Air suspension options

[Andy Rubalcaba]

Hey y'all, i'll be replacing my rear air suspension on my '08 EL Limited, do you recommend OEM or aftermarket? and all I could find so far is that sundown makes some but can't tell if that is the actual OEM provider?

edit: I meant Suncore, not Sundown. I must have been daydreaming about subs lol.

 

[Andy Rubalcaba]

Well my OEM Air suspension bag/strut assemblies come on Monday, i've seen a few videos of people doing conversions to coil springs, which is the only data i've seen on how to actually replace the air suspension ( looks simple enough though ).

is there anything I should know? has anyone replaced the air suspension before? i'm just wondering if i need to unplug the battery, or be careful with certain things when swapping the assemblies, are the air lines going to be pressurized that i need to worry about?

never done this job before so i'd appreciate any pointers.

 

[Frank Wilson]

I'll be following your experience on this.

 

[Andy Rubalcaba]

I'll be following your experience on this.

sure thing i'll be posting pics along the way. i'm surprised there's not much info out there for those who are replacing the air suspension, it seems people just want to put coil springs to not deal with the system but I don't find the suspension or compressor to be all that expensive ( Suncore has the compressor assembly for just over 100$ )

 

[Aspen03]

There probably isn't much info in it because until somewhat recently there wasn't much aftermarket support and it was such an expensive replacement I would venture to guess thst those who spent the $4k to do it went ahead and also paid the labor.

I'll be sure to bookmark this as well, now thst we own a navigator with air, it may be useful one day. Unless we just couldn't afford a replacement shed never let me take her air ride away.

I've not done the job but unless it's needed for some reason I'd unhook battery and I'm pretty sure you can jump the vent solenoid to empty the system if you're concerned about pressure.

 

[Andy Rubalcaba]

There probably isn't much info in it because until somewhat recently there wasn't much aftermarket support and it was such an expensive replacement I would venture to guess thst those who spent the $4k to do it went ahead and also paid the labor.

I'll be sure to bookmark this as well, now thst we own a navigator with air, it may be useful one day. Unless we just couldn't afford a replacement shed never let me take her air ride away.

I've not done the job but unless it's needed for some reason I'd unhook battery and I'm pretty sure you can jump the vent solenoid to empty the system if you're concerned about pressure.

I believe the bag portion ( everything essentially with the strut taken out of it, resulting in you utilizing your old strut ) is 250$ for the pair from what I saw on amazon. shipping came from Florida so it has taken a little over a week, so keep that in mind in case you're in a oh shit situation. but if anything, mine were already showing symptoms which is why I pulled the trigger, so you likely may see it coming ahead of time.

 

[07navi]

There are vids on youtube that show how to do that. I wish the former owner didn't take the bags out but too late now. Nobody wants to deal with them. They went from all four wheels with bags, to 2, to none at the factory.

 

[Andy Rubalcaba]

There are vids on youtube that show how to do that. I wish the former owner didn't take the bags out but too late now. Nobody wants to deal with them. They went from all four wheels with bags, to 2, to none at the factory.

for this vehicle in particular it just seems so easy to work with, I don't see the issue tbh. I was getting ready to do all kinds of stuff to my Rover before it got totaled, believe me these Fords are WAY simpler to work on ( I had already done a few things to it ).

anywho the install seems simple was just checking to see if I should note anything such as line pressure or certain bolds that may need to be tightened when truck back on the ground possibly.

 

[Andy Rubalcaba]

I failed to take pics along the wait with only a few to show for my efforts lol. honestly it's a pretty easy install, here's some things of note:

started with the top 3 bolts which are 15mm, just use a ratcheting wrench. then undo the strut bolt which is 30mm but make sure to use a deep well, mine was shallow ( go figures the only shallow socket that I don't have a deep one for ) so I had to use channel locks and crack open the back end; the back end ( captured nut ) is a 27mm and can use shallow if wanted.

then move over to the next bolt in middle which are same sizes. I did hit them with PB Blaster for a few hours while waiting for the parts to be delivered, however with my Mid Torque wrench I don't know if I even needed it lol.

the air line and plug is easy to deal with, and my strut assembly came very easily out of the upper mount plate and lower arm.



all in all, easy job just make sure to have a serious torque wrench impact drill on hand, or rent one if you need to.

 

[Kevin08]

Good job! I want to do this to my 08 someday soon. Previous owner swapped air for coils. Still has compressor, level sensor, but he I guess he left the solenoids on the air struts. Will just plugging solenoids in to the wire connectors stop the air suspension warning in my 08? I’m trying to find a pair in junk yard but looks like every Expedition & Navigator has already been swapped out for coils.

Anyone know what resistance the control module is looking for at the solenoid connector? Is it possible to put a resistor or light bulb at that connector so the module sees a solenoid and stops failure warning?