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  Soarer Central * Suspension * Uneven Airbag Suspension * Archive through September 09, 2005 Previous Previous    Next Next  

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Nathan Grech
TryHard
UZZ31

Posts: 55
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 11:38 am, by:  Nathan Grech (Aerthorn) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I posted this in the ALSC about 6 months ago, a few people said that this could be normal but i'm still concerned.
The left side of my car sits lower than the right by about 1"-2", it varies, sometime really noticeable sometimes not. It is more noticeable when on the low setting (i have a height controller, the one Neil Griffiths sells on his website). When i go over a speed bump, it feels like one side of the car drops lower/quicker (hard to tell) than the other, i've only had the Soarer for about 6 months and i think i've dealt with most of the common issues, now i'm hoping that my struts don't go. What is the best way to fix this? (i know of the tutorial on
www.reepa.com, is this still relevant to me considering i have a controller?). thanks in advance.
Damien Smith
TryHard
Manual UZZ31

Posts: 105
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 12:05 pm, by:  Damien Smith (Damien) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Have you tried adjusting the height sensor rods to try and even it up?
Benny Gammelmark
TryHard
V8 UZZ31

Posts: 492
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 01:12 pm, by:  Benny Gammelmark (Oldfield) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nathan, mine does the same. And only on low settings. On hight it's level.
I've had it adjusted but you have to be careful with those rods. If you get it wrong you can be at it all day.

Mine still has a 5mm difference left to right.

If you find out why then let us know.
Damien Smith
TryHard
Manual UZZ31

Posts: 107
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 01:20 pm, by:  Damien Smith (Damien) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That's a good point about being careful Benny - sometimes a quarter of a turn can make it go too far and you have to climb under and adjust it again.
Nathan Grech
TryHard
UZZ31

Posts: 56
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 02:50 pm, by:  Nathan Grech (Aerthorn) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Damien, as i mentioned, i wasn't sure if the adjustments still applied to me as i have the controller? If I do raise the left side a little will this then affect my high setting? (ie left will now be higher). Also, the car feels like one side drops quicker/first over speed bumps (coming out of my driveway on low the rear end drops really hard as well???), will this change if i raise the left a little? (same principle, will it fix it for low, but then mess up the high setting?) Thanks.
Nathan Grech
TryHard
UZZ31

Posts: 57
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 02:51 pm, by:  Nathan Grech (Aerthorn) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Also, should i use the height controller or the rods to adjust the overall height? ie- which is best for airbag longevity etc?
Benny Gammelmark
TryHard
V8 UZZ31

Posts: 494
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 03:59 pm, by:  Benny Gammelmark (Oldfield) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nathan, you should set the height controller to neutral and adjust the rods as well as you can.
It shouldn't affect your high/normal. It didn't on mine.

Don't know about the speed hump thingie but don't set the height controller lower than neutral when going over humps.

It's best for the airbags if you don't use the controller at all but that's not the reason any of us bought it.
Nathan Grech
TryHard
UZZ31

Posts: 59
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 04:16 pm, by:  Nathan Grech (Aerthorn) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

i operate the height by the factory cabin switches, the controller sits under the seat, it just lets me set the level for each switch position. By neutral , do you mean normal + normal on the switches? There are too many ways to raise/lower the car, im getting confused!!.

So... if it set the switches to normal (height switch and TEMS switch) then get the approximate overall height i want by adjusting the height controller, then making slight adjustments on the left side to get them level i should be right yeah? This is not taking into account that i weigh close to 100kg's, should i be doing this with a weight in the drivers seat, or will the suspension computer figure this out? I want to try and get it so that i have the same amount or air in each strut (i'd imagine this would be causing one side to drop quicker of a speed bump???)
Mike Bradberry
Tinkerer
V8 Limited

Posts: 17
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 04:50 pm, by:  Mike Bradberry (Halflife) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hope I'm not off topic but I would love to know the consequences of not turning the switch off in the boot and jacking the car. I ask because in ignorance I have done it but no apparent problems so far.
Don Bagnall
Moderator
GT4.0 V8

Posts: 574
Reg: 05-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 06:48 pm, by:  Don Bagnall (Baggs) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

According to Neil (the all powerful one)nothing, as long as you don't let all 4 wheels hang in mid-air.

As in: If the car is raised on a hoist that lifts on the chassis, as opposed to lifting under the wheels.

What happens is, the compressor keeps pumping because no resistance is felt. Ergo the possibility of blowing the air-bags is VERY real.

