2k6blacka8

It only applies when you use an actual jack on any side. When the car is on the lift, it doesn't need to be turned on. I had tires put on and they put it on the lift and when they put it down, the car went back to its set height. No problems. Actually the car has lowered to readjust so there's no harm with the shocks when on a lift.

mishar

Exactly like that. Whenever you lift any or all wheels you should engage Lift Mode. If you forget to turn it off it will do that itself once you reach 5 mph.

quiksilverly

Yes, anytime you lift the car without turning off the system the valving alows the weight of the wheels and suspension to "suck" all the air out of the bags or the lower sleeve of the strut will release and the Oring can't seal

It's a pretty big Oring about the width of a pencil. The actual gas strut is still trying to extend and if the bag and its metal sleave don't have all the right valves close it will allow the gas strut to push the fork end out of the oring. it doesn't always happen as the oring-strut-sleave fit is pretty tight already. But yes, always turn the system off (which is basically what the jack mode is). It should also be said that if you don't turn it off the car will try to use it's overflow pressure tank in the back to compensate for the suspension level signals everytime you unlock, lock, open the car door etc. even when the car is off.

okegs4ever

Heres what I noticed. I put it in lift mode in MMI and front raises up some and you can hear the compressor doing a lot of work just like in the video earlier and when I cut off the car, it went back down. Could this be a possibility of something not as major as the shock? The back sits fine, the front driver sits a little lower than the front passenger

2k6blacka8

You have an air leak at one of the front shocks or the lines. You should get that fixed because you'll be buying another compressor next. You will burn it out. Check really for air leaks but check it when its running when its trying to raise up. Get some soapy water and put it on the shock boots and or lines. When it bubbles, that's the source of the leak. You said the back raises fines so there's nothing wrong with the rear.

quiksilverly

If the front raises at all then drops back down then I agree, you probably have a leaking strut. I promise, if you let it try to pump and spray soapy water you will find your leak in 45 seconds give or take. It's the easiest method I know of and we use it in the aerospace industry all the time. If you find a leak at the inlet fitting you may be able to change the o-ring or other cheap fix, but if the strut itself is leaking check www.car-part.com for a strut. I found a right front strut for mine for $200 5 days ago and have been driving on it for 2 days now. Look for a grade "A" part and call to make sure it's what you need but alot of these small town shops don't know what they have so they price it like all the other struts they have. Just a thought. hope this helps

Oh, and the compressor has a thermal type shut off switch that shuts the compressor motor off at a certain temp. with no leaks the compressor should only run for a short time like 20 seconds max. If you have a leak it will run for over a minute or a minute 30 sec. If the thermal shutoff cuts the compressor off, and you reset your jack mode to get it to cut on again it will cut off even faster as the compressor housing is still close to the cut off tempurature so it takes less time to reach max temp. One time, to save my compressor, I just rigged a nitrogen bottle with 2000+ PSI to the brown inlet line on the solenoid valve block and trouble shot the rest of the system with about 120PSI coming from a bottle...worked great.

okegs4ever

ok thanks very much. so i just jack it up and i will have easy access to the strut boots and also the lines? or is it tough to get access to them? i am a newbie at this so sorry for asking so many questions

quiksilverly

It kinda weird but you put the car in lift mode (highest setting) and "help" it up at the corner you want to check for leaks. don't jack so much that the compressor stops, just help it up. You will probably have to go in to car setup once it's high enough and shut the system off (jack mode) cause the other corner will still be low and compressor will continue to pump for that reason. Then pop the clamp off the dust boot and pull it loose from the top and bottom of the strut. Let some of the weight of the car back down on the strut using the jack and spray the area's in the picture. Really if you just soak the entire strut you can't go wrong. Look for bubbles. Again, if the air inlet is leaking from the vavle body or the line fitting you can fix, if it's leaking from the square part mounted to the outside of the strut, you can put any amount of JB weld etc on it but it will always find a way to leak. If it's like most bags it will fail at the bottom ( the middle circle on the picture)

mishar

Do you know how exactly is that tube connected to the shock absorber at the bottom (lowest circle)? That connection carries all the weight.

okegs4ever

This is area I found a leak on the driver side top. You can feel air coming out, however not on passenger side. Any ideas?