FAQ: Automatic Leveling Control (ALC) Concerns

BTW, I usually have plenty of the 1/8" OD black air line in stock, that this coupler is used with.

Yes, only one more needed (one for each side). I managed to squish both of them somehow, but one lets a little air through. It's no big deal, except my driver's side is 1" higher than my passenger side rear!

On the way!

Where's the fuse for the air ride compressor? I asked on regalgs.org a looong time ago and didn't get around to pulling it. Now I can't find the thread. What a dumbass. I'll do it this time

my 96 manual shows it is fuse #2 under the rear seat. labeled ELC (electronic level control)

Dave, I received both fittings. Thanks again, you're a life saver!

Happy to be of service.

Help out an idiot, which one is #2?

the problem is the title. my air shocks are not inflating. sumtime this week im gonna replace all the air lines and the air drier and see if that works. i know the air compressor works, but i didnt test it to see if it leaks before i reinstalled it. if it is a leak in the compressor assembly.....does anyone know if you can take the compressor from a new car and clip the connectors to hook it up to our cars??? and secondly has anyone tried to open the cylinder head or compressor to try and rebuild it???

i'll let you know what happens when i replace the air lines. i hav to fix this problem before i put 22 on my baby!!!!!!!!

before you change out all the air lines check the schocks themselves. maybe there is the prob?

Is the compressor running? All the time? Does it ever shut off? How do you know the compressor works if the shocks are not inflating?

These systems are really simple. Shouldn't be tough to diagnose. Usually it is the shocks being old and leaking, but if that's the case the compressor should be running nearly all the time.

So I was sick of hearing the elc pump run and run everytime I would turn the car on and decided to look into it this past weekend. The pump barley puts out any psi and I am wanting to convert the shocks over to just a manual process but was wondering how I would go about it? I have monroe's installed and want to put some type of a fitting on the shocks and run airlines to a schrader valve. Has anyone done this or somthing similar. Thanks

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/suspension-handling-f6/write-up-rear-shock-air-compressor-elc-t1280.htm

yes, its been done. The problem is that I believe the shocks will eventually will leak air. The leveling system and pump corrected this by re-adjusting the height whenever you start the car.

my pump ran until it timed out, and I realized that was due to my shocks being blown out and not holding any pressure. I replaced my pump with an switch controlled manual airpump in the trunk for my airshocks.

Does your pump run all the time? It's supposed to run for a few seconds right after startup, that's part of a normal system check.

Mine ran all the time when I had a leaking rear shock. The pump eventually burned out.

The shocks are only about 6 months old so I think I can rule them out. It just doesn't seem to be producing enough air to maintain constant pressure. It runs everytime I turn the car off then on again. It might be the lines were they connect but I just installed new o rings on each end. The pump runs until it times out. dreww, how did you connect the air lines to the shocks?

My shocks were 6 weeks old when they leaked. It was a damaged air connection where it meets the shock. I needed to buy new connection lines and fittings, not much $ at all.

Where did you pick up the lines and fittings?

AA wrote:

My shocks were 6 weeks old when they leaked. It was a damaged air connection where it meets the shock. I needed to buy new connection lines and fittings, not much $ at all.

exactly, mine lasted about 1-2 yrs max until they went.
these got about a year on them.

You may not want to do this - but - when I replaced my air shocks I noticed pump ran awful long - so I took the air lines off the shocks and jacked the rear up so the wheels hang down. In the service manual it shows where you can use a floor jack on one of the chassis members to jack up the back.

Anyway, the point is to fill the shockes with air, attach the fittings, then lower the car and turn the key to 'on' - the system will then bleed out air to the right level, and if there are no leaks will not have to work so hard to pump up shocks.

if you do need replacement lines, try Ed Morad or actually, the tubing assembly is $13.60 from gmpartsdirect.com, I think it is p/n 25632302. Double check with them before ordering.

Albertj

What do you mean, runs until it times out? How long does it stay running for?

I think it runs for about 5 minutes then shuts itself off. The problem that I am having is that when it is done running there is no air in the shocks so I think my pumps shot. Maybe I will go the manual route with the Monroe kit.

96RIVMANN wrote:

I think it runs for about 5 minutes then shuts itself off. The problem that I am having is that when it is done running there is no air in the shocks so I think my pumps shot. Maybe I will go the manual route with the Monroe kit.

for what its worth, my pump put out very little pressure too. But the sound of it never changed so Im pretty sure you dont need alot of pressure. The point is to slowly inflate them until level.

my aftermarket airpump is alot stronger (and a decade newer), but also louder. You know how Buick is about noise.

The air lines are very narrow so that it requires only a little bit of air to inflate the shocks. I doubt the pump needs to move much air at all.

Definitely a low volume/low pressure application. I'm surprised the oem compressor isn't even quieter. I replaced my original shocks with new Monroes last year and hardly EVER hear it run anymore. Probably because it no longer runs when I start up or shut down, since the new Monroes are holding their air.