Ok group, I need some advice.

I have a 97 Expedition XLT, 5.4l, rear air, tow package. I tow a 16' trailer for our local FD full of SAR gear.

I noticed that when I tow the back is pretty soft...not bottoming out or anything, but a little too much 'boat' action on the freeway. I thought a way to reduce this was to put on a set of AirLift 1000 air bags inside the springs to stiffen up the rear end (AirLift claims up to 1000lbs 'stiffness' at the max 35psi). I decided to splurge and get the compressor and gauge setup since I may be hooked to the trailer for days on end.

Install was a breeze. I mounted the compressor above the spare tire. I drilled a hole through the spare tire mounting bracket, put in a rubber grommet and ran the line to a T fitting (one output to the gauge, the other to another T that splits to each air bag. The line that goes to the gauge follows the e-brake line on the driver side, through another hole in the floorboard (with rubber grommet) under the dash to the side of the center console where the manufacturer's gauge/shrader valve/switch assembly sat.

The system ran pretty well, but I was losing more air than the manufacturer said I should (5-8psi overnight). I sprayed the entire line with soapy water (except the compressor and the gague/switch/shrader valve assembly) and didn't find any leaks, so I thought something was wrong with either the gauge assembly or the compressor. They offered to send me a 'check valve' to put between the lines and the compressor to stop the leaks.

I'm still waiting on the valve, and I couldn't stand the original gauge assembly, so I purchased an A-Pillar gauge pod and routed the gauge to one part of the pod and made a custom filler for the 2nd part of the pod to hold the shrader valve and switch. I used the same T-fitting that was on the gague/valve assembly, just extended the lines up the a-pillar.

Now I'm leaking twice as much air with no additional fittings! I don't understand it - unless they use some kind of sealant at the factory, I shouldn't be leaking any more air (unless a leak in the compressor has become much worse).

At this point, I'm trying to find clamps for the 1/4" od line that came with the kit (they didn't provde enough for all of the fittings you need) and am considering taking out one of the 'push-fit' T fittings and using a brass t-fitting instead (not sure I trust the cheap-looking 'press-fit' fittings).

Does anyone here have experience with air-assisted suspension setups like this?
Is their a sealant I can put on the fittings to help curb air loss?
Should I consider changing the air lines/fittings to something more reliable?
Should I consider something like those Rancho adjustable shocks on the rear?

I LOVE the ride when the bags are working at about 20psi with a full trailer - but at this rate I'll be hitting the compressor every 15 minutes while driving just to maintain the pressure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Rob

Moderator, can you cross-post this or reference it to the Expedition list as well?

 

After a call to AirLift and some digging I think I've solved the problem.

My initial install of the system was fine with only a small leak (I think it was leaking through the internal check valve of the compressor). I called AirLift and they sent me an additional check valve and some clamps (if you get the kit and the Load Controller, you'll be short on clamps).

A week ago I couldn't stand the oem gauge/switch assembly (couldn't find a good place to mount it, etc.) so I purchased a gauge pod assembly and did some custom work on the tubing to have the gauge mounted on the A pillar along with the inflate switch and relief valve in one of the gauge pods. I noticed the leak got a little worse afterward, but I thought maybe it was just the leak in the compressor getting worse.

I went through the system again, ensuring all hose-clamp joints had straight hose edges and clamps...spraying the fittings with soapy water. I noticed I had a leak in a T connector behind the kick panel where the tubing comes through the floorboards to the gauge/switch assembly. I couldn't get the hose off (it was pretty cold this weekend) so I had to cut the hose off of the fitting. My issue was immediately apparent when I saw the razor knife left a small cut in the brass fitting. I guess that's enough to let air leak out when the hose is cold and you don't have a clamp.

I didn't want to wait for replacement fittings, so I took some sealant I use for tents and the like - it's flexible like rubber when dried. put just a touch around the t-fittings before sliding the hose on and over 2 days I've lost about 1-2psi (well below the 2-5psi over 24 hours that the manufacturer says is acceptable).

Thought I'd put that out there for anyone who is considering purchasing an AirLift or Firestone kit or that has one that leaks. I was close to just having custom springs made or using Rancho RS9000's, but this ended up costing $5 in adhesive that I already had lying around the garage.