Air Suspension Hissing - Please direct to correct thread

[shawnwilkins]

I have a 2004 H2 Victory Edition and have a love/hate relationship. At this point, gas is the cheapest thing about the vehicle. As with everyone else it seems, my air supsension only leaks sometimes and then all the time.

When I shut off the vehicle and get out I can hear the air coming out of the suspension like if you poked a hole in a tire. It is very loud and will leak all the way out sometimes and then others only for a second.

I have read that it might be the exhaust valve on the drivers rear behind the gas cap but it seems that I can hear it on both sides. Maybe it is just because it is so loud.

Thanks and I appreciate any help. At this point I am ready to fix the truck and sell it. It has already cost me about $4000 in repairs this year and only has 80,000 miles on it.

Shawn

[PaHumBug]

Wow, $4K in repairs in... 4 days into the year
Put coils in and keep it!

[Hellz]

so what are you askinn for here?

you selling the truck or looking to solve the problem?

for the problem..

the hardest part is going to be to try to locate the leak.
start it up and let the bags fill
(make sure it is in park with parking brake on)
go to the back and get underneath and listen for the leak.
you could also do the soapy spray bottle method and spray down all the lines.
if it is bubbling, then there is a leak.

If your compressor is contstantly running, it is only a matter of time before it burns itself out and that will add another $900 to the repair list.

so would be better to find the leak asap

[shawnwilkins]

I am not going to sell it if I don't have too....but.

Since the truck sits level for a few days and then can leak out at any moment I assumed it was not the air bags as the loud hissing noise of air coming out would point to a large hole in the bag or bags and would happen every time.

Other than jacking it up and spraying the bags, how do you check the rest of the unit.

Thanks,

Shawn

[Hellz]

spray every line with soapy water to find the leak, or pay someone to do it.

if you can actually hear the air leak, then it is a major leak that you shouldnt have problems finding.

its the slow quiet ones that will give you problems. these will be the ones you find by spraying the lines and watching for bubbles

[vandy0090]

is the truck leaning when u come out to it after its sat for a while? if so your in luck. its just an air bag. while it sounds like a crappy thing its really one of the cheapest and easiest things you will fix on the damn thing. go to gmpartsdirect.com find the rear air sping and order 2 of them. i made the mistake of doing mine one at a time. my first went out at about 40k and the other one went about 2 months ago at 70k. they are about 90 bucks a piece.

its easy as hell to fix. jack up the truck and let the rear axel hang. put some jack stand on the frame. i used a knife and just cut holes in the bags. reach up on top and there is a small plastic tab. push it down and twist the bag clock wise if i recall corectly. twist it about an 1/16th of a turn. and it will drop down. the line is a quick disconnect. push it in to the bag. hold the little ring down and the line will pop off. install the new air line click it in to place then jack the rear axel to seat the bag on the hat. once its seated start the truck up. it will blow up and lift off the jack stands. lower the jack and ur good. there are some good vids on youtube about how to do it. it look me about 15 min my first time.


good luck with the damn thing. i feel your pain though

[shawnwilkins]

Thanks Vandy,

Unfortunately it is the whole rear end that drops and just one side. This is what leads me to believe it might not be the air bags but both of them could be leaking.

Hopefully this weekend I can jack it up and take a look and maybe it will just be an exhaust valve or even a loose fitting. The fact that it does not leak all the time and for some days not at all and then every day at times, maybe it is something that is getting jarred around when driving.

Thanks again!

Shawn