Hence the switch.
Avin Luther
TryHard
Soarer V8 uzz31

Posts: 61
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2005 - 08:44 pm, by:  Avin Luther (Lex_luther) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

some alarms have sensors that tell if the car is being lifted, eg put on a truck to be stolen, the car should have asensor that turns of teh tems if it feels it is being jacked up!
or am i just asking too much!
Benny Gammelmark
TryHard
V8 UZZ31

Posts: 496
Reg: 07-2005

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Saturday, September 03, 2005 - 02:05 am, by:  Benny Gammelmark (Oldfield) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes you are, Avin.

Nathan, yes I mean normal + normal on the switches. I would adjust it to be level when not in the car. I think the car is supposed to adjust itself to level again no matter the weight distribution in the car.
Nathan Grech
TryHard
Victoria
UZZ31

Posts: 68
Reg: 07-2005

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Wednesday, September 07, 2005 - 11:53 am, by:  Nathan Grech (Aerthorn) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

cheers.
Duy Le
TryHard
NSW
4.0L V8 GT-Limited

Posts: 106
Reg: 07-2005

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Wednesday, September 07, 2005 - 01:48 pm, by:  Duy Le (Sor44h) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Try this. Turn the car on, leave it for a few minutes, Measure it, jump in drivers side and you should hear the psshhhh. Sit there for a minute and then quickly jump back out and measure the height on the drivers side. Update us on this
Blaine Hanson
Tinkerer
WA
V8

Posts: 12
Reg: 08-2005

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Thursday, September 08, 2005 - 07:43 am, by:  Blaine Hanson (Blaine) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I agree about the uneven ride at low settings. I followed the instructions at Planetsoarer. Pete said try 3 turns so I said - I want more and did 4 turns on the adjusting rods..... What I discovered was the left side dropped nicely to about 20mm above the wheel - looked good, but the right side sat another 20mm higher again with the same setting?? I ended up adjusting the right side rod until it bottomed out to get maximum drop and the right side of the car still sits higher than the left. So I can only assume that the car's airbag suspension is as low as it can go ..... that however still does not explain why it is often uneven.
Benny Gammelmark
TryHard
NSW
V8 UZZ31

Posts: 606
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, September 08, 2005 - 07:48 am, by:  Benny Gammelmark (Oldfield) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mine's uneven as well.

Using different heights on the height controller I get discrepancies from 3mm (on high/high) to 13 mm (on some of the low settings).

The height differences are more pronounced at the rear.
Jason Kingsmill
TryHard
NSW
UZZ31 Soarer V8

Posts: 137
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, September 08, 2005 - 08:19 pm, by:  Jason Kingsmill (Jason_k) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mines perfect.

I'd say adjust the rods till it's even.
Adjusting the rods changes the relative position of the height sensors. So when you lower the car by adjusting the rods, what you're effectively doing is fooling the suspension computer into thinking it's higher than it actually is.

If on one side/corner the sensor is a higher/lower resistance, that will change the height. So adjusting the rod so that the resistances are the same should work. (That is, assuming that the height sensors are a standard potentiometer)
Mark Paddick
Goo Roo
ACT
Soarer UZZ31

Posts: 477
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, September 08, 2005 - 10:13 pm, by:  Mark Paddick (Sparks) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It is possible that the rods are slightly uneven and this is magnafied when on low setting.
Do the suspension computer reset (disconnect battery for at least 15 minutes) and adjust on level ground. Make sure it has plenty of time to get to new settings, a 5 or 10 minute drive and then park back level. This can be a very tedious and time consuming exercise. Very small adjustments can make a big difference as can the weight of the driver in the car and it can take a while for things to level up.
Mark Paddick
Goo Roo
ACT
Soarer UZZ31

Posts: 478
Reg: 07-2005

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Thursday, September 08, 2005 - 10:16 pm, by:  Mark Paddick (Sparks) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The sensors are Hall Effect devices (zero friction design) with at least four amplifier IC's and temperature and voltage compensation, I have a reverse engineered circuit somewhere. Typical Soarer over-engineering They are far from a potentiometer, but they do have a DC voltage output so adjusting for the same voltage on the output wire should work. The three wires are +5v, 0v(ground) and variable output.
Vinh Bui
TryHard
NSW
UZZ31

Posts: 76
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 09, 2005 - 01:41 am, by:  Vinh Bui (Hyudsjk) Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Unrelated question: When using an aftermarket height controller, does the height switch (near the gear stick) still work?

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