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Air Ride to Gas Shocks

question about keeping a air ride with a completely separate monroe?

Ian - Monroe does sell a replacement for the OEM shock but it does not have the 2-way dampening valve that the oem has that gives 2 levels of firmness.The fronts were $120 ea (p/n 40005MM, 40007MM), the rears were $60 ea (p/n 40006). They are excellent and I was glad to keep my air ride susp. I hope it continues working as I will manage w/out it if it needs major $$ repair in the future, but I love the softer ride with it and the 2" rise and 1" rise in 4wdlow/4wd is nice. I don't blame you for replacing yours - it took some research to find the Monroes, which I bought from Rock Auto. As for that canister, I believe that is a fuel vapor cannister that is part of the fuel evap system.Per Ford srvc manual: "Explorer uses either one or two 2.0 liter cannister(s) mounted to the frame above the spare tire." You should keep this hooked up or your MIL light may come on, affecting your next inspection, plus it keeps gas vapors from excaping to the atmosphere= good for environment. As for the rear leaf springs, I believe the 4.0 l ARC have softer springs(at least my '95 does). The spring code is on the label at drivers side doorjamb. My code is "LH" which is a 877 lb load capacity spring vs. the non-ARC Explorer which has a 1250-lb spring. Ford OEM "LH" springs listed wholesale at $146 ea 2 years ago. Could not find after-mkt "LH" springs, but found stock 1250 lb springs for $200/pr at "Springs & Things 800-903-9019, may not work from Canada. If the rear end is sagging, I would simply replace the leaf springs. My '95 was sagging, and I went with a used pair of 1250 lb springs off a '00 Explorer. figured they were broken in a bit so might be less harsh than a new pair and closer to the original 877 lb LH springs. Cost $100 for the pair from the local salvage, and cured the sag and gave an excellent ride. As for the display problem on the center console, I do not know of a way to stop that display, however, simply leave the air ride switch in the "off" position. Each time you start the car, you will see the msg "air ride switch off". Simply touch the reset button and you are back to a normal display. Each time you start the car, you will have to hit the reset button, but the display will stay normal after that vs. the display always saying "check air ride system". Hope this has helped you as I have "ben there". Save those salvaged components - I may need them someday. Are they free except gor shipping ?? :) Scott

Hey Scott,

wanted to ask for your advice. I've got a 97 5.0 and I'm done with the air ride .. I would like to keep it though if I can find an air shock in which I do not have to deal with the electronic diagnostic nightmare of the stock system (compressor, wiring.. etc.). So did you use those monroes and you kept your air ride.. I mean its all automatic and non electronic ? (it doesn't involve your ford computer - its completely separate?) .. just wanted to get some advice from someone who officially did the same thing i'm interested in... I would like to keep an air ride system if its possible without dealing with the ford electronics which are all built in.

If you get a min, I really like your advice.. I'm currently checking on the monroe site for compatibility.. your shocks are a speciality shock and w/ Automatic Ride Control; Non-Electronic Adjustable Unit??
thanks for your time man

Steve
 



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You're asking the same questions I have had....Let me know what you find out. I had my rear replaced a few days ago with the Monroe replacements (40006 & 40007) and my tail end sits up a couple inches higher now.

I know this has been a minute since you posted, but what was your experience if you did change them out??
 






I recently replaced the left drivers side shock with the Monroe replacement shock mentioned earlier in the thread (the first of four I am going to replace), only to find that it is leaking air, presumably from the air line attachment point. Initially it appeared to be fine, but after a short drive it was losing air; I removed the wheel and reset the line in the shock and once again it was fine, but only for a short bit and the leak returned. I am fairly certain that there is no leak in the hose, and the shock is brand new, so is it the size of the hose, or maybe the age ( it is quite hard and may be working itself loose as I drive, although it is quite secure in the air fitting)? Should I try replacing the air lines? Or is it maybe a defective shock? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
 






Hey guys is there a thread where it's shows a stock to air ride conversion with the monroe shocks your talking about, the 40005, or 40007 ones. I have ranchos and sensa tracs on the back but it's riding really hard and I just replaced the third rear shock and it's still sways and shakes like crazy, what can I do about that? Would the air shocks do anything for that?
 






Air shocks won't fix ride problems, they just allow you to fill them with air to level the rear end when towing or carrying heavy loads.

If the vehicle has lots of body roll or shakes when driving, even with good shocks, then you should check other things like the suspension bushings, sway bar bushings, and even the suspension mounts, brackets, and bolts, and perhaps even the body mounts and body bushings to be sure it's the suspension that's causing the body roll/shake and not the body actually moving on the frame due to rusted body mount hardware or bushings that have cracked or even disintegrated. Also be sure that the tires have plenty of air pressure (the BFG A/Ts need more than the 26psi the door label calls for, try at least 35-40 psi) and that the wheels are balanced, and the driveshaft is clean and not caked with tons of flaky rust all over it, which can cause imbalance.

Sensatracs are good shocks for a nice ride and decent handling, and Ranchos are pretty good as well (both are made by Monroe), so unless they are old and worn out and you just need new shocks, they likely aren't the problem, though it is of course possible to get a defective shock or have them blow or otherwise develop a defect that causes them to lose their damping ability.
 






Your link is dead, do you know the name of the disc or have a newer link I could use? Many thanks

mailed the disc last week but for the rest of you wrenchers: the ol' 2 click and you'll have your very own copy. can't tell you where... but on a separate topic if you were to click the first link then install, and hit the second link and hit open...

*COU http://www.utorrent.com/downloads/complete?os=win GH*
*COU http://www.mininova.org/get/1220156 GH*

no viruses or any spyware related bullshit, ford makes these **** vehicles and then expects you to pay their mechanics outrages prices. handing out a free service manual is the least they could do.

this pdf goes a long way, download, then burn to dvd or mount image with magicISO or similar and enjoy! :D
 






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