Autoride suspension help

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Yeah, just ordered the pump and a new line kit. Figured I'd do it all. Oh, and I used the 5% discount code found elsewhere on this site
 

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So I realize its been a bit since I last updated. Work has been busy so no time to work on the car. But I since my last post, I have tried 2 new compressors. 1 more Dorman product and an arnott. Both will air up after I install them because the shocks will be empty. Then the first 2-3 starts after that I can hear the system exhaust a bit and turn on for the initial check. Since then the compressor has not ran again. Shocks are still full, but no compressor run on start up. I am lost at this point.

I am trying to get this resolved before spring as I tow our boat with this vehicle every weekend in the warm months.
If it is holding air you should be fine, feel the bladder in the morning before you start it up, then after you have been driving around a bit feel it again before you shut it off.
 

wsteele

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So I realize its been a bit since I last updated. Work has been busy so no time to work on the car. But I since my last post, I have tried 2 new compressors. 1 more Dorman product and an arnott. Both will air up after I install them because the shocks will be empty. Then the first 2-3 starts after that I can hear the system exhaust a bit and turn on for the initial check. Since then the compressor has not ran again. Shocks are still full, but no compressor run on start up. I am lost at this point.

I am trying to get this resolved before spring as I tow our boat with this vehicle every weekend in the warm months.

Is there any way you can get access to a scanner that can check the GM codes. A Tech 2 (or maybe one of the pro scanners) can tell you if you have a C0660 code. If you do and you likely don’t have a bad compressor/exhaust solenoid, everything I have read on the subject says you might have a harness issue (probably in the connector) or a ride level sensor issue and/or wiring to one of those.

If you can’t check for the code, maybe just having a very close look at the connectors to all three, maybe some basic continuity checks? Sometimes a corroded connector will be real obvious when you unplug it and have a look see at the conductors.
 

George B

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Is there any way you can get access to a scanner that can check the GM codes. A Tech 2 (or maybe one of the pro scanners) can tell you if you have a C0660 code. If you do and you likely don’t have a bad compressor/exhaust solenoid, everything I have read on the subject says you might have a harness issue (probably in the connector) or a ride level sensor issue and/or wiring to one of those.

If you can’t check for the code, maybe just having a very close look at the connectors to all three, maybe some basic continuity checks? Sometimes a corroded connector will be real obvious when you unplug it and have a look see at the conductors.
Seeing if there is a code would be a big help.
 

George B

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Went out and checked this morning. Still holding air. I won’t have any weight to move until Saturday but I am confident it is fixed.

To wrap it up here is what I found. It seems I had two problems.
  1. The rear shock air bladders were leaking. Not a lot but enough to loose pressure over time. They were always flat in the morning.
  2. The compressor seemed to lack the ability to consistently raise the vehicle. Then I was doing my testing it was like the check valve was slipping and I couldn’t produce the pressure without running a very long time. It is hard to diagnose a leak because with the truck unloaded the system doesn’t require more that a few PSI to be level so it would just dump the pressure right away when the compressor would shut off.
 

Rocket Man

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Went out and checked this morning. Still holding air. I won’t have any weight to move until Saturday but I am confident it is fixed.

To wrap it up here is what I found. It seems I had two problems.
  1. The rear shock air bladders were leaking. Not a lot but enough to loose pressure over time. They were always flat in the morning.
  2. The compressor seemed to lack the ability to consistently raise the vehicle. Then I was doing my testing it was like the check valve was slipping and I couldn’t produce the pressure without running a very long time. It is hard to diagnose a leak because with the truck unloaded the system doesn’t require more that a few PSI to be level so it would just dump the pressure right away when the compressor would shut off.
Awesome.:favorites37:
 

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First time poster (be gentle) adding to this thread because I have a suspension question.... I recently bought a 2009 Yukon XL with bad rear shocks (bladders are blown on both sides; compressor is still functional). I'm thinking about replacing with Arnott AS-3430s, but I will lose Autoride capabilities (if I followed this thread carefully enough).... should I care if I don't regularly tow large loads? What does Autoride actually do in these trucks? Thanks in advance for your help.
 

George B

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The autoride adjusts the shock dampening based on several factors. I just bought the remanufactured shocks and they are great so far. I would retain the auto ride if I were you.
 

wjburken

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First time poster (be gentle) adding to this thread because I have a suspension question.... I recently bought a 2009 Yukon XL with bad rear shocks (bladders are blown on both sides; compressor is still functional). I'm thinking about replacing with Arnott AS-3430s, but I will lose Autoride capabilities (if I followed this thread carefully enough).... should I care if I don't regularly tow large loads? What does Autoride actually do in these trucks? Thanks in advance for your help.
Welcome to the forum from Iowa.

Just to clarify.
AutoRide adjusts the dampening of the shocks based on the senses road conditions.

AutoLevel adjusts the ride height of the vehicle through the use of height sensors, airbags in the rear shocks and an on-board air compressor.

