Park Avenue Air Suspension Explanation/Help

[01PA]

I was doing a search and couldn't find what I'm looking for.

Can someone either:
1. Point me to the right post
2. Explain the Air Suspension to me. What components do I need to check to know if it has in fact gone out?

-I hear the compressor when the car is on, for like a minute or so.
-I was told I need new shocks.
-Are there air bags in the shocks?
-Are they bad or has the compressor gone bad? This is my confusion.
-I've read of converting to normal shocks and still getting a good ride?
-Also, how to turn the air suspension off? Or do you turn the compressor off

I'm not a mechanical person at all and this air suspension is confusing my life lol this is my first Buick, as well, and this is new to me coming from an old base 95 Grand Marquis.

Thanks for any help!

The car is a 2001 Park Avenue Base with the Grand Touring Suspension. What's different between this and the regular one? Are the parts interchangeable?

 

[HotZ28]

All of your questions should be answered in the following threads.

http://www.buickforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28946
http://www.buickforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25598
http://www.buickforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25607
http://www.buickforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23903
http://www.buickforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23345
http://www.buickforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21620

 

[crazytrain]

There is a small air compressor under hood on the front drivers side. air lines run to the rear struts. There is also a mechanical level sensor under neath vehicle between the rear wheels. A plug from the compressor plugs into this device, when out of level it triggers the compressor to kick in.
Yes the air struts have rubber air "bags" (you can see them and just nned to grasp the rubber to tell if they are holding air or not. Those air compressors are expensive little boogers, if it is bad and to avoid the cost you can run a T-valve air line to the inside of trunk and an air line to each strut and fill them manually (with a tire pump) as needed.

 

[Kevandkaye]

There is a small air compressor under hood on the front drivers side. air lines run to the rear struts. There is also a mechanical level sensor under neath vehicle between the rear wheels. A plug from the compressor plugs into this device, when out of level it triggers the compressor to kick in.
Yes the air struts have rubber air "bags" (you can see them and just nned to grasp the rubber to tell if they are holding air or not. Those air compressors are expensive little boogers, if it is bad and to avoid the cost you can run a T-valve air line to the inside of trunk and an air line to each strut and fill them manually (with a tire pump) as needed.

On the newer model P.A.'s, the pump is not under the hood. It is under the rear passenger quarter panel..... Most likely, you have a leak in an aging shock absorber since you can hear the compressor kicking on. You can probably get them changed reasonably from a trusted mechanic at a third of the dealership cost. Follow HotZ's links and all will be right with your world 🙂.

 

[01PA]

Thanks guys 🙂 I'm going to look over all of those threads, but I've got to get the car back running. Having no brake lines is keeping it out of comission as of late.....

 

[Kevandkaye]

Thanks guys 🙂 I'm going to look over all of those threads, but I've got to get the car back running. Having no brake lines is keeping it out of comission as of late.....

Quick and dirty way is to just cut off the rusty section, abandon them, run new lines alongside the old ones and use them for a hanger..... LOL