Odd noise from rear suspension after parking..

[gaz in sussex]

Going to get all technical on you now! After a park up, lock the car and walk away - so about 5 seconds or so after locking the car there is a whine from under the back of the car like a pump or motor spinning for about 3 seconds - my first thought was this might be from the self leveling suspension gizmo thingy but it only happens every now and then. Anyone else have this? Also another really stupid question - inside the load compartment behind a panel over the wheel arch is what looks like a black piston with a big switch - red and OFF - I guess this is to do with the same system but the diagrams only tell you which way it should be switched when towing etc - where should it be set normally - ie Off in or out?

Cheers

FATGAZ

 

[Howard]

Spot on.. It is the self levelling rear suspension kicking in. It will kick in when it wants to and only after opening or closing a door. The switch is to turn the suspension off. It should be on during driving. Turn off when jacking up the car.

 

[Teejay4254]

Further to your question and Howards reply, on my '97 EX behind the rear hatch mentioned is the on off switch but the 'black piston' is the Jack. Still can't find the air compressor! wish I could cos rear suspension is playing up at mo. i.e. leaning to nearside by 25mm, I thought self leveller was supposed to cure this type of thing, or am I missing something?
Any suggestions would be welcome
Thanks
Tim

 

[Howard]

Still can't find the air compressor!

Its underneath by the rear axle.

 

[Teejay4254]

Air Compressor

Wow Howard

Are you ever away from the posts? thanks for the pointer on location of AC, I read on one of the forums that you can reset the self levelling system by jacking up the whole rear end and letting the suspension 'hang' to it's lowest level. do you reckon this is with the switch on or off

Thanks
Tim

 

[Howard]

I believe it is with the switch off. After lowering to the ground switch to on.

Note to self: must get a life....lol

 

[Teejay4254]

Note to self: must get a life....lol[/QUOTE]

Hi Howard
Don't get a life just yet! who would I ask for help, only just joined the forum so have got loads to ask. As a bit of background, used to have a Frontera, thought I wanted another one until I found my Explorer. Brilliant motor just need to keep it in good nick (doing 30000 mls per year) do they ever die?

 

[Howard]

I'm too old to change my ways now. The x will die eventually but that is why the board is here so that you can fix it up and keep her going.

 

[Teejay4254]

just a Quick question before I go for a beer, Have tried to add a pic of my x to profile not sure whether it worked. do I need to log out and in again to set it or am I too new for that privilege

 

[Howard]

You need to be an Elite member to add a pic to your profile or to post pics directly in posts. See link at the top of Forum. It is well worth the small amount asked for.

 

[CDW6212R]

BTW for the ARC system, the air compressor is directly over the spare crossmember. Do not ever hang the rear from the air shocks, that causes most ARC rear shock failures. Only lift the back by the differential, or unbolt the shocks first.

There is a seller in Canada with hundreds of the rear ARC shocks, I bought a spare pair, for $80 total. The air lines are still all available from Ford, buy them if you suspect a leak, they are not expensive, $15-30 each(three pieces).

I added a rear ARC system to my 99 Limited wreck, I know too much about it now. Regards,

 

[gaz in sussex]

Thanks Howard for the explanation and for not pointing out what an idiot I am for not realising the piston was the jack !!

fatgaz

 

[jmcr]

Thanks for the good info in this thread.

My Explorer is also having ARC issues. The compressor in the rear comes on more often than it used to, and now the compressor noise itself sounds really bad, high pitched squeaking like its about to die out or needs oil or something.

Does anyone know if a loud ARC compressor is fixable? or where to get a replacement? Is it a difficult job to swap out the compressor?

 

[CDW6212R]

The compressor can be replaced, there are a couple of companies that do handle these, and the dryers. Those are reliable parts, usually other issues cause them to be over worked and damaged. Leaks are the main deal, find and fix those.

The ARC compressor is above the spare tire, above the mounting chassis member. It can be removed but be careful removing the air lines from the dryer.

If the compressor runs too often , the high flow of air through the dryer will accumulate too much moisture, ending up with water in the lines and shocks(very bad). The dryer should be able to come apart, and allowing you to "bake" the beads. That is common to do for other Lincolns/Fords, there are how to threads to explain that.

The dryer can also be bought new for about $40. Make sure there are no air leaks, that is always the number one priority.

 

[jmcr]

Thanks for the info CDW. I'm going to check for leaks right now.

Trying to find a replacement ARC compressor but don't see many out there. Ebay doesn't seem to have any that I can find.

Is this rock auto part the right replacement?
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1394769

Aside from replacing it, can a noisy compressor be serviced somehow? It seems to still pump air and the ride height seems level. Its just very noisy every time it kicks on. It used to make the usual 'brrrr' sound but now it squeaks a lot, like it needs oil or something.

Is it possible to switch off the compressor and still drive around on the existing air shocks? or will they deflate and sink the rear end all the way down?

I'm trying to decide if its a better idea to convert to regular shocks or try to fix the ARC system. Looking for a safe suspension without spending too much.

 

[CDW6212R]

Inspect all of the parts and decide based on the leaks you find or unusable ARC parts. Usually it's not bad to fix thongs, if that doesn't include all new $160 shocks.

The compressor "hovers" on four rubber insulator mounts, which are surely gone with yours. The car type Ford air systems have different mounting studs/mounts, and I tried to modify my spare Mark VII parts.

I didn't have much luck with that, and found a better and easier answer. I bought a box grommets that were sized just right, that I was able to cut them in half(section) and use the stock mounting studs/bolts/washers.

I suggest first fixing the compressor isolators/mounts, and see how it sounds after that.

 

[jmcr]

Great post CDW. Thanks for the pics.

I'm going to see if I can get the compressor unbolted and out of there to put in new rubber mounts. My truck is amazingly rusted under there, I'll try to take a pic that shows the extent of it. Pretty sure the rear shocks themselves also need replacing.

Is it dangerous to drive around with the ARC compressor switched off for now? I guess the shocks will just bottom out? Will the leaf springs be stressed too much?

 

[CDW6212R]

You can drive it with the switch turned off. Hopefully there is some air in the shocks. The leaf springs still do most of the work, the air shocks only help.

If you do need rear shocks, begin looking for them. I had found them for as little as $25+S&H, so get looking, and avoid paying $160 each.

 

[ihpj]

I've never liked these types of systems - they invariably go wrong and are a headache to fix (as well as costly). Although I think mine has been mostly working when I first bought my truck, I've decided that I'm going to remove mine in its entirity and go with a full set of Bilstien shocks when I'm next in the USA ;o)

I think the ARC is a classic case of over engineering by Ford and, as I'm never going to tow (and mine has never been fitted with a tow bar), ditching the ARC is going to definitely be the best solution for me.

I just wish Bilstien UK offered the same 'limited lifetime warranty' as they do for the exact same product bought in the USA (they offer a 2 year warranty IIRC) and I would have bought a set here, happily paying a premium for buying in GBP; but seeing as I'm in no rush, I'll wait and buy the set when I'm in the USA and benefit with the lifetime warranty.