Sealing Air Ride Connections

[we350z]

I have 1 axle rear SLS. Both sides start to sag if it sits for a couple days. The driver side leaks down faster.

I know I should go through and spray around with soapy water. I tried this before and the leak is so slow I didn't see any bubbles anywhere. Maybe it is fast enough now to see though.

I also thought about letting the bags sag down and then zip tie everywhere apply silicon / hot glue to each NPT/compression fitting connection point from the compressor to the reservoirs.

Anyone taken that approach blindly? I feel like it could work pretty effectively.

[andrewwynn]

The internal pressure is 160psi, you can't patch externally. If there is a joint leak it needs to be opened and the seal fixed


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[we350z]

Ok yeah that is pretty high pressure and now that I think about it corroborates with what I've read. How do you repair a connection joint?

[80stech]

Soapy water will show even the slowest leak. You could try specialized "leak finder" which is a little better at not drying out but I doubt you need that. It is common for compression fittings to leak if they have been damaged by over tightening. I haven't worked on this sytem but I think it is common for the bags themselves to leak. andrewwynn is right, trying to seal from the outside (especially with hot glue or silicon)is a total waste of time.

[andrewwynn]

If temp is above freezing soapy water should work to find a leak. Over torque is a killer of most parts on a car.

I just did a chain guide overhaul and half the bolts that hold the chain covers on had signs of stretch from over torque. They are spec'd to 10 N-m (6.7 ft·lb) which is snug not very tight. Trying to guess vs use an actual torque wrench will end up with very uneven fit and wondering why it's leaking later.


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[we350z]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

If temp is above freezing soapy water should work to find a leak. Over torque is a killer of most parts on a car.

I just did a chain guide overhaul and half the bolts that hold the chain covers on had signs of stretch from over torque. They are spec'd to 10 N-m (6.7 ft·lb) which is snug not very tight. Trying to guess vs use an actual torque wrench will end up with very uneven fit and wondering why it's leaking later.


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I have a feeling I may have over snugged some faulty connections previously and maybe made the condition worse.

Likely one of the compression settings is the culprit. Perhaps if I find it i can snip it and install a T with zip ties? I will start on the driver side since it's worse. Or is it best to run new line? Where would I source that? Any suggestions?

[andrewwynn]

If you only have rear air like me, I would just replace the entire line if damaged. If a front line there is a special tool that puts a new end on a pressure line like brake line called double bubble or something you can splice in a new section it's very high pressure so you can't use rubber hose and hose clamp. Use a torque wrench when you can don't over tighten anything


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