Is Air Ride Control working? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Is Air Ride Control working?

djkid97

Member
Joined
August 13, 2018
Messages
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Location
Northern California (Silicon Valley)
City, State
Palo Alto, CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
13 XLT 2.0l ecoboost
Hi there... I'm a newbie. I apologize in advance if I'm blowing it. I've got a 97 Limited 4.0 4x4 with Air Ride Control (ARC). My rear shocks are shot. I'd like to replace with the Monroes folks seem to say are the appropriate replacement, but I think that's only true if I want to keep ARC... so I'm trying to figure out if my ARC is actually functional, but don't know how to do that. When I use the system check function in the console, it says Air Ride is okay, but I don't know if I can trust that. Is there a way to tell if the ARC is working and I just need to replace the shocks? Thanks!
 



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If you put it in low range does it run the compressor and lift the rear of the vehicle?
 






Thanks for the quick reply! I don't think so.. I think I tried that previously, but now I realize I should not have posted yet on this topic because my electrical is out. Electrical is gone... . I need to resolve that first. Once I do, I'll return to this thread. Thanks again.
 






okay.. electric is working again (mystery as to how it got fixed, but I'll be working on that later...) I fired up the engine and put it it Low. The 4WD indicator lit up on the dash, but I did not hear the compressor from inside.

two caveats:

1. This may win me the moron newbie award, but I did this on jack stands because I"m in the midst of replacing the control arms up front, so perhaps that means the test is invalid; and

2. There's a reasonable amount of noise from the engine running, so would I be able to hear the compressor?

Thanks
Danny
 






Your air ride most likely doesn’t work. Usually they get a leak and the compressor burns out. Jumper the compressor and see if it runs.
 






will do.. then will report back. BTW, I see many videos on youtube for how to find and replace air suspension compressor in Expedition, but none for Explorer. Is there a good source for where to look to get instructions?
 






Most people don’t as it’s not cheap to rebuild the air ride. I’d think they should be fairly similar.
 






got it.. I know there are bunch of threads on this, but do you have any sense of the best way to bypass it with shocks and not re-do the leaf springs?
 






You just remove the air ride components and replace with regular shocks. No need to mess with the leaves.
 












okay.. electric is working again (mystery as to how it got fixed, but I'll be working on that later...) I fired up the engine and put it it Low. The 4WD indicator lit up on the dash, but I did not hear the compressor from inside.

two caveats:

1. This may win me the moron newbie award, but I did this on jack stands because I"m in the midst of replacing the control arms up front, so perhaps that means the test is invalid; and

Thanks
Danny

Nobody mentioned it, but for safety reasons, air ride must be turned off before jacking up. Otherwise the system may suddenly raise or lower the vehicle, resulting in loss of life or limb. There should be plenty of warning in your user manual and on stickers affixed to the vehicle itself.
 












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