Air suspensions have been a standard feature in many cars for quite some time. Even for models that don’t include them as a common feature, aftermarket air suspension systems are also pretty popular as a car mod.
Now, air suspension systems offer several unique benefits, but they also come at a higher cost than the more standard coil-over shock absorbers you find on most car makes and models. Understandably, many view air suspensions as being an expensive system that’s not worth the money.
Well, we’re not here to explore that debate. Instead, this article will look at the common problems you might face with an air suspension system and the solutions necessary to fix them.
Air Suspensions 101
Whether you’re the proud owner of a car with an air suspension system or someone who never even knew that these things existed before today, let’s get on the same page. Let’s go over the basics first and answer the question, “What is air suspension?”
Typical air suspension systems share the same primary components. They include airbag struts for each wheel, a tank that stores pressurised air to fill those airbags, a pump to drive that air as needed, sensors to measure the car’s height, and a controller that lets you control that height.
So, instead of springs in traditional car suspension systems, air suspensions feature airbags on each strut. Those airbags will inflate and deflate with air to maintain the car height that you’ve set with the controller.
Suppose you let a few passengers into the car, and it becomes much heavier. The system will pump air from the tank into those airbag struts to return the vehicle to the set height. When there’s less weight, the opposite will happen.
As you can see, an air suspension system is ‘smart’ in the sense that it adjusts itself based on your settings, something that conventional coil-overs can’t do.
Why Are Air Suspensions Worth the Cost?
Air suspension systems come at a higher cost. At this point in the article, the reasons for that should be obvious (e.g. more components, the ability to adjust itself, and such). But are these systems actually worth all the expense?
That’s a debatable question, and here’s my opinion on the matter.
Yes, air suspensions are worth the cost. Here are a few reasons to back that answer up:
- You can set your desired vehicle height, and the system will always stick to it.
- Overall ride is more stable depending on the weight and speed of the car.
- With less vibration and a smoother drive, air suspensions last longer overall.
- More stability around corners, even at higher speeds.
What Can Cause Problems for Air Suspensions?
Because air suspensions are so unique, they also face a unique set of problems. Here are just a few examples.
Firstly, those airbag struts can fail, especially if it suffers from excess moisture or rust damage.
Besides that, remember that the entire system relies on an air tank, a pump, and many tubes going to each airbag strut. Those tubes could fail; they could come loose or perhaps develop a leak that will compromise the whole system.
Lastly, remember again: air suspension systems adjust to keep themselves at the height you’ve set. Constantly changing the vehicle height could lead to the pump wearing out faster than usual, depending on your driving conditions.
How Do I Know If My Air Suspension Is Bad, and How Do I Fix It?
An air suspension system in good working order should have no issue inflating and deflating the airbag struts. So, if there’s any disruption to that ability, you’ll know that you have air suspension problems.
The typical causes are leaks, a problem with the pressure switch, or a failed compressor. Let’s look at each of those air suspension problems, as well as their solutions.
Air Leaks
If you notice that your air struts are not inflating or deflating equally, it could be that one or more tubes are suffering from air leaks. The first step to dealing with this problem is to identify the leak.
As you might imagine, that’ll be pretty difficult to do with the naked eye. That’s why the standard way of identifying the leak is with a bottle of soapy water.
That soapy water needs to be squirted along sections of the tubing and any fittings throughout the system. If the soapy water bubbles up, that means you’ve found the leak.
Whether it's a leaking fitting or section of tubing, it’ll need to be replaced. Applying tape to patch the leak might help, but that might not be a long-term fix.
Pressure Switch Problems
If your compressor works fine but your airbag struts still won't inflate, that might point to a problem with the pressure switch. When you set your desired car level at the controller, the pressure switch will basically coordinate the system to maintain that level at all times.
For this one, it’s best to get a qualified technician to perform a thorough inspection of the switch. If it doesn’t work correctly, it’s safe to assume that you’ll need to replace it with a new one.
Compressor Failure
Another possibility is that you may have a problem with the compressor or ‘pump’. This component pumps air into the air tank, which then keeps the entire air suspension system inflated.
Here, there are two possibilities. The first one is that the fuse for the compressor has blown. If that’s the case, then replacing it shouldn’t be too difficult or expensive.
However, there’s also the possibility that the relay is the culprit causing the compressor to fail.
As you can tell, these compressor problems involve the car’s electrical system. So, it might not be such a good idea to treat it as a DIY job if you’re not knowledgeable or experienced in handling things like this.
There’s no shame in getting a qualified air suspension technician to sort the problem out for you. If you suspect faulty suspensions, you may also want to read this article.
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By Ray Hasbollah