Okay, I have read Easy Ed's posts on here and have said like all of you about the Air Bags. "My Time is coming" I have the 2003 Adventure package with 23k miles on it. It is amazing how you can have a vehicle you love so much and despise certain things about it. The air system being one of them. I could go on & on about the isssues I have had with them. my 2nd pair of bags, Have some "fun" with your wife in the back seat while the car is off and get out and the whole back end of the car is bottomed out the list goes on. I'm driving on the beach (yes we can in parts of Florida
) and a twig comes in the wheel well and snaps the sensor leveling arm, which is made of a cheap brittle plastic. The computer goes haywire pumps the bags all the way up and locks all the air system up. Your buttons will not respond on the dash. I drive it home furious of course jacked up in the back and find out I can't fit the damn thing in the garage now with the racks on top. I super glue the the arm back pull the battery cable and the system resets and gets back to normal height to get it in the garage. At this point, the limit has been reached, the airbags are coming off! I bought the Springs & Insulators kit a while back from GMPARTSDIRECT and the box has been sitting in the garage waiting for my common sense to over rule my procrastination. You all can do this your self with out a problem in your garage with the patience and the right tools. A few things to add are:
Pull your postive battery cable up front before you begin, I did an experiment pulling the negative only and the Service Air Sytem message was still their when I restarted.
Since you are by your battery reach under the driverside wheel well and pull your relay out. If you can't see it in the harness reach under the plastic fender well and it may be snapped in to the fenderwell. Pull it out and I just put some electrical tape around my end and put it back with the relay out
The springs now from GM have the left & right tags on the them and decals that say "this end up" so you can't go wrong on this. Make sure you get the insulators 2 for each side top and bottom. I have read some have installed the springs w/o them. WOW I seem major sqeeking and rust coming in the near future if you are grinding metal to metal but that is my 2 cents worth.
You can do this with spring compressors from a local auto parts store or w/o depends on how you can lift the body and rearend. I just lifted the vehicle secured the body up as high as I could get it. Unbolt the rear sway bar and bottom of the shocks and let the rear end down slowly as much as possible mine went almost back to the ground. I was so livid of the Airbags, destruction came to mind I just snipped the air lines and ripped everything out. Install your springs. Depending on what you want my attitude is lighter is better and I don't like rust on my vehicle. I imagine when you look up at your compressor you'll see the whole unit is rusty so it was going as well. I would put a floor jack under neath it for support or have a 2nd person hold it while you take the wiring harnesses apart and the 4 bolts it's very heavy. Don't mess with the bolts in the middle just 2 on the back side near the bumper and 2 on the other side which are at an angle and down it came. I just cut all my air lines back as far as possible. It's amazing how much room is under there w/o the compressor. When you finish up connect back your battery and you shouldn't see any air suspension messages. How does it sit and ride? perfect! I don't like the squashyness of the air, I know alot say it is more comfortable, but we basically have Escalade seats in a Hummer and I like the tighter, performance suspension feel. When it accelerates it won't dip backwards as much so i like that. My Great Dane loved chewing holes in the airbags
I will say this though, it is strange It is like a burden has come off of my shoulders when I drive it. I don't worry about the compressor working or if the back end is to low. I really like that worry is all gone. Thanks Easy ED for your posts I wouldn't have tried it w/o reading them. Don't message me for parts, The Compressor is lucky I didn't use it for target practice or put some SEMTEX on it and celebrate.
