Hello, I just purchased this 97 EB with ARC, and I suspect that the system is not working. When I put it in 4wd Low, I do hear the compressor kick in, but it doesn't appear to raise the height any. I imagine I need to replace the air shocks, but have a few questions. How can I check to see if I need to replace ALL of them, or just some? Do I HAVE to get Ford OEM shocks, or are there any replacements?
Thanks a lot!
Chester
Thanks for the reply Jerry. My thing is, the Message Center says that the ARC is fine, no errors. But when I put the truck in 4wd Low, I can hear the compressor, but the truck doesn't go up! I'm hoping it is something as simply as a disconnected or burst air hose! I hope that if the shocks are bad, that it would display the famous error in the Message Center.
I'm hoping to have a better look at it tonight, and I'll let you know here what I find.
Meanwhile, any other input? Any specific service manuals that do a good job of covering this? Thanks!
Ok, more news! I've just crawled out from under my Explorer, and still have black smudges on my face to prove I was working on it!
And here's what I've found: When I put the truck in 4WD Low, it goes up about 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch. Then, while the compressor keeps running, nothing happens! EXCEPT....I can distinctly hear air leaking from the driver's side rear shock. All three others appear to be ok, just that one leaking. So, if that one is leaking, then of course none of the others are going to get enough air to go up!
So, it's off to order a new left Rear shock tomorrow! I'm hopeful that this will fix all my problems. Well, with the Explorer anyway, the rest of my problems will have to be worked out through some other way! ;-)
The next question is...is there any "trick" or "gotchas" or anything I should know about replacing one of these ARC shocks? Anything to watch out for?
Thanks for the input!
Chester, The system in my 97 EB does not automatically raise the vehicle when switching to Off road (it's an AWD not 4X4). Below is the Discription and Operation from the 97 Ford truck CD for the Explorer Automatic ride Control. Regards - Jerry D&O Automatic Ride Control is a computer-controlled suspension system that uses unique suspension components and two stage (firm and soft) shock absorbers to provide a smooth ride for normal driving conditions without sacrificing handling performance. An air spring integral with each shock absorber provides automatic load leveling and allows vehicle height to be adjusted over a span of 50mm (2 inches).
A smooth ride is achieved through the selection of lower rate front torsion bars and rear leaf springs, ARC-specific front and rear anti-roll bars, and soft shock damping. Handling performance is maintained by reading driver and road inputs that, under certain conditions, switch the damping rate of the shock absorbers to firm, minimizing body movement. Driver inputs include braking, throttle position, steering rate and position, and transfer case mode selection (4.0L) or ride control switch selection (5.0L). Road inputs are sensed by two suspension-mounted height sensors and vehicle speed.
The ARC system adjusts vehicle height on the front and rear axles separately through the use of four solenoid valves, an air compressor, and air lines. Vehicle height (trim level) is set based on the status of the door ajar signal and the transfer case mode selected (automatic four-wheel drive, four-wheel drive high, or four-wheel drive low). The trim level is maintained even with the addition and removal of cargo.
In automatic four-wheel drive, an empty vehicle is fully supported by the front torsion bars and rear leaf springs. This height is referred to as the "base" height. Compressed air is applied to the air springs only when a load is added to the vehicle or a transfer case mode of four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low is selected.
In four-wheel drive high, the vehicle is raised about 25mm (1 inch) to increase body clearance and provide a more controlled ride. The vehicle is returned to the base height to achieve a smooth ride at highway speeds.
Off-road capability is increased by stiffening the suspension and raising the vehicle about 50mm (2 inches) above the base height when in four-wheel drive low, improving clearance between the ground and the body. In four-wheel drive low, compressed air is added to both the front and rear air springs increasing the spring rate of the front and rear by approximately
60% over the spring rate of the suspension when in automatic four-wheel drive. Damping is set to firm in four-wheel drive low to minimize relative movement between the wheel and body.The system uses two height sensors, a steering sensor, transfer case inputs, and other vehicle sensors to measure driver and road inputs. The system changes shock damping on the front and rear axle separately depending on these inputs through the use of special, dual-rate damping shocks. The system changes vehicle height on the front and rear axle separately through the use of an air compressor, four air solenoids, various air lines, and the use of an air spring integrated inside each shock.
What follows is a brief description of system operation showing the air and damping system actions.
The ARC system lifts the vehicle when the transfer case is shifted into four-wheel drive high (by rotating the transfer case switch) or four-wheel drive low (rotate the selector switch to the 4 low position, place the transmission in neutral, and tap the brake pedal to engage or disengage 4 low).
Hey there. Thanks for checking. I've ordered the shock, and it was supposed to come in today, but someone messed up and forgot to put it on the truck!
So, I'm hoping to get to it tomorrow, but we'll have to see. I've got an extremely busy weekend with my live sound company.
So I'll let you know how it goes. I wish I had a service manual for the truck, but I haven't. I'd like to know if there are any particular "gotchas" