help with rear suspension

[renmardun]

we have just purchased a 1997 deville (just the deville model). the rear rides much lower than the front. does anyone know of an adj or if there is something we can check. we have read the manual but nothing seems to point in the right direction. Any halp would be appreicated.

[MagicRat]

These cars had air assist suspension, where the steel springs are quite soft and air shocks are used to provide the extra bit of firmness and load levelling.
The system uses a height sensor, air compressor and air shocks. A failure in any of these components can cause the trouble you see.
Check the fuse first, though.

BTW I have found a '96 DeVille, like yours that I am considering buying. Suspension aside, how do you like yours?
If you don't mind my asking, what did you pay, what was the condition of the car and mileage?

[renmardun]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

These cars had air assist suspension, where the steel springs are quite soft and air shocks are used to provide the extra bit of firmness and load levelling.
The system uses a height sensor, air compressor and air shocks. A failure in any of these components can cause the trouble you see.
Check the fuse first, though.

BTW I have found a '96 DeVille, like yours that I am considering buying. Suspension aside, how do you like yours?
If you don't mind my asking, what did you pay, what was the condition of the car and mileage?

Thanks!!!!

we were not caddy fans in the slighest( towncars for us), but once we found this car, there is no comparision in the ride or the handeling. she is fully stocked( astroroof, cd changer, power everything)we gave about 8200 and she had 131k miles. second owner. never left the city it was purchased in. she is a beaut... but i will warn you. have the brakes checked before buying. the car will tend to sway when stopping at hwy speed if brakes are bad. also ours has the climate control for the passenger.. dont mess with that dial! the a/c unit tends to stick on heat and the passenger side will blow hot air. if you do, then a couple of restarts will fix it, but very uncomfortable until then

[MagicRat]

Thank you for the information!!

[custom-uniforms]

If the Service Ride Control light does not come on there is a chance that the previous owner switch the back struts to aftermarket struts that do not have the Cadillac level ride feature. Like the other fellow said, the back struts should be filled with air to lift the car. If the level ride system is working properly you should hear the level ride pump filling the struts when you park on a hill or place a heavy object in the trunk. If struts are not original and you want to switch back I would advise going to a wrecker because dealers will charge you thousands to go back to original struts. You can get struts for less than $100.00 each from a low milage wreck by doing a search on http://car-part.com/ rather than going to a dealer.

[jdueitt]

I had to change the rear shocks on my 97 Deville earlier this year. You can get new AC Delco rear air shocks at www.rockauto.com for about $130 per shock + shipping. I changed front and rear at the same time and this is where I bought mine. These are the original equipment shocks.