95 PA ride leveling system??

[chevygirl_2004]

hey guys just a simple question. I have a 95 PA and i noticed when you sit in the car a motor runs. My hubby and I were in it the other day and when one of us would get out or in a motor would run. does this car have a leveling system that i didnt know about??? When i would get out of the car it would quit and it dont do it unless someone sits in it. Do i have another nifty perk that i was unaware of.??

[chevygirl_2004]

hey guys. i did some more research and found out that the base sedan came with suspension leveling. cool. ill take it. wasnt sure how to delete my thread so i thought i would let you know that i found the answer. but you guys are the best.

[C man]

yeah there also may be a slight leak in it. mine comes on more often now than when I first got it. Nothing to really worry about though. As long as it doesn't look like a cadillac with no shocks in the rear.

[Jrs3800]

Yep... The Park Avenues came with the Y98( I think it is ) Load Level System... Makes for a better ride too..

[HotZ28]

SPID code G67 (located on spare tire cover) would indicate level control on the PA. G69 is a HD version included with the F41 suspension. If you have F41, G69 may not be listed separately, however, is part of the system.

[ZiggyPA]

What does "hd version" mean ? I have G69/F41, but I don't think it works, never heard the pump come on.

[HotZ28]

Originally Posted by ZiggyPA

What does "hd version" mean ? I have G69/F41, but I don't think it works, never heard the pump come on.

First, we should ask if your car sagging in the rear? Usually the F41 package is part of the Grand Touring Suspension, SPID code (Y56) which includes HD-struts, (air assist in the rear) HD-sway bars, computer selected springs & quick ratio steering.

The compressor has a time delay of 45 sec before it will run when the ignition is turned ON, or shut off. While sitting in the car, turn the ignition switch ON and wait quietly to see if you here the compressor activate. If you are hard of hearing, raise the hood & follow the same procedure while standing next to the driver’s side front fender. If the compressor never comes on, check the fuse under the driver side dash labeled “ALC”. If you have a leak in the strut air-bladders, the compressor will run for an extended period which will cause the fuse to blow. Sometimes, the previous owner will remove the fuse to keep the compressor from draining the battery.

[ZiggyPA]

I never noticed any sagging. Haven't checked this with people in the back though.
There was no fuse labeled 'ALC', but one for 'electronic level control' (#12 I think) and it was ok. Never heard the compressor come on, but checked your procedure and to my suprise, after exactly 45 seconds the compressor came on for about 5 seconds. It is next to the wiperfluidreservoir, didn't know that either.
It is a bit of a soft sound, from what I heard it should be really loud?
Don't know if I am able to hear this from within the car.
Still, I think the suspension is not as it should be. Other PA's I've driven (92/93, this one is 91) have the really floaty suspension, this one is almost normal. I am thinking they fitted normal springs and struts after the original ones went bad, because it was too complicated or expensive to replace original parts. Unfortunately, I don't know how to check this all as nothing about the 'grand touring suspension' package is mentioned in the Haynes manual.

[Holaday1185]

Hey all,

WOW! So glad I ran across this thread. I've noticed this sound for awhile coming from the rear of my vehicle. I had no idea my PA had a load leveling system. Mine has begun to come on much more often then when I got it 4 years ago. I even kicks on sometimes when I am driving down the road. The rear of my vehicle doesn't sag like one would think. Should I be concerned about anything? Thanks.

-DH

[HotZ28]

Originally Posted by ZiggyPA

I never noticed any sagging. Haven't checked this with people in the back though.
There was no fuse labeled 'ALC', but one for 'electronic level control' (#12 I think) and it was ok. Never heard the compressor come on, but checked your procedure and to my suprise, after exactly 45 seconds the compressor came on for about 5 seconds. It is next to the wiperfluidreservoir, didn't know that either.
It is a bit of a soft sound, from what I heard it should be really loud?
Don't know if I am able to hear this from within the car.
Still, I think the suspension is not as it should be. Other PA's I've driven (92/93, this one is 91) have the really floaty suspension, this one is almost normal. I am thinking they fitted normal springs and struts after the original ones went bad, because it was too complicated or expensive to replace original parts. Unfortunately, I don't know how to check this all as nothing about the 'grand touring suspension' package is mentioned in the Haynes manual.

When the compressor is mounted under the hood, it is somewhat quieter than the ones mounted under the right rear fender, or under the rear center. That is why I suggested raising the hood to listen for it to come on. The rear-mounted compressors seem to transfer more noise through the body. This could be due to the vibration isolator on the rear being different from the front mount, or it could be that the hood & firewall insulate the noise better. BTW, the 5-sec run time is part of the standard operating procedure, it is called the “replenishment cycle”. After the replenishment cycle, the dump valve should pop open briefly, in order to bleed any excess pressure. IIRC, residual pressure should hold at about 18 lbs.

Do you think your struts were replaced, or is it possible that the struts are wearing out and the ride has softened. When new, the GTS will ride firmer than the “soft ride” FE1 suspension; however, it is not a harsh ride. I have enjoyed both systems in several PA Ultra’s, & LeSabre and I much prefer the GTS ride & handling over the FE1 soft-ride.

[HotZ28]

Originally Posted by Holaday1185

Hey all,

WOW! So glad I ran across this thread. I've noticed this sound for awhile coming from the rear of my vehicle. I had no idea my PA had a load leveling system. Mine has begun to come on much more often then when I got it 4 years ago. I even kicks on sometimes when I am driving down the road. The rear of my vehicle doesn't sag like one would think. Should I be concerned about anything? Thanks.-DH

When the compressor motor runs more often that usual, this is usually the first sign of air leaks in the strut bladders. If it maintains ride height without excessive compressor run-time, you should be ok for a while. If you are concerned about the condition of the air bladders, you should turn the ignition ON & wait for the replishment cycle to complete, then jack up the rear of the car and remove the wheel. Spray some soapy water on the bladders to test for leaks, the same as you would on a tire. (look for air bubbles) The leaks usually start small and progressively get worse with age & exposure to the elements.

[ZiggyPA]

Originally Posted by HotZ28

Do you think your struts were replaced, or is it possible that the struts are wearing out and the ride has softened. When new, the GTS will ride firmer than the “soft ride” FE1 suspension; however, it is not a harsh ride. I have enjoyed both systems in several PA Ultra’s, & LeSabre and I much prefer the GTS ride & handling over the FE1 soft-ride.

My PA has a very firm ride. I am not sure what they did, or why this is.
I liked the 'soft ride' in other PA's, and if this firm ride is caused by wrong or non- original parts I'd consider changing them.
Could you elaborate on the GTS, 'computer selected springs', and 'HD sway bars', how does this work, how do you know it is not working properly and how do you test this?
I've tried Googling on the GTS, but the first result is the thread in this forum, and there seems to be no technical information in further results.

[C man]

The air leakage in my strut is pretty bad now. As soon as I turn the car off and sit in it comes on no 45 second wait. How often it comes on while driving I don't know it's hard to hear it while driving. It's leaking from the passenger side rear strut. When my brother was sitting on passenger side the pump wouldn't go off. I told him to move to the other side and it started to cycle on and off instead. Needless to say it has gotten and is getting worser. I can even hear the air leaking out of it. But the rear is not sagging and it doesn't come on much when when the car is empty.

[bmorebuick88]

i don't know if it was by coincidence, but i started to hear the leveling pump more often than normal and i checked the air tire in my pressures, and it was all messed up. i had 20 psi in the back tires, 30 psi in the front driver tire, and 10 psi in the front passenger tire. i went to a gas station, and put the right amount of air in each tire, and the car rides way smoother, gets up to speed quicker, and i hardly hear the leveling pump anymore, unless someone sits in my car. good thing that noise kept going off, because i couldn't really tell that the tires were under inflated by just driving normally.

[The00Dustin]

For those asking about the firmer ride, I think all rides firmed up after they got rid of dynaride (I think they got rid of it, I also think I saw this in another thread here). The main reason was probably that only the seaworthiest of passengers could ride in a dynaride system without getting sick (drivers were fine, but the car is designed to seat six), but that is only speculation. I believe that it was also done for better road handling. I don't know about older Ultras, but I know that newer Ultras have the firmer still suspension that HotZ28 mentions (also from another thread here, one wherein I participated). I can tell you from experience that my ride had gotten really soft (with like 120,000-140,000 on the suspension), and replacing it all certainly made it much firmer.

That said: for those asking about replacing the suspension stuff, springs generally don't get replaced, and struts may be replaced by something other than OE, but they are likely to be designed to ride like what they replace (probadly per car, not per car option, I don't know). Additionally, only the rear struts are self-levelling. I asked a tire shop about getting them replaced and was told they don't do that because it is too complicated, so I had a guy I know with his own small shop do it. There was only 1 OE strut available within 150 miles of here, and it cost an arm and a leg, so I had him replace them with aftermarket ones. After doing it, he said it was an easy change, just like detaching and attaching any other air hose. They still level fine. That said, if someone plugged the air hose and used standard struts, it is more likely that they were doing so to save money or because they talked to some guy at some shop that had no clue, but not really solely because it is complicated.

Edit: Also, I'm no expert here. I had the rear struts replaced because one was leaking fluid (and the front because someone told me it shouldn't bounce so much [three times when an average guy pushes down on the front end]). I don't know if this would stop leaking (for instance, HotZ28 always mentions bladders), and my car is a 1999 PAU, so anything 1996(?) or older might be complicated, or if the bladders start leaking, going to regular struts might be the less complicated (/more cost effective to a far wider degree) fix.