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What is this Part?


joe n suzanne
05-24-2005, 09:18 AM
We have a 98 PA, and while looking under the car, seeing how hard it is to replace the rear struts, I seen this electrical rectangular device near the drivers side rear lower control arm.

It has a small rod that hooks to the lower drivers side rear control arm, and the electrical part is hooked solid to the car lower frame. It looks like the small rod would move up or down according to vechile load. I really dont know, and that is why I am asking does anyone know what this part is and what does it do? I am just a curious owner and do some of the work myself.
Thanks for any help
Joe

deadring
05-24-2005, 10:27 AM
thats part of the dynaride suspension system, its supposed to keep the rerar of the car leveled...let's say you put something heavy in the trunk of the car, the rear end will lower.. well this device sees that by means of an encoder and then activates the air compressor under the hood ,beside the air box, and puts air in the rear shocks to get the car to level. if you would remove that heavy thing in the trunk there would be too much air and the rear would get MUCH higher than the front.. then the box would the the opposit, it would remove air from the rear shock until the rear end is leveled...

the box cost about 650$ CDN and mine is fryed... so i installed a switch to be able to adjust it myself ..which i dont do often.


by the way, if you plan to changed the rear struts because they SEEM too soft or busted, you should try to power the compressor and inflate them to see if there really busted..it's normal for air to escape over time from them.. thats why the compressor will start up once in a while even if your carrying anything heavy.

your problem must be that little black box under the suspension that must be fryed.. and its not telling the compressor to add air to the struts... oh and the struts are special... you cannot replace them with conventionnal ones since the coil springs are made softer because they are matched with the struts which are more stiff than normal ones

so , to start off, you should, if you wanna save some cash.. (hell we all do) is to get that compressor running ( maybe hes fryed who knows) by hot wiring it then inflate the struts to see if they hold there air long enough.. like a week or something.. if they DO keep there air, then change the black box or install a switch like i did... which would cost about 10$ instead of 400-500 $ USD... you have alot more chances that the box is fryed then the struts.. oh and btw, if by any chance, the struts are dead dont buy the ones at the dealer which cost a fortune.. in canada there like 900$ CDN /pair not installed. the ones at a good strut shop are like 90$ each and will be as good. i think MONROE makes some.

hope this helps

deadring

joe n suzanne
05-24-2005, 12:09 PM
Dead Ring, thanks so much for the great info. I dont know if my black box is bad or not, but the reason I have to change the struts is because they have oil coming out the bottom of them. So even though there is air pressure going to them, it seems like the oil seals are leaking at the bottom. I thought they were just air struts, but they most probably have oil in them to.

But I will try all your good tips concerning the black box (making a switch) and also seeing if they at least hold air. I do know that the compressor comes on when I back out the driveway when the car sits over night. Oh and my air compressor is stuffed under the passenger rear fender way in the back by the bumper. You can hardly see the darn thing.

Thanks deadring

Joe

deadring
05-24-2005, 01:27 PM
hey no problem,

i didnt know they changed the location of the compressor...mine is right beside the engine and very easy to see and work on.

if you say your compressor comes on, then no worries, the box is alright and so is the compressor.. so that leaves you with the bad struts... one thing is for sure, if you do have a bad strut, and it leaks.. the compressor will try to inflate the darn things till the battery goes dead or the compressor dies.. so if you do see oil leaking from the struts it might be time for some new ones.. just dont buy the the original AC-delco at the dealer.. go for some after market like monroe..

for a fraction of the cost they will be better... and even if it would last half the time of the originals, it would still be logical to buy the aftermarket ones ;)

cheers

deadring

joe n suzanne
05-24-2005, 04:15 PM
Deadring, it is definitely leaking oil out of the drivers rear strut. I went to Monoroe web site and they have struts for the 98 PA part#ma822. I will try and find a parts store out here in this little town we live in that handles monroe struts. The auto zone here just seems to like gabriel shocks and struts. Matter of fact, auto zone dont even carry a strut for my car. But I think Tire Town has monroe sturts.
Thanks again for all the info. And yep, my compressor is hidden under the very rear passenger rear fenderwell. What a place to put a compressor. The spare tire well has it all jammed in a little space.

Joe

BigRed
07-21-2005, 10:55 AM
Hey Dead Ring HOW do you put a swit :icon16: ch to the compressor...Thanks!!

HotZ28
07-21-2005, 05:02 PM
hey no problem,

i didnt know they changed the location of the compressor...mine is right beside the engine and very easy to see and work on.

if you say your compressor comes on, then no worries, the box is alright and so is the compressor.. so that leaves you with the bad struts... one thing is for sure, if you do have a bad strut, and it leaks.. the compressor will try to inflate the darn things till the battery goes dead or the compressor dies.. so if you do see oil leaking from the struts it might be time for some new ones.. just dont buy the the original AC-delco at the dealer.. go for some after market like monroe..

for a fraction of the cost they will be better... and even if it would last half the time of the originals, it would still be logical to buy the aftermarket ones ;)

cheers

deadring


:shakehead
I have to take exception to two statements mentioned above.

First; (quote) “if you say your compressor comes on, then no worries, the box is alright and so is the compressor”.

I have seen many of these compressors “come on”, and not pump air. They just run through the whole five minute timed interval and will not pump 10 psi. The compressor will run, but it will not compress air!

Second; (quote) “the compressor will try to inflate the darn things till the battery goes dead or the compressor dies”

The compressor is on a timed interval of five minutes, so it would not run until it dies or runs your battery down. Also, the compressor has a 20amp fuse that would blow before the compressor would die, burn up or lock up. The fuse also protects the compressor in the event you stop and start the timed interval circuit repeatedly; Example; during a thirty minute interval. (Go 1 mile, turn off ignition, go another mile, turn off ignition, and so on) The timer resets each time when the ignition is turned off!
:2cents:

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