Air Suspension Light on all of a sudden

[sflrainmaker01]

I hopped in the Marauder today to take it to work (it was sitting for a week or so since I drove it last) and as I was pulling in the parking lot I noticed the air suspension light on! I don't remember hearing (but I wasn't listening for) the air suspension pump kicking on. I know in the past it usually turned on for like a minute and that was it. I haven't driven the car in about a week and IIRC, the car was sitting "level" when I left the house, too. Right now, after doing some thread searching, I turned the switch in the trunk to "off" while I am at work to prevent any air leakage through solenoids etc. Right now, the car is sitting level (no "rake" like it usually has).
I'm guessing if the air bags were bad, the car would be sitting on the frame by now. Otherwise, I would guess that this would most likely be a compressor issue? When I get home, what should I check to make sure it's not something easy?

[Mr. Man]

Turn the key to the ON position and listen for the pump. Did you ever drill some bigger holes in the pump well? If not the pump may be toast if it has been sitting in water.

[Zack]

The sensor probably detached from the bracket. Common

[sflrainmaker01]

Turn the key to the ON position and listen for the pump. Did you ever drill some bigger holes in the pump well? If not the pump may be toast if it has been sitting in water.

Anytime I have looked under the hood, that area is completely dry. The car rarely gets driven in the rain.


The sensor probably detached from the bracket. Common

Zack, are you talking about the ride height sensors in the rear?

[sflrainmaker01]

Home from work now. The compressor does NOT come on. Everything electrical seems to work ok. So, I'm guessing that rules out a blown fuse since the air suspension shares the power with other things.

Is there a way to put power to the compressor to test it? Which wires would I jump?

[RF Overlord]

Remove the compressor relay in the BJB and jump pins 30 & 87.

[sflrainmaker01]

Remove the compressor relay in the BJB and jump pins 30 & 87.

I tried it with an old piece of speaker wire. Got a couple sparks. But, nothing else happened. I'm gonna try a hard piece of wire to make sure the connection is better.

Just in case, a couple dumb questions:

Does the switch in the trunk need to be on or off?

What about the ignition? Key on or off?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer, just trying to be sure.....

Also, I checked the sensors in the rear...all connected and seem ok.

[RF Overlord]

Jumping the relay bypasses all that stuff...if all you got was sparks, your compressor may be seized.

[sflrainmaker01]

Jumping the relay bypasses all that stuff...if all you got was sparks, your compressor may be seized.

Thanks. That's what I thought. Which pin on the compressor harness is direct power? Maybe I could try that as one last chance before I fork out the dough for a new compressor.

Also, are all the aftermarket compressors pretty much the same? I was leaning toward the Arnott one just because it has a limited lifetime warranty whereas the Suncore one only has one year limited warranty.

[RF Overlord]

Which pin on the compressor harness is direct power? The GY/RD wire.

I don't know anything about the Suncore or other units, but I have replaced a few with Arnott units. I like them.

[sflrainmaker01]

Thanks for the help! The new air pump seems to work good! I did check all the sensors, etc and they seemed to be in good working order and the bags seemed to be in decent shape too. It seems like the rear is a tad lower than before. I drove the car to work AFTER the new pump was installed and then the car sat for three days. There was no apparent leakage. How long would one expect the bags to hold air without the car being started?

[RF Overlord]

How long would one expect the bags to hold air without the car being started?How long do your tires go without needing air? About that long.

The Blackbird sits all winter without being started and loses almost nothing.

[Meteorite]

I apologize for resurrecting this old post ... but it seemed better to try and keep all this related information together.

My symptoms are similar to those described by the original poster. My air suspension light suddenly came on today. Rear is a riding a bit low, but not too bad. Having just replaced the air springs on one of my other Marauders, I'm pretty sure they are okay on this car.

So, I tried jumping pins 30 and 87 as described by RF Overlord in post #6. The compressor ran and sounded normal, but the bags did not inflate. No motion in the rear suspension at all.

So, my main question is: Is it possible/likely for the compressor to run but not delivery any air to the springs? I kind of don't see how I could have a major leak in the system, as the suspension is not visibly going down after hours or even days.

Any thoughts?

