I am talking the kind on a 2002 Buick LeSabre? It has the automatic leveling suspension. It is my parents car and one of them is leaking. I have to replace them. All I know is when you start the car you can hear the compressor leveling the car.

Are they just plug and play? Do I have to evacuate the system?

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

I've never done that on a Buick, but when the air suspension on my sister's Subaru failed, I ditched the air system. I got some conventional springs from a junkyard and new struts. She was thrilled to be rid of the air suspension.

For what that's worth.

Does the bag deflate completely or does just the driver's side drop slightly? I'm not sure about the Buick but I know my Lincoln Conti had a "curb setting" which lowered the left side to make it easier to enter or exit the car. This engaged a few seconds after the engine was off and if the doors hadn't been opened.

Most air ride systems a solenoid on each bag. Probably has a retaining clip that pops off first, then the solenoid twists out. The car must be jacked up first or it will drop like a rock. One trick is to jack up the car a little, that way the it thinks its too high and it will vent the system, possibly all the way before it errors out.

Mike. The Conti vented all sides, not just left. It was actually for two reasons. To vent to a lower position to help stability when parked (such as being brought over on a car ferry) and to also exercise the system so it would get use. On later Contis only the rear had air-ride. The Mark series always had it on all four corners.

Conversions, as mentioned, are always a possibility but it will impact ride quality for better or worse. Conventional thinking says bags are worse for handling but tests have show they are the same if not better than springs. If cost is a factor, I would ditch them. And never buy used bags, they will crack in no time. For a Mark VIII rear bags are just $100 each new from Arnott industries.

__________________
1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

The car does not have bags but just plain air shocks. I believe the system is still operating. However, when I changed the rear brakes last week I noticed fluid leaking from one of the shocks. My father took it in for inspection and they will not pass it with a leaking shock.

So, I found a pair of air shocks listed for this particular make/model/year. Is it just a unplug, mount, plug line into new shock? No purging of system or anything?

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

AFAIK it is simply "plug and play"; no purging required.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags