[Sierragolfcharly]

I bought a 1997 STS with a HG blown and unknown other problems. After fixing the HG with a Timesert kit I found that the rear suspension had a leaking strut. I bought a Arnott replacement kit and put in 2 passive leveling struts with the by-pass. Then about 2 months later the system stopped working again with a code for the leveling pump solenoid was shorting to ground. I checked it out and found out that the solenoid in the compressor was bad. I replaced the compressor from a junk car and installed it. The system worked fine for about a week, then nothing.
The rear is now just not inflated, I never hear the compressor run, and there is no codes. I checked the level/height sensors and they give almost identical readouts at the same height.
Anyone have any ideas about where to look? I need to take the car on a 5+ hr trip one way in a week and a half and would like to have the suspension up and running.

Additional testing I have done:
I have ran the compressor manually to make sure it will still fill the struts (hooked power to the compressor from its wires under the car)

 

[Ranger]

Have you checked the fuse?

 

[Sierragolfcharly]

Yes, the car has 3 fuses labeled RSS 2 of them are 10amp, the other is a 20amp I belive, possibly a 30. I checked and all 3 of them are good both visibly and with a meter. Is there another fuse that deals with the compressor itself or the system that is labeled something other than RSS?

 

[Ranger]

I'm not sure.

 

[N*Caddy]

The following fuses are to be checked:
ELC Circuit breaker (located on the Maxifuse block)
RSS 10A fuses - 2 fuses (located in the trunk compartment fuse block)
IGN 0-BODY 10A fuse (located in the trunk compartment fuse block)
Also check the ELC relay (located on the trunk compartment relay center)
Also check the G403 motor ground (remove the rear seat back rest and is the only ground bolted on the left side of the “V” cross bar).

 

[Sierragolfcharly]

OK, I tried the fuses and they were all good, then I plugged in my test connection to see what the car was feeding the pump. It showed it at full voltage, so I tried manually running the pump again, and it wouldn't work this time, so I thought maybe it was a stuck brush... (ya never know...) tapping the motor I could get it to bump (as in run for a split second like 1-2 revolutions). So I pulled the pump out of the car to check it on the bench. I was in the process of removing the motor from the compressor when I noticed that the screw that the piston rides on was partially unscrewed and rubbing on the case.
I took the screw out and greased the needle barring that rides on it and put a drop of loctite on the threads and tightened the screw good; reassembled the whole thing and now it is working fine.

Thanks for the help. I was hoping it was something easy that I had overlooked.


BTW does anyone know if there is a way to have the computer raise the back of the car a little? I have always thought that the back was a tiny bit low (another 1/2 - 1 inch range)?

The beauty that comes with older used cars, frustrating yet fulfilling. :thumbsup:

 

[Ranger]

You can probably make a height adjustment with the actuator arm.

 

[Submariner409]

S G C, tackline, As Ranger posted, you could get a little creative with the height control sensor link arm, but be careful - some who have had an arm disconnect have had the shocks pump up solid with the result of a rear end that hops all over the road. The STS should carry about an inch of rake at normal rear height - check it out from a distance in a big parking lot.

Were/are you a skivvie waver ??