Re-filling air suspension - I had a thought.

[garrett.fell]

So as I am finishing-up my rear suspension overhaul, the time will soon come to get the car off jack-stands and put it back on the floor....

A thought occurred to me. I assume the height sensors installed on the suspension arms have a lot to do with how the air-suspension behaves / operates. Since the rear is off the ground and the arms are "down" - this, according to the sensors means the ride-height is very high. So will the air-bags activate to fill-up and adjust the ride height?

I also read not to put the car on the ground with the airbags empty, it will damage them.

Am I over thinking this? If I stick the fuse back in after I tighten the air-line connections in the trunk am I good to go?


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[upallnight]

When I did my rear air bags I lowered the X but still had the jack underneath it. The tires were touching the ground. Installed the fuses back in and continue to lower the X. The compressor came on and started to fill the bags. Once the compressor stop I lower the jack all the way and the X was sitting right.

[garrett.fell]

That makes sense.


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[BigBlack48is]

Same here... I've done rear suspension work that required me to deflate and I just lowered it down enough to be "past normal ride height" and when I turned the key it pumped back up

[garrett.fell]

Cool. I might have mine back on the ground tonight if all goes well. I have the drivers side all done now. All I need to do on the passengers side now is the balljoint, integral link and final torque. Hopefully I'll have less of a headache with the IL this time.


Speaking of torque - to those who have done this. Are you preloading your suspension with a floor jack to a previously "measured ride height" (from fender lip to center of wheel) or are you doing this with all the weight back on the wheels? Those nuts look impossible to get to with a torque wrench of all things with the X on the ground without a lift.

I noticed that the non-wheel carrier side with the through-bolts looks like it really traps the bushing in there and will not allow the arm to pivot at all. So when the suspension moves - it's actually stretching/twisting the rubber bushing in there. Is that right? I'd think that would make the bushing fail very quickly.


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[upallnight]

I use ramps when I work on suspension so that I don't preload the bushings when I torque them down. The weight of the X will be on the suspension when I have the X on the ramps and the clearance the ramps gives me allows me to get a torque wrench under the car.