98 buick lesabre air compressor (struts)

[army]

hi. got rid of one problem now there is another. i have noticed that the air compressor underneath rear passenger side of my 98 lesabre has started to run for long periods of time before it stops i know that it feeds the struts with air. i am wondering if there is an easy way to tell where the leak is and or which strut is not holding air.i think it is the back strut but not sure. any info on this subject be much appreciated. thanx

[HotZ28]

The rear struts are the only ones with air assist. Turn on the key, wait for 45-sec untill the pump comes on & stops, then jack up the rear and remove the tire. Spray a soapy water solution on the air bladders to see if they are leaking (same as testing a tire for leaks) If a leak is found, it would best to replace both struts at the same time.

[army]

Originally Posted by HotZ28

The rear struts are the only ones with air assist. Turn on the key, wait for 45-sec untill the pump comes on & stops, then jack up the rear and remove the tire. Spray a soapy water solution on the air bladders to see if they are leaking (same as testing a tire for leaks) If a leak is found, it would best to replace both struts at the same time.

thanx hotz28 would you know how hard it is or if there is any tricks to re and re them myself.how long would it take and do i need to get alighnment afterwards?

[maxwedge]

check the how to at autozone.com, repair guides.

[Jrs3800]

Originally Posted by army

thanx hotz28 would you know how hard it is or if there is any tricks to re and re them myself.how long would it take and do i need to get alighnment afterwards?

Yes you will need an alignment after replacing these.... They are not that hard to replace, but you will need to have the rear of the car rasied and support the lower control arm/spring.... I'd say give yourself a 1/2 to 1 hr to do each side if you have never dealt with them before... There are 2 bolts that can be accessed from the trunk strut tower for the strut mounts...

Leave the top bolt in the strut( leave it tight ), take the bottom bolt out, you will notice you have an elongated hole to adjust for camber, use paint or white out and mark that hole to the knuckle, once this is completely dry remove the top bolt...

When you go to reassemble, install your top bolt and nut snug, just enough so that you can move the strut, install you bottom bolt without the nut, line up you mark on the knuckle with the elongated hole, once its lined up tighten the top bolt, make sure you alignment stayed, if it looks lined up in the elongated hole install the lower nut and tighten... This should get you very close to the alignment setting you had...

[army]

Originally Posted by Jrs3800

Yes you will need an alignment after replacing these.... They are not that hard to replace, but you will need to have the rear of the car rasied and support the lower control arm/spring.... I'd say give yourself a 1/2 to 1 hr to do each side if you have never dealt with them before... There are 2 bolts that can be accessed from the trunk strut tower for the strut mounts...

Leave the top bolt in the strut( leave it tight ), take the bottom bolt out, you will notice you have an elongated hole to adjust for camber, use paint or white out and mark that hole to the knuckle, once this is completely dry remove the top bolt...

When you go to reassemble, install your top bolt and nut snug, just enough so that you can move the strut, install you bottom bolt without the nut, line up you mark on the knuckle with the elongated hole, once its lined up tighten the top bolt, make sure you alignment stayed, if it looks lined up in the elongated hole install the lower nut and tighten... This should get you very close to the alignment setting you had...

hi thanx guys for your help especialy jrs3800 on the tips about ( bolts top and lower) and the time it should take. these are the kind of tips that save you alot of time and money if you are doing it yourself.

[Scrapper]

more than likely in the rubber boot of the strut has cracks in the boot i went threw this on my dads 93 park avenue.