Hi All,

Just picked up a 99 4.6HSE with 142K and thought it's about time I joined the forum to try and fix everything that's wrong with it. I bought it at a great price and sent it straight to the shop for a look over. $1k later, it's got all kinds of new stuff without any of the problems I took it in for being fixed. Oil change, new battery, plugs, valve block reseal (I'm glad this was done, but was it done right???) etc. The two things I took it for are the usual P0150, P0175, P1171 or P1174 (Can't remember which one). My mechanic said the O2 sensor is probably not the problem, but the result of another problem so he never even looked at them. He capped off two hoses going from the coolant reservoir into the throttle body and said this fixed it....for about an hour. Yesterday, I climbed under the car for the first time and saw the bank 2, sensor 1 had been spliced together like some cheap speaker wire. It had little crimp connectors like used in car stereo installations with no head shield. After seeing this, I ordered a new O2 sensor from AB so hopefully this will fix this problem....although from all the other posts I've seen, it probably wont...seems like these particular codes are stuck with these cars for life. Love that 6 city 10 highway MPG!!!!

The second issue is....you guessed it...the EAS. The mechanic resealed the valve block and this didn't fix anything. I need to go around the car with soapy water and try and figure this out myself before I blow another $1k. I raised it all the way up yesterday and pulled the delay timer and it sat there all day fine. Last night I put it back in, dropped it to the standard height, and pulled it again. This morning the whole car is on the ground. If I start it, I can drive most of the way to work (4 miles) before it will get to standard height. The compressor also seems to run every couple of seconds once it gets to regular height. It turns off for no more than 10-15 seconds at a time. The original mechanic said the bags look fine (although after not finding my O2 sensor or fixing anything I asked, I'm second guessing his ability) so where I should I look? Although not impossible, I find it hard to believe that all 4 bags are leaking, especially since it drops so evenly. Maybe leaking from the compressor or even the valve block still?

Anyway, I've been browsing this forum ever since I bought the car, but can't seem to find any definitive fix for either problem. I'm going to be taking the car to another shop in a few weeks, but I'd like to become a bit more familiar with the problems so I can provide some good feedback to the next mechanic in hopes of not running around in circles.

It's also got a few more issues that I'll dive into later. Brake accumulator, washer fluid low warning when it's not, obnoxious 10 or so beeps when I start it (possibly warning of the low washer fluid??).

Thanks for any suggestions and I appreciate all the past posts that have gotten me this far!

-Jon

 

soapy water around all the connections and the bags, and practically the whole car to find the problem.

 

Having this all fresh in my mind... Remove the filter from your air pump and put your hand near, and then over the intake. You should feel strong suction.

Your car, if the air springs are not leaking, should rise and stabilize quickly.
I'm going to suspect that your air pump is worn out. This can happen without any error indications. The air reservoir never gets a chance to be completely filled. If it is you can buy a new one (all from the same manufacturer) for between $500 and $950. You can buy a rebuild kit for under $200. Me, I bought a new pump because I could not afford the down time to rebuild the old one. I've kept it and will do so when my world slows down a little.