of the car. It took me 3 days with the trouble tree in the FSM, to track down the single broken wire between the relay and the level sensor. I replaced the wire, and the system has been flawless for 7 years now.

 

[eltatertoto]

it definitely has its perks. my dads car seems to have a quieter ride with the cushion of air there (same exact car same replacement struts, same tires). im contemplating getting a junkyard one just for that reason. but as far as the suspension goes, my car atleast is sittin pretty level.

i took these before i replaced the tires and rear struts in march or so. they were so far gone my long car would do 4 full bounces when you flexed the suspension by pushing on the bumper.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii274/eltatertoto/DSCF2155.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii274/eltatertoto/DSCF2073-1-1.jpg

did your relay click with or without the ign on? im not convinced my compressor is burned out. but for about a month or so after my compressor died the relay under the seat clicked non stop. never drained the battery though. tried replacing it, but the new one doesn't click...

 

[LARRY70GS]

it definitely has its perks. my dads car seems to have a quieter ride with the cushion of air there (same exact car same replacement struts, same tires). im contemplating getting a junkyard one just for that reason. but as far as the suspension goes, my car atleast is sittin pretty level.

i took these before i replaced the tires and rear struts in march or so. they were so far gone my long car would do 4 full bounces when you flexed the suspension by pushing on the bumper.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii274/eltatertoto/DSCF2155.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii274/eltatertoto/DSCF2073-1-1.jpg

did your relay click with or without the ign on? im not convinced my compressor is burned out. but for about a month or so after my compressor died the relay under the seat clicked non stop. never drained the battery though. tried replacing it, but the new one doesn't click...

The way the system is supposed to work, there is a compressor check every time the ignition is switched on. After a 17-35 second delay, the compressor should run for 3-5 seconds. It should run to adjust the height when needed after that. The relay for my car was under the rear seat. I found which one it was, and removed the plastic cover from the relay. I could actually use my finger nail to manually trip the relay, and the compressor would run. I'd do that until it raised the rear of the car. It leaked down in a few days, but until I was able to troubleshoot it properly, that is what I did. You should find out what the trim height for the rear of your car should be and measure it. The pictures make it look just a bit low, I think.

 

[grandpabuick]

Overtime the rubber bladder will crack and leak air. I removed the fuse until I could find the time to replace the struts. Suspension would only bottom out loaded with passengers while driving on bumpy road.

 

[eltatertoto]

The way the system is supposed to work, there is a compressor check every time the ignition is switched on. After a 17-35 second delay, the compressor should run for 3-5 seconds. It should run to adjust the height when needed after that. The relay for my car was under the rear seat. I found which one it was, and removed the plastic cover from the relay. I could actually use my finger nail to manually trip the relay, and the compressor would run. I'd do that until it raised the rear of the car. It leaked down in a few days, but until I was able to troubleshoot it properly, that is what I did. You should find out what the trim height for the rear of your car should be and measure it. The pictures make it look just a bit low, I think.

hmm. ill have to look at it. i replaced the tires with the stock Michelin symmetry tires about 20k ago at this point and no uneven wear so far. all of it has been highway making trips to work (80 miles a day) and the 1140 mile round trips to chicago and back to see the family. but then ive been rotating the tires religiously.

 

[LARRY70GS]

hmm. ill have to look at it. i replaced the tires with the stock Michelin symmetry tires about 20k ago at this point and no uneven wear so far. all of it has been highway making trips to work (80 miles a day) and the 1140 mile round trips to chicago and back to see the family. but then ive been rotating the tires religiously.

Have some one follow you and ask them to look at the rear tires. Honestly, I might never had suspected I had a problem with the ALC, had one of my "car" friends not told me about the tires, while he was following me one day. On the Riv, you have a better view of the rear tires, possibly. Since I have the system functional, I hear it every so often, and EVERY time I start the car. The back of the car is higher, and looks perfect.

 

[eltatertoto]

i made a new thread here http://www.buickforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=109835#post109835

so as to not contaminate this one more and for more exposure thanks alot!

 

[Daconiam]

My rear shocks were about $100.00 installed. Worth it.

 

[rapitrone]

Does anyone have a part number for replacement lines? When I pulled mine out of the old shock, the end basically disintegrated.