Two separate systems. Many people will forego the AutoRide, but keep the AutoLevel functionality for towing purposes.
 

wsteele

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First time poster (be gentle) adding to this thread because I have a suspension question.... I recently bought a 2009 Yukon XL with bad rear shocks (bladders are blown on both sides; compressor is still functional). I'm thinking about replacing with Arnott AS-3430s, but I will lose Autoride capabilities (if I followed this thread carefully enough).... should I care if I don't regularly tow large loads? What does Autoride actually do in these trucks? Thanks in advance for your help.

Welcome from Idaho.

I have an Autoride/Autolevel equipped 2007 Yukon. I have owned this ruck since new. I think this system is about the best suspension I have ever had on an SUV/light truck. Both the dampening characteristics and the ride height adjustment in the back are superb.

It does cost more to keep it, I have replaced the compressor once, all 4 corners of dampeners (all OE) and I am pretty sure if I had deleted my system and gone conventional, it would have saved me money and provided perhaps better longevity (I am averaging about 100K miles on the OE components, I think). What I am pretty sure of is the ride flexibility would have been compromised with conventional setups.

Just my opinion though. Pretty sure someone will be along soon to refute everything I just posted, which is fine, it is what makes the world go round. :)
 

MEDAFAP

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Welcome from Idaho.

I have an Autoride/Autolevel equipped 2007 Yukon. I have owned this ruck since new. I think this system is about the best suspension I have ever had on an SUV/light truck. Both the dampening characteristics and the ride height adjustment in the back are superb.

It does cost more to keep it, I have replaced the compressor once, all 4 corners of dampeners (all OE) and I am pretty sure if I had deleted my system and gone conventional, it would have saved me money and provided perhaps better longevity (I am averaging about 100K miles on the OE components, I think). What I am pretty sure of is the ride flexibility would have been compromised with conventional setups.

Just my opinion though. Pretty sure someone will be along soon to refute everything I just posted, which is fine, it is what makes the world go round. :)

Thanks for the quick reply! More specifically, what advantages do you think the Autoride provides? Daily drive ride quality improvement? Ride quality improvement while towing? I've never owned GM before, so I'm just trying to better understand from veterans what I should expect from the system. Thanks again!
 

wsteele

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Thanks for the quick reply! More specifically, what advantages do you think the Autoride provides? Daily drive ride quality improvement? Ride quality improvement while towing? I've never owned GM before, so I'm just trying to better understand from veterans what I should expect from the system. Thanks again!

To me, what it provides is some mitigation to the tradeoffs you are faced with when you pick a specific conventional suspension. That is, the ability for the system to adjust dynamically to the demands it faces at the moment, without you having to live with that "optimized" setup, when things change.

When you go for a more conventional suspension, you generally pick dampening and spring rates and when you are driving in the place those are optimized, you have an optimal setup, otherwise you are getting suboptimal results. It kind of is like tires. If you like to drive off road a lot and pick some very aggressive block tread design, you get much better traction in challenging conditions. The trade off, maybe much higher road noise when barreling down the interstate.

The Autoride/Autolevel system works pretty darn well. The trade off for it is a little higher overall cost of ownership.

There are situations when removing the Autoride/Autolevel is a good choice. If you are going to using your rig for serious off roading and need to do some serious modifications to allow you to get where you want to go, the factory Autoride/Autolevel is going to have to go and likely the setup you get to will work much better in the extremes you might encounter. Also, of course, once deleted when it comes time to replace worn components, pretty much everything is going to be cheaper.
 

George B

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To me, what it provides is some mitigation to the tradeoffs you are faced with when you pick a specific conventional suspension. That is, the ability for the system to adjust dynamically to the demands it faces at the moment, without you having to live with that "optimized" setup, when things change.

When you go for a more conventional suspension, you generally pick dampening and spring rates and when you are driving in the place those are optimized, you have an optimal setup, otherwise you are getting suboptimal results. It kind of is like tires. If you like to drive off road a lot and pick some very aggressive block tread design, you get much better traction in challenging conditions. The trade off, maybe much higher road noise when barreling down the interstate.

The Autoride/Autolevel system works pretty darn well. The trade off for it is a little higher overall cost of ownership.

There are situations when removing the Autoride/Autolevel is a good choice. If you are going to using your rig for serious off roading and need to do some serious modifications to allow you to get where you want to go, the factory Autoride/Autolevel is going to have to go and likely the setup you get to will work much better in the extremes you might encounter. Also, of course, once deleted when it comes time to replace worn components, pretty much everything is going to be cheaper.

^This^
I agree with every word. I can ride in the same comfort while either towing my boat or trailer full of wood or just cruising empty down the interstate. The suspension adapts to what I need it to do in each case. Works really well when it works.
 

George B

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Update to my portion of this thread. My new shocks and compressor have been working well. For a week now. I gave them the true test today hauling fire wood. The system worked as it should and leveled the truck. Other than feeling the trailer pushing me at times the ride was superb.

E9C74FCB-24FF-42DE-9C9F-9A61CB34D220.jpeg
 

Rocket Man

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Great
Update to my portion of this thread. My new shocks and compressor have been working well. For a week now. I gave them the true test today hauling fire wood. The system worked as it should and leveled the truck. Other than feeling the trailer pushing me at times the ride was superb.

View attachment 272693
Great news George.:)
 
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