Hi everyone. I have a Saab 97x 5.3i. I installed Bilstien 5100 front struts (keeping stock coils) for a 2inch lift on the front. Currently, the rear does not level out with the front, so the car sits lower in the rear. If I adjust the sensors in the rear suspension, will I be able to level the rear suspension with the front suspension without spacers for the airbags?
Air Suspension Lift
- Thread starter Helikido
- Start date
Without knowing whether the Saab 97x 5.3i has the identical rear suspension as the Saab 9.5... This video showed some promise with Mechanically raising the rear suspension lift using Secondary 3/4" Spacers made of 1.5" Galvanized Pipe.
Mind you... this idea involves having to Compress and Remove the Rear Struts' Coil Spring Retaining Nuts and this involves no small amount of DANGER to the Mechanic if extreme care is not used in the doing of this non-trivial adaptation.
If this ides looks promising... there are quite a few Threads with Member suggestions worth reading...and with optional, more updated methods available now for Coil Spring Compression that will reduce the possibility of Injury...or Death.
Mind you... this idea involves having to Compress and Remove the Rear Struts' Coil Spring Retaining Nuts and this involves no small amount of DANGER to the Mechanic if extreme care is not used in the doing of this non-trivial adaptation.
If this ides looks promising... there are quite a few Threads with Member suggestions worth reading...and with optional, more updated methods available now for Coil Spring Compression that will reduce the possibility of Injury...or Death.
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Mooseman
Moderator
He has no springs in the back. He said he has air bags.
@Helikido , yes, if you adjust the sensors, it will adjust the height of the rear. If you were to just put spacers, the bags would have still re-adjusted back to the lower height. The bags, by themselves, should be able to adjust it high enough to at least level it.
@Helikido , yes, if you adjust the sensors, it will adjust the height of the rear. If you were to just put spacers, the bags would have still re-adjusted back to the lower height. The bags, by themselves, should be able to adjust it high enough to at least level it.
Thanks @Mooseman! So I’m not going to blow up the bags then by just adjusting the spacers?
I was thinking that since the Saab is 1” lower than a trailblazer, that maybe overextending the bags by 1” would be feasible. This makes me feel better.
Mooseman
Moderator
Maybe. If they are original or are marginal in condition due to age, the extra air pressure might finish them. They are not known for their robustness. When they do fail, the majority replace them with regular springs.
Hey @Mooseman. First thanks a lot for continuing to answer my questions.
These airbags are new, they were replaced along with pretty much the whole of the front suspension. They are the Arnot A-2610 Gen II design from Rockauto, not the cheapest bags. So since they are new, no real reason to worry about blowing them or anything? I would think the pump has a built in safety net, but I could be wrong.
Mooseman
Moderator
I don't know if the compressor has a safety limit however, since you have new bags, I wouldn't worry. Adjust each side sensor equally until you get to the right height and verify it's even on both sides.
I can vouch for the factory bags being pretty tough. I routinely overinflate them manually and have had no issues. Your Arnot bags should be good to go.
Thank you sir!
So yesterday I tried to recalibrate the Saab to the ideal ride height that I want in the rear by jacking up the car at the hitch to get it level.
Unfortunately I failed and couldn’t manage to get the car to recalibrate to that ride height. I was avoiding messing with the sensors at all cost.
My procedure was:
1. Jack up car to desired height.
2. Turn to on ignition for 2 mins to let air out of the bags.
3. Power off ignition.
4. Pull air pump and ECAS fuses.
5. Reinstall the fuses.
6. Turn on the car and wait a few minutes. At this point, the car should have learned the new current ride height as the default one.
But no dice.
So today I’m going to give it another shot by manually adjusting the sensors and making sure the ride height is the same on both sides by measuring from the bottom of the frame to the ground using a ruler.
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northcreek
Member
That is the correct approach, shouldn't be a problem since the system doesn't know if you are adding a trailer or adjusting the sensors.
Be sure to pull the fuse while adjusting so it doesn't try to compensate during the process.
Just reporting back. To get the rear leveled, all I had to do was adjust the air suspension level sensors to their max lift positions, then bolt them to the max position. Leveled it out perfectly with a 2” front lift. But the rear now handles a little too firmly (as expected with more pressure in the bags).
Drove the truck 1,400 miles since then from CA to CO and all the front suspension work & lift is perfect. No issues.
Drove the truck 1,400 miles since then from CA to CO and all the front suspension work & lift is perfect. No issues.