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Comments
I was having similar issue with my 03 Gator on 24 inch rims. Back in August of 08 I took it to the dealership (Oursiman of Alexandria, in Northern Virginia) to be looked at. They diagnosed and so far have changed the following:
Air Compressor Right Front Side
Right Front Side Sensor
Replaced all three Adjusted Aims
Left Ride Height Sensor
Rear Height Sensor
Total cost of the above $2513.60 (very painful)
The system worked for roughly eight months and failed again. I took it today and they tell me there is a $500 relay that needs to be changed before they can continue testing to see what is wrong. Yeah, that is what I said.
Anyways, I called Suncore but they tell me they can’t give me the name of anyone in the Northern Virginia area that can do the change for me until I buy the conversion kits because it is against their company policy. I would give up the vehicle except it is highly customized and I have put a lot into it already. I will appreciate it if anyone in the DC, VA and MD area is on here who knows of a shop that can give me a quote as to how much it will be for the conversion.
Please send the PDF manual for 03 NAV to me as well if you don't mind. My address is doffoh@hotmail.com.
doffoh at hotmail dot com.
Thanks a lot.
my problem in the morning the commpresor dosen't work and my nav is all the way down, probably after 15 or 20 min. the commpresor turns on. some body can help me?">
How To Find Your Car Owner's Manual Online
Unless you mean a repair manual. This may tide you over until you can locate one:
Online Repair Manuals
New guy here.. I wanted to know if there was a way to check the air suspension relay. I just had the rear air bags replaced along with the relay and the back dropped again.
I took it back and this time they told me it was the Compressor. I bypassed the relay and the compressor turned on. So I took it to another dealer and they told me it was the control module. I want to make sure its not just the relay before I switch out the control module.
Does anyone know a way to test the relay? I think I read somewhere you can swap it with another relay in the Navi, but I can not locate that info to try it out. Any help would be appreciated..
Thank you
I'M NEW WITH THIS FORUMS, BUT DON'T WE ALL THINKS THAT FORD SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS DAME ISSUES WITH THEIR SO CALL" DYNAMIC AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM"? I MEAN IT'S OBVIOUS THAT EVERYONE WHO HAD A NAVIGATOR HAS HAD SOME SORT OF PROBLEMS WITH THESE AIR SUSPENSION, I, MYSELF ALSO OWN AN 04' NAVIGATOR AND HAS BEEN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT OSUSPENSION OF NOT BEING ABLE TO AIR UP, BROUGHT TO THE DEALER HAD IT DIAGNOSED, THEY'VE TOLD ME THAT I HAVE AN AIRBAG LEAKAGE, I HAD BOTH OF THE FRONT BAGS CHANGED OUT FOR ABOUT $1,000 AND THAT'S JUST PARTS ONLY, STILL DOESN'T FIX THE PROBLEMS, CALLED THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY TOLD TO BRING THE TRUCK IN FOR THEM TO RE-CALIBRATE THE SYSTEM, AND AT THIS POINT I'M VERY SKEPTICAL IF THEY'RE GONNA GIVE ME THAT BAD DIAGNOST AGAIN. WELL MY PROBLEM IS STILL THERE BUT IF ANY ONE CAN OFFER ME SOME SORT OF HELPS I'LL BE REALLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU SO MUCH
thanx
For those of you with a low-rider Navigator that is low in the back the first thing to check is the relay as it is a $115 dollar part you can pick up and change yourself. Also, you can test to see if the relay is the problem by bypassing it. How? Follow these steps.. (this is straight from the Ford/Lincoln Service CD)
1) Locate Suspension Relay (behind passenger headlight - next to the horn - small amp looking like box - access from the ground, underneath the car - with a 4 post plug going into it).
2) Pull the 4-post plug
3) The manual says to connect a bypass wire "10 guage with 50A fuse" (I used about a 4" long - 14 guage wire - no fuse) from post A to post B (the left two posts when looking at the plug and the tab is on top)
4) If the relay is the problem you will immediately hear the compressor start to air-up your shocks - just don't leave the wire there for more than 30-40 seconds as it will get hot and you risk burning out your compressor.
5) Once your shocks are aired up and the back end is not longer a low rider then you should be able to drive around for a few days before leaks in the system let the air out - enough time to get to the dealer and get a new air compressor relay.
If this does not solve the problem then you likely have a bad air compressor.
wrecking driving and out of the blue hitting the ceiling for miles and then to be towed and unable to solve the problem at the Lincoln or Ford dealers. At this point all I can say is save yourself a lot of headaches and money and do the conversion.
Maybe you missed my email but your earlier post was removed because we don't support the posting of individual phone numbers in the forum.
Hope you get back on the road soon!
They think the parts should be in Wednesday or Thursday and do the repair on Friday and then I will be able to return
home (Las Vegas) This has been such a trial. I am hoping I will be like you and Never have to worry again. It is a long
return trip so I will definitely know that I have solved the problem. Thanks for your input.
I did this last week. It is the best thing I have ever done. The truck handles so well.
Tully
Thanks
John
Thanks
John
Ok, so I too have suspension issues that will cost me nearly $5K at the local dealership to repair (including $1K in labor costs). I'm getting a seriously bad/bumpy ride on an intermittant basis, the problem seems to be in the front. The Service Manager informs me that I need to replace both air bags, the air compressor, and the computer module before the problem will go away. As I don't have that kind of cash, what can we do short of a wholesale replacement to get my baby riding smoothly again? Is the relay the real fix here?
