ARC self leveling rear suspension. | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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ARC self leveling rear suspension.

david188

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Joined
June 25, 2010
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City, State
Peterborough
Year, Model & Trim Level
2000 North Face
is there any way for an amateur to re-calibrate the ARC? :)
The ARC on my North Face X has been checked with a dianostic tool and apparently is working fine but the light on the dash comes on from time to time (recently, more frequently) and stays on until the next ignition off/on. Diagnostic tool allows access but does not allow re-calibration :(
 



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You can reset the system by. Switch it off, Jack up the rear so that the axle hangs from the body. Lower to the ground and then switch it back on.
 






Welcome david
 






Thanks, I'll give that a try
 






Holy time lapse batman!!
 






I tried jacking up the rear end of body and also jacking up the rear axle (switching ARC system off then on on each occasion) but still have the system light coming on after a few minutes of driving.
Is there a sequence that needs to be followed - eg do I need to have the ignition switched on/engine running - when jacking up the body?
 






Have you checked that the arm from the self levelling body switch to the axle is still connected; i.e. not come out the ball joints?
 






Thanks for your reply but I can confirm that I did check the arm was still connected before doing this.
I have also had the system checked out again on a test computer - still shows that the system is working correctly!
 






When the test was carried out was the light on or off?

The procedure that I used to reset mine was.

1. Switch off self levelling
2 jack up so that axle hangs. (pulling down on wheels to ensure at the bottom of travel)
3 low to floor.
4 switch the system back on.

Keys were not in at any point.
 






Light was off

I will also try pulling down on each wheel!

Thank you
 






I've been dying to ask a question about this one! Howard - for us lesser beings - if you do all this with everything switched off, how does it know you've done anything and what exactly changes when you do it?

Cheers,

Jon
 






When you get the axle to hang. The shocks extend and the sensor is moved to a different to a lower point on the scale, so to speak. When you lower it back down it does not settle to start with. Now you switch on the system and it should read that this is the standard height. So when it starts to settle the system is activated and pumps up the shocks to bring it back to the neutral position. OK?
 






Thank you very much! Now I'm getting it - and also detect the opportunity for a little "cheat" too! Drop the body back onto stands a little above "normal" height and fool it into creating a slight lift maybe? Possible potential to have the system overworking maybe, I don't know enough about it yet to be sure of that.

Cheers,

Jon
 






Here's a couple of arc pics for future reference. This is a working system on my 2001 Limited...
 

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Here's a couple of arc pics for future reference. This is a working system on my 2001 Limited...

Not sure how many of us are still active on here - doesn't seem like many of late - but for those who are (and any that are interested) I've recently conducted exactly the 'trick' I alluded to in my answer to Howard's wisdom provided way back up this thread.

After I stupidly let some 'professional' (a.k.a. muppet) fit my exhaust and do some other work on my Explorer, the rear end never seemed to sit right for many months thereafter. Once we got some decent weather, I got to replacing the rear brakes (completely) and while I was in, around and under, had a fiddle with the ARC once again.

It's still basically Howard's prescribed method but with a little addition and it seems to have worked quite well. What I did was go through the well-documented process but before jacking up the first time, I had a look at where the body was sitting in comparison to where I wanted it to be sitting - and set my axle stands to the required new height.

After going through the usual listed process, I lowered it off not onto the ground but onto the axle stands set at the 'right' height for how I want it.

After that, I switched the ARC back on and flipped the sensor linkage off the ball. I then pushed it up to make it activate the compressor and watched the rear dampers. When they started to extend and take load, I continued until it had just got the weight off the axle stands and then let it stop.

After that, I got out from under, switched OFF the ARC, jacked up and got the axle stands properly clear, let it down, switched ON the ARC.....

and it stayed there!!

ECaRnTG.jpg


rBz1fWX.jpg


I like it!
 






Nice way of raising it, I think they are a dying breed now. Mine needs the fuel pump replacing but I cant be arsed atm
 






Nice way of raising it, I think they are a dying breed now. Mine needs the fuel pump replacing but I cant be arsed atm

It's honestly not as bad as you might think! I was properly bothered by the idea of doing mine but it went really well in the end and a lot easier than I expected. Mind I do think I've got one of the nicer Explorers left - just turned 53,000 this weekend.

My first one was perfect - didn't have ANY of the textbook Explorer faults - even had genuine Ford fitted mats but I was stupid and wrecked it. My next one was an absolute bag of crap, single-point injection (badly fitted!) and ALL the usual Explorer faults. This one is quite nice but I do think it needs its 21 year-old rubber bits replacing (slowly!).

In other news, you might find this useful:

 






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