where is the ARC relay on a 98 eddie bauer explorer | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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where is the ARC relay on a 98 eddie bauer explorer

cleansho93

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October 2, 2010
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City, State
Saint Louis, MO
Year, Model & Trim Level
98 Eddie Bauer 5.0L
Hello I am new to these forums and really need some help. I have a 98 eddie bauer explorer with the 5.0L and ARC. I had it in the shop the other day for inspection and since then the ARC compressor is not working. The mechanic turned off the system before putting the truck on the lift, turned it back on afterword. Since then the compressor has not ran and I basically have no shocks. I checked the fuses in the main distribution block under hood relating to ARC and they are fine. I have read that there is a separate ARC relay located somewhere other than the main distribution box but cannot locate it. I found the aux relay box located below the air cleaner under hood and it houses 4 relays without labels. I cannot find any info on the purpose of these relays in the owners manual or online. Can anyone tell me which one of these is for the ARC or where the ARC relay is located otherwise? Thanks in advance for any help, really need to get this working.
 



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Post #1 shows 8*=20A Auto Ride Control Switch/on off switch 9*=40A Auto Ride Control relay
Did you already check those?
 


















No problem, hope it fixes your issue :)
 






Ok, the relay tested fine. I even swapped relays to be sure. Compressor will still not run. I am getting ready to go out and see if I am getting voltage at contact 87 of the ARC relay terminal. This will hopefully let me know if I am getting power to the relay. Will post update soon. Thanks
 












Did you inspect the sensor: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215297&highlight=arc+sensor I would pm CDW6212R He is great with the arc system.

I have not checked the height sensor yet. That will be next. I checked to make sure I was getting voltage to the ARC relay at contact 87 and I was getting 12V. The one odd thing was that when I checked the control contacts for the ARC relay I was only getting about 8.7V, not sure if that is enough to make the relay switch or not. I also tried plugging the ARC relay back in while the ignition was on to see if it would click once connected letting me know it was switching on, but I did not hear a click...
 






The ARC relay for mine was in a very small relay box near the master cylinder. All of my ARC system came from an entire 1998 Limited.

Understand that Ford moved lots of things around after 1998 when they redesigned the Power Distribution Box. Before then there could be several aux relay boxes. After 1998 there is probably just the one aux relay box under the air cleaner.

After you find the ARC relay, do swap them around to be sure they are good. There are two fuses for the ARC system in the PDB, check those. If those are good, then without a failure of a component or a connection, you should be able to hear at least clicking of the ARC solenoids shortly after pulling the key and shutting all doors. Make sure that the rear switch is flipped to on of course.

The clicking sounds are normal and occur about a minute after the doors/hatch are shut. If you don't get any sounds, then I'd look harder at the wiring, connections, and sensors. 1995-98 have four ARC shocks and three air line solenoids, 99-01 has just two/one of those.

The height sensors are fragile, be sure that they are still there and in one piece, not broken etc. Try to spray lubricant on them whenever you go under the truck. The little ball joints will eventually wallow out, use a thicker grease or anti-seize in those. Keep at it,
 

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Thank you very much Don for all of the info. I did notice what appeared to be a small relay box on the side of the master cylinder but did not check it as I assumed it was related to the braking system. Interestingly enough, as I was inspecting the rear ride height sensor earlier, I turned on the ignition, pushed and pulled on the sensor a bit, and the compressor suddenly kicked on. It only ran for 8-10 seconds. I pushed/pulled on the sensor a few more times and got it to kick on again, ran for a short time again and stopped. I decided to take the truck for a test drive thinking perhaps the problem was solved, but it was still riding very bouncy just as before. Also the compressor did not kick back on after I turned off the vehicle as it usually does. So needless to say I am quite confused now :dunno:. I guess tomorrow I will check that relay by the master cylinder, and I will lube the ball joints on the height sensor and see what I can find. Thanks again for the help and I will post updates tomorrow.
 






It's very good that the compressor ran, that tells you that the electrical parts seem to be okay. I'd take a hard look at the shocks themselves, the air lines and the height sensor. It may be as simple as the sensor showing the truck just enough high that the compressor doesn't come on.

The air bladders of the ARC shocks are the weak links, they will eventually leak. Spray those too with something helpful to rubber, keep them clean etc. The air lines can develop leaks at the connections, from vibration which makes them wear at the end locks. That plastic line is possible to remove and cut off the short worn end, and reattach. Spray those end connections with PB Blaster also, they like to stick.

You can still get the rear shocks for about $108 for the pair, from an eBay seller who had hundreds of them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0145451479&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT
 






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