Possible to bench test air ride sensors?

[Jay_1]

Hi guys,

I have a 2003 Navigator with air suspension. Yesterday, I pulled onto the drive and when I parked up I noticed that the drivers front corner was sitting very high compared to the rest of the car. I have checked the drivers side sensor and moved it manually with no response from the compressor or solenoid. If I manually move the passenger side sensor, the compressor and solenoid kicks in depending on which way i move the sensor.

I'm pretty set on it being a faulty sensor on the drivers side except for the fact that the drivers side is high as opposed to sagging. I also don't have any check suspension warnings or DTC. I was wondering if it's possible to test the sensors with a multimeter? or perhaps swap the drivers to passengers side and manually move the arm to see if the compressor or solenoid responds but im not sure if that would cause problems?

Could I manually force the drivers side to drop by jumping the pins on the connector?

Any help greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Jay

 

[riphip]

Should be able to do so under truck. If 3 wire, 1 should be a ground (easy to check). The switches are $$$ for new replacements. May be able to clean old one with contact cleaner, etc.





Check your area for Pick n Pull that may have some trucks 2003-2006

 

[Jay_1]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm over in the uk so no luck with a pick n pull!

I decided to order a vcm2 and ids as I also have an intermittent misfire so I'm hoping ids will be able to pinpoint the problem.

If it is the sensor, do I need to strip it down to then clean it or is it a case of coating it in contact cleaning and letting it penetrate?
THanks

 

[riphip]

I would try the contact cleaner first. You may even find a wire corroded. Put it back together with some dielectric grease (silicone grease) in the contacts' male & female connections.

 

[Aspen03]

The sensors fail fairly frequently. There are quite a few aftermarket that work just fine and are a fraction of the cost of OEM. The previous owner of our 03 navigator replaced a front w a $35 ebay special and it works fine, had the vehicle for over a year now with no issues from it.

I just ordered a new rear as the current one (OEM) is sticking badly. When it gets into a certain spot it won't move and likes to ride low. I can slip under there quick and move it but a lare enough travel of the suspension will get it back into the spot it hangs up in. There is so much simplicity to these (which is parry why they are garbage) that there isn't much that an oem unit could improve on enough to justify a 1000% price differential. They're very easy to change.

Does the sensor move with little to no effort? When the linkage to it is disconnected it should almost swing freely. If not it's binding up and likely corroded inside. You can test the voltage output on the sensors, I forget the specific range but it tops out at something like 4.5v or so.

The valve can be jumped to vent the air if you need to. Just be aware if you're under it and pressure is released it comes down rather quickly and that would be unpleasant to say the least. I've been under ours when messing with the rear sensor and forgot to turn everything off first. I was just barely under it and slipped out quickly but it sure reminded me to never make that mistake again.

If you have 4wd slap it in 4L and let it raise and shut off the system, it'll raise to its max level and give you room to see/work or at least be able to drive it a bit if needed as it'll likely level out at that point. It'll be a firm ride for sure.

 

[Jay_1]

Thanks for all the replies. I managed to swap the sensors from both sides and tricked the drivers side to lower, so I figured it was indeed a dodgy sensor. It was incredibly hard to move so I ordered an amazon special. Fitted it today and the suspension is now working as it should!

Thanks again