1999 SSEi suspension issue
 

I bought a 1999 SSEi for what I thought was a steal. The guy told me that the only thing wrong with it is the rear suspension. It rides like a school bus. It seems that someone replaced the air bags with springs. Granted this is my first air ride car and I'm not entirely sure what to look for under the rear end. What is the best solution for my new sleeper? What kind of cost and effort are we talking for a shadetree mechanic?

Rides like a school bus? You mean the rear end is stiff? I think what he did was, replace the air struts with normal springs like you said, but maybe they are too stiff for the car. ??
Can you post a picture of behind the rear wheel? Mainly of this spring? Where it attaches to etc.

Would love to include a picture, but I am working off my cell till the internet is connected in my new house. Odd question... How would I attach a pic? Yeah I think they may be too stiff. The car bounces hard when you hit a bump.

Does the rear of the car bottom out when you hit a bump, or does it just feel real stiff in the rear?

When you get pics, I'll show you how to post them.

The rear end feels really stiff. If at all possible I would like to put the air ride back in it. I know the ccr isn't possible due to discontinued parts.

I may be wrong about this, but CCR is also what controls how much air is in those air struts. If the computer doesn't see the rear end sag, it can't pump more air into it. You would end up opening your trunk everyday just to hook an air hose to the schrader valve. My friend Rich had to do the same thing with his 96 Buick Park Ave Ultra.

My big concern is ride quality if I do get better springs under her tail...

Now, this I have seen people do. Goto autozone, tell them you need rear springs for a 1999 SE. NON SUPERCHARGED, NON-CCR. This should be a direct bolt on.

That's not a half bad idea... Worse comes to worse it will ride like an se... Which isn't a bad ride at all. Thanks for the input!

Well, it should ride better than what you have now.
Your welcome!

i think what you are talking about is supposed to be there. the spring helps keep the big butt in the air. i think your struts are bad or the compressor or lines are bad. i put the air line kit with a valve Monroe ak29 on because when my struts went they started leaking and took out the compressor too. and they are expensive.with new struts and lines i only put air in it when the seasons change. do you hear the compressor? try taking the sensor arm off the pass rear a arm and push it up the compressor should turn on. if not there is a fuse in the maxi fuse center under hood, go from there i guess. if you need struts i like the kyb excel g. i would rather not have the floaty feel of a buick.

The rear suspension on your car did not have air bags. It has springs and air shocks. When the air shocks are pumped full of air, they raise the rear suspension. You car uses an ELC (electronic level control) sensor behind the rear driver's wheel to detect ride height, that sends a signal to the on-board compressor when the rear is low, which then pumps air into the shocks. If the back end of your car is riding low, and it bounces like a school bus, either the ELS/compressor is not functioning or you need new shocks.

Do you hear the air compressor running when your mother-in-law sits in the back seat? Follow Justin's suggestion on moving the ELC arm (I think its on the driver side Justin) to see if the compressor comes on or not.

Look at the rear shocks. Are there plastic air lines going to each one? If not, the previous owner removed the air shocks and installed standard ones.

My guess is the original air shocks started to leak, which caused the ELC to run the compressor constantly, which caused the compressor to fail. To get back to original you would have to repair/replace the air compressor, and replace the shocks for air shocks. Or, as Justin suggests, install air shocks with lines that go to a Schraeder valve in the trunk. You can manually adust ride height by releasing air through the valve (just like a tire air valve) or pumping air into it using a compressor (gas station). You would lose the automatic level control, but save a lot of the expense.

mine is on the pass side, maybe they changed for 2k+? i took pics of all that and the ak29 kit when i did my rear struts but photobucket is fighting me for some reason today

That's possible. On my 2001 the ELC is on the driver side, and the air compressor is on the passenger side.

ak29-
https://www.gmforum.com/attachment.p...ine=1333465507
pic of the old strut air leaks around the rubber part the compressor cant keep up and took them both out. the elc arm in question is behind the tape on the sway-bar.
https://www.gmforum.com/attachment.p...ine=1333465507