How are Active Suspension Air Spring issues diagnosed?
When diagnosing active suspension air springs, the technician must first inspect the vehicle to locate the suspected component of the active suspension system. If the air spring is suspected of leaking, the pressure relief valve, air spring control solenoid, or both are in working condition. If they are both functional, and the air spring has a feed of compressed air, the technician will then look for signs of leaking and degradation. If a leak is found, which would be likely in this example, the air spring will be declared failed and replaced.
How are Active Suspension Air Springs replaced?
Some air springs are installed on struts, and some are installed separately of shocks absorbers. These two types have different replacement procedures, but, generally speaking, they are simply connected to the chassis and lower control arm. In the worst case, the wheel must be removed, followed by removal of the lower ball joint from the steering knuckle or wheel spindle. This is of course done after disabling the compressor and relieving air pressure from the suspension system. Once the lower control arm is free from the sway bar, tie rods, radius arms, or anything else preventing it from swinging away from the spring, the lower control arm will be lowered for removal of the air spring. For strut mounted air springs, or air struts, the top of the air strut must be removed from the upper strut mount. This is located under the hood, in the trunk, or behind interior side-wall cover panels. After installation, all fasteners should be torqued to specification, and the alignment should be checked as well.
RepairPal Recommendations for Active Suspension Air Spring issues
Any time the air suspension system is opened, it should be purged of air before reclosing the system. This will help rid the system of moisture caused by humidity and condensation. Also, this will allow the technician to monitor for debris, and take action if needed.