[Chico Baravelli]

No compressor / vent solenoid command from RAS/VAPS Module. Solenoids are parallel wired so initial problem is module. PCM deny command if doors are open (door open / close sensor failure?).
Will know more later.
First guess: Relay.
That black box behind the glove compartment has evolved over the years. Yours may have the EVO - VAPS / RAS which also controls variable speed power steering. AIR, VAPS control moved to the PCM and 2007+ are stand alone RAS. However, Driver Door Module and ABS are involved through the PCM. Second guess: that module. I find them in auto wrecking yards.
This is all blue smoke. Is the Check Engine Light or the yellow DTC error lamp on? Stupid question, I know. You own a Panther and the CEL is always on. If so, invest in a quality OBDII reader WITH ABS. Panther owner's best friend.

[88LTDCV351]

When my air bag light starting coming on, I replaced the compressor. But light was still on. Probably wasn't the compressor. Replaced the bags and everything was fine after that.

But I had noticed that it was riding low in the back when the air suspension light was on so I guess there was some other signs.

After I replaced the bags, I also noticed the compressor noise (coming on) didn't come on as nearly as much as it used to. :-) Suppose it was holding air better and longer with the new bags.

[Meteorite]

No compressor / vent solenoid command from RAS/VAPS Module. Solenoids are parallel wired so initial problem is module. PCM deny command if doors are open (door open / close sensor failure?).
Will know more later.
First guess: Relay.
That black box behind the glove compartment has evolved over the years. Yours may have the EVO - VAPS / RAS which also controls variable speed power steering. AIR, VAPS control moved to the PCM and 2007+ are stand alone RAS. However, Driver Door Module and ABS are involved through the PCM. Second guess: that module. I find them in auto wrecking yards.
This is all blue smoke. Is the Check Engine Light or the yellow DTC error lamp on? Stupid question, I know. You own a Panther and the CEL is always on. If so, invest in a quality OBDII reader WITH ABS. Panther owner's best friend.

Thanks very much. My car is a 2003 Marauder. Thanks for you ideas!

No, the CEL is not on, and I do have an OBD reader ... no codes are getting thrown, which I thought odd.

[Meteorite]

When my air bag light starting coming on, I replaced the compressor. But light was still on. Probably wasn't the compressor. Replaced the bags and everything was fine after that.

But I had noticed that it was riding low in the back when the air suspension light was on so I guess there was some other signs.

After I replaced the bags, I also noticed the compressor noise (coming on) didn't come on as nearly as much as it used to. :-) Suppose it was holding air better and longer with the new bags.

I think my situation is different. The bags look really good, and the car holds a constant level for several days. No hissing sound, either, as there was on my other Marauder which definitely needed the air springs replaced.

[offroadkarter]

Is the Check Engine Light or the yellow DTC error lamp on? Stupid question, I know. You own a Panther and the CEL is always on.

Hah, my friend, we're not driving clapped out vomit comets around here.

[Meteorite]

OK, so I really don't know what the root cause of my issue was. But I have learned some more information.

After a few days, the Air Susp light didn't come on any more. Rear ride height remained unchanged - no noticeable leakdown.

Still, I had yet to hear the compressor run.

So I turned off the airbag switch, jacked up the rear of the car, supported it, and (with suspension at it's normal, current ride height), detached the ride height sensor link at the Watts Link
end. Then I manually pushed on it. When I turned the air suspension switch back on, the compressor started up right away, and kept running until I turned the switch off again.

So, I think it is not the RAS Module located behind the glove box. I may simply need to re-set the ride height to make it ride 1/2" or 1" higher. But ... that doesn't explain why the warning
light came on in the first place. So, a few mysteries still to unravel.

[Meteorite]

Just to bring closure to my issue here. I turned the air suspension switch off, jacked up the rear of the car, put jackstands under the axle tubes, and flipped the switch on again. I then, disconnected the bar between the Watts link and the ride height sensor.

Then, with the ignition on, I pushed on the lever arm of the ride height sensor to mimic the rear suspension being in too low a position. The compressor turned on and inflated the bags, until I once again moved the lever arm on the ride height sensor.

I then adjusted the sliding part on the Watts link so that the link bar could be re-installed. Now the car sits at a good height, and the air suspension warning light is no longer on.

So, the problem is fixed, with no parts being replaced. The only mystery remaining, as far as I can see, is why the warning light went on in the first place.