Third Trip To Dealer
NavFrank
The relay would be the first thing I would check. Follow the instructions below to check it.... If this does not work and you can not or do not for that matter spend the ridiculous amount of money that the dealer like to rip you off for, you can always swap out the entire suspension for spring and shock... Check Strutmasters.com or Suncoreindustries.com.... Good luck and let us all know what you end up doing...
Going to re-post this because people are asking.... Thank you MattyMo..
For those of you with a low-rider Navigator that is low in the back the first thing to check is the relay as it is a $115 dollar part you can pick up and change yourself. Also, you can test to see if the relay is the problem by bypassing it. How? Follow these steps.. (this is straight from the Ford/Lincoln Service CD)
1) Locate Suspension Relay (behind passenger headlight - next to the horn - small amp looking like box - access from the ground, underneath the car - with a 4 post plug going into it).
2) Pull the 4-post plug
3) The manual says to connect a bypass wire "10 guage with 50A fuse" (I used about a 4" long - 14 guage wire - no fuse) from post A to post B (the left two posts when looking at the plug and the tab is on top)
4) If the relay is the problem you will immediately hear the compressor start to air-up your shocks - just don't leave the wire there for more than 30-40 seconds as it will get hot and you risk burning out your compressor.
5) Once your shocks are aired up and the back end is not longer a low rider then you should be able to drive around for a few days before leaks in the system let the air out - enough time to get to the dealer and get a new air compressor relay.
If this does not solve the problem then you likely have a bad air compressor.
You have to access the relay from the ground.. From the passenger side, Laying on the ground looking up, it should be located attached to the frame by the bumper.
This is where it is located on my 98 Navi and after trying to find answers in a lot of different places, it looks like they have not moved it from there.. Good luck...
I got it fixed and found out I was thinking in the box and I don’t know everything. I was looking for other problems with the control module, which were not there, because I did not understand how it works. I have worked in electronics for over 45 years and know how a relay works. I could not understand why the car would not rise up with the service switch ON, the doors closed and the car running, with the relay jumper in pin A & B and the compressor running. I found out the compressor relay is a dealer only part and paid the local dealer $140 for one. When replaced, everything worked fine. Somehow the relay is sensed by the control module, which is needed to open the entire fill and gate solenoids. It is not used just as an electrical relay to switch the Hi current for the compressor; it does more, how I don’t know. If the compressor works when you jump the relay, replace the relay and go from there, do not look for other problems like I did until you change the relay. If it does not work after you replace the relay, remember the service switch, check the 3 inside fuses, close all doors and start the car, before looking to replace the control module. Bob.
I was thinking it was maybe the ride height sensors in the rear. But can't find them. My theory was they were being read at being at the correct level already, so the solenoids didn't kick on to let air in. Any idea where the ride height sensors are?
So, I guess I should buy myself a relay and try that? Now off to search for the part number!
We did not replace the dryer on the airpump. However in the process of removing the struts the platic hose connectors broke, so we replaced this assembly.
In effect we have replaced everything but the dryer and the pump at this point. The front of car is now droped on both sides. Is there a recalibration needed to get the system running again? the Air suspension system waring light is on at the dash board. The system shut off swithc at the rear is back on...could this be faulty?
I guess the real question is... do we need to take the car to the dealer to recalibrate the suspension system?
No longer will your ride sit fat on 22’s and catch that look you paid for when buying the Navi noooooo, now you get to look like a “ratard”.
I purchased the coil over struts to replace my failing air ride system, and NOWHERE on STRUTMASTERS website OR accompanying instructions is it mentioned that your ride will ride SOOOOO high. (Gee, I wonder why? Perhaps because if potential purchasers knew this, we would consider something else? Or make us sign a waiver that the ride height would be forever altered?)
When the vehicle was at the Lincoln dealer for service after installation of the STRUTMASTER product, the service manager approached me as I was paying my bill and asked if I wanted them to investigate why the vehicle height was so askew.
(What does THAT tell you.)
Anyway, the final answer from the company salesperson who sold them to me after months of asking for a refund or re-engineered product? He assured me that I was the ONLY person complaining as they had installed hundreds of systems on many navigators for numerous Lincoln dealers and yet would not provide any contact information so I could inquire as to the satisfaction or measurements of such installs. “I wish you well.” I wish you well? That’s it?
Bottom line? Buy STRUTMASTER products AT YOUR OWN RISK.
If you want to see before and afters, drop me an email. louiefrias@cox.net
My passenger front side is on the stop all the way down.
I just replaced the air compressor. When the car is put in drive the compressor kicks on for about 3 to 4 seconds then shuts off. After cycling the car on and off and putting it into drive with my foot on the brake, (after I did this about 5 times) the compressor kicked on and ran for about 30 seconds. It DID NOT fill my passenger front side, but OVERFILLED the drivers rear until the bag was at maximum capacity.
I disconnected the relay and jumped it with a 10 gauge wire and let it run for 20 seconds or so. Nothing on the passenger side filled. I could hear any air trying to get in just push by as if the solenoid is stuck closed. I reset the rear switch but to no avail.
Now I have the passenger side front down all the way and the drivers rear up all the way.
THIS is CRAZY. No idea what to do now..
Any ideas or suggestions??
thanks
:mad:
I put the Nav in to 4wheel Low and dropped it in drive with my foot on the brake. Sure enough, the compressor kicked on as expected but did not fill or inflate the pass. front air bag at all.
It ran for about 30 seconds and shut off. The drivers rear is still filled to the max. The drivers front, and passenger rears look normal.
How can I let some air out of the drivers rear that is now about 9 inches above the tire!
this is nuts....