05 STS level control diagnosis

Wiring, DIY, lighting, etc.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

I reached out to Dorman one last time.
Nick,

Just a last check – is there anything you can do for me? At this point I am going to initiate a return for a refund to Rockauto and purchase another brand replacement compressor. I regret that Dorman has been unable to supply a functional part, as I have tried twice to obtain one.
Our complete inventory is being checked out, at this point I don’t have a solution at this time,

Nicholas Paris
Asst. Product Manager/Tech-Line
Dorman Products
215-712-5012-Desk
215-712-5512-Fax
Toll Free 1-800-868-5777 EXT-5012
Ok, thanks for the reply. Would you be willing to keep me informed as to the progress of what you find? It may be that if you are willing to do that, I will return the unit for a refund, and just wait to hear from you before I buy another unit. Let me know what you think.
Yes I am completely fine with that, no problem at all, unfortunately I am just waiting for the results of the check up,

Nicholas Paris
Asst. Product Manager/Tech-Line
Dorman Products
215-712-5012-Desk
215-712-5512-Fax
Toll Free 1-800-868-5777 EXT-5012
Sounds good. Not sure if this is helpful or not but I’ve attached an image of the resistance of the coil on both compressors. It is in ohms. Obviously they are both faulty.
I just passed this on to the lead on this project, thank you

Nicholas Paris
Asst. Product Manager/Tech-Line
Dorman Products
215-712-5012-Desk
215-712-5512-Fax
Toll Free 1-800-868-5777 EXT-5012
At least they are doing something. I guess I will take Rockauto up on their offer and get this back to them. I'm guessing if I want another Dorman unit, I would somehow have to verify with Rockauto that it was a new shipment and not old stock. Or I could just order the A1 Cardone. This isn't really an emergency but I do want it fixed eventually.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

Rockauto processed my return. All $213 of what I paid, including original shipping. Now I have to decide what I want to do next.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

Ordered the A1 Cardone.

$262.49 shipped. A little steeper than the Dorman. It is a reman.

That said, here is their info page:
http://www.cardone.com/Products/Product ... ck&jsn=394

This part is very good to see:
Extensive performance testing, including inflation time, electrical current and solenoid operation is done on every unit to ensure reliable, consistent performance.
Also I must have missed this the first time:
Limited Lifetime Warranty
I think this will do the trick, even if it is $50 more than the Dorman.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

Received it yesterday (that was fast).
WP_20171029_11_12_38_Pro.jpg
WP_20171029_11_12_43_Pro.jpg
Here's the money shot. 28 ohms!!!
WP_20171029_11_18_57_Pro.jpg
I may get to this today. Not sure yet.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

Really can't make this shit up.

Oh, it runs. I can trigger the exhaust solenoid and compressor via Tech 2. It runs on startup. It runs when I put a load in the trunk. Great!

But in a very cruel turn of events, this compressor DOES NOT MAKE ANY AIR. Yup, you read that right. I am back to square one as this is where I was with my original rusty compressor. It ran but did not make any air.

I did do some checks on the unit itself. Like unplugging the inlet hose to make sure there wasn't a clog. And I disconnected the outlet line at the dryer and there is NO AIR when it runs. Not even a little bit.

Time to return this one for another unit. Hope this isn't a repeat of the Dorman situation (i.e. second unit same as first). I don't really have time to be working on the same problem over and over again. Hopefully Rockauto doesn't screw me as this probably looks a little suspicious...
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

Just received my second replacement Cardone compressor. It is in a box and will be until at least tomorrow.

However, I have an interesting turn of events from Dorman:
Hi Kevin, sorry for the delay, but I have a new good tested Dorman compressor I would like to send you, can I please have your shipping information,

Nicholas Paris
Asst. Product Manager/Tech-Line
Dorman Products
215-712-5012-Desk
215-712-5512-Fax
Toll Free 1-800-868-5777 EXT-5012
Naturally I thanked him and sent him my address. This one is free.

Now the question is, does the Cardone reman (the second one) work, or not? I almost hope it does not so I can send that back, get a full refund (again) and just use the free Dorman unit (assuming it works as he says).
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

Naturally the second Cardone pump works.

It makes air. The exhaust valve clicks.

However, the back doesn't really drop when I command the exhaust valve open. I am wondering if the old compressor shot junk into the air lines or something. This is consistent with my first and second Dorman compressors. When I remove the air lines from the compressor, the air seems to slowly exhaust, rather than the rapid WHOOSH that I would expect. So I may try to replace the lines at some point. The new pumps came with them and I've kept them each time so I have several sets.

Actually I should blow the lines out with my big air compressor. Or at least see if they seem to be clear.

I think the compressor itself is working properly finally. Not sure what I am going to so when I receive my complimentary Dorman pump.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

I guess this is no longer an electrical issue. I'll just paste my post because I don't feel like typing a different one.

Checked my lines out. I couldn't really determine anything (except that they have a very small inner diameter). I ended up replacing them and putting the new Dorman compressor on.

The result is that I don't think anything is really different - in a way that is good news for Dorman as the solenoid meets spec now. If I pump the rear end up manually (Tech 2 command), and then trigger the exhaust valve, I hear NO whooshing air at the compressor. And the back end drops incredibly slowly and even seems to stop well before it should. I also tried shoving my shop air into the dryer of the compressor and triggering the exhaust solenoid to see if it seems to let air escape. I could hear no difference with or without the exhaust solenoid triggered. On my old 95 Fleetwood, when it would vent, there was a distinct whoosh of air sound from the compressor and the back would drop at a rate you could see. Is that not how these cars are supposed to work???

So while that is concerning, I should also mention that again I pumped the rear up, then pulled an air hose. Air slowly flows out and the rear slowly drops. It eventually gets down to the right height but the system seems to have very low volumetric flow.

I also tried inflating my shocks from my shop air. I jammed it into the hose and pulled the trigger. The shock did inflate but much slower than I anticipated. Of course all I have is my engineering intuition to judge things - so maybe this is normal. The air lines are very, very small.

I'm not really sure what is going on. Somehow both shocks are restricted internally (they are GM replacements, per previous owner)? Or both compressors (Cardone and Dorman) have too much restriction in the exhaust circuit?

I may still plug in my old pump and try my test with shop air into the dryer and see if the exhaust circuit flows way more. I would honestly expect it to flow pretty freely. Given how slowly air flows out of the unplugged lines, any restriction at all inside the pump would cause the problem I am seeing I think.

I'm kind of tired of replacing things. It turns out I could have left my stock air lines as the job was a major PITA. And both this reman Cardone and new Dorman are acting the same...

For now I think I will try to return the Cardone and at least get my money back. I'd like to just drive the car but I have a feeling that the first real load I have, when it pumps up to equalize, it will end up sitting high because it can't vent down.

With my factory compressor, which honestly may have a clogged dryer from piston/ring shrapnel (speculation on my part), I don't know if I'd get an accurate flow test out of it anyway. But if it does actually seem to vent properly and freely, then THAT would mean these two aftermarket compressors both suck. Which some on here have been telling me. I just want to confirm what's going on and then I can decide what to do. I hate floating in limbo.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by kevm14 »

I returned the A1 Cardone for a refund (i got the refund) and just have my free Dorman compressor. So at least this didn't cost me anything.

And yeah it doesn't really work right. It doesn't really go down after inflating. Not sure what else I can do.
Adam
Posts: 2240
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:50 pm

Re: 05 STS level control diagnosis

Post by Adam »

kevm14 wrote:It doesn't really go down after inflating. Not sure what else I can do.
Replace the struts?
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