Posted a few weeks ago about the air suspension fault and the truck not raising. Time to get the parts I need now. Not quite sure if it is the compressor or something else, so wanted to get everyone's take on it.
Background: Truck did not lose air overnight, but started to take longer to pump up. Every so often the light would come on, I would restart and it would go away. Played with the off road and access height a few times, and it would jack up but take a while. Finally I had put down to access and now she won't raise at all. I don't drive the truck much during the summer, but need to fix it now. The compressor still turns on when you first start it, but no progress is made. After 30 seconds or so it stops and the light turns on. Sometimes the compressor starts/stops for the same amount of time.
It is an AMK compressor with a date of 2012 on it. You think it would fail that quickly or is it another issue? Before I go order a new compressor would love to hear thoughts.
Next big question: How far can I drive it at access height? Real bumpy to drive. I don't need to use it, but was wondering about driving it somewhere to read the codes.

 

You can drive the truck as far and long as you like even on the bump stops. It's just very uncomfortable. I'm wondering if your dryer has become clogged. It's odd that the AMK would fail so soon

 

Codes? Air leaks?

 

I had never noticed an air leak, no sagging anywhere. Codes I have no idea as I have not wanted to drive it.

 

I was wondering about a clog too as I hear the compressor going. No idea how to check the dryer though or reverse "flush" it.

 

Do you have a diagnostic tool to check pressures at various places in the system? If not, it's more of a guessing game than anything.

I agree that the first place to start would be to take your compressor out and have a look at the dryer assembly. As long as you have a decent set of tools, it's fairly straightforward. The hardest part is getting the top bolt of the compressor out, but I think a "flatter" socket wrench with a 6" extension worked perfectly for me. The harder part was getting the bolt back in... a little bit of masking tape works wonders.

Anyway... check the condition of your dryer and desiccant. You can order refurbishment kits off of e-bay if it's all hard as a rock and your filters are clogged. They also offer refurb kits for the compressor. If you see that the dryer is shot, might be worth your while to buy the whole kit, including a new dryer cap (just in case you have a leak there)... I can't remember how much they ran, but I think it was in the $100-150 range for everything. Much cheaper than a new compressor.

In my mind, that would be a first step. After that, I might start to question the reservoir valve block, the reservoir (they've been known to rust out and get leaky) or the air lines themselves.

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Aaaaannndddd... scratch what I just said. Didn't see you had an AMK compressor already! No refurb kits for that bad boy. I would start by examining the reservoir if I were you. Would be very beneficial to see if you can get your hands on a diagnostic tool and get a readout of the pressure as the compressor is going.

 

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Aaaaannndddd... scratch what I just said. Didn't see you had an AMK compressor already! No refurb kits for that bad boy. I would start by examining the reservoir if I were you. Would be very beneficial to see if you can get your hands on a diagnostic tool and get a readout of the pressure as the compressor is going.[/QUOTE]

So, I can't take it out and check the dryer?

 

You will really need to check for codes and see what is going on with it. Anything suggested without reading codes is just a guess and a WAG at that.

You told us that it is an AMK compressor, but many people don't know there is a "old" and "new" version of the AMK compressor. If it is an "old" style, then you are in the same boat as those with the Hitachi compressor. Only the latest style AMK has so far held up.
Also, there have been several software updates for enhanced compressor functionality. The most recent was SDD V139.03 which was only about a year ago.

And it might not even be a compressor related fault. Perhaps the compressor intake pipe is kinked or filter clogged.

 

It's a 2012 build date so not sure if that is new or old. I'm thinking too there is a clog, but I don't want to start tearing it apart with no schematics or anything, and I can't seem to find any. Plenty of stuff on the Hitachi one, just not the AMK as I guess there are not as many issues. I don't think it is a leak or pinch, but could be a clog somewhere in the dryer.

 

Did you ever get your suspension problem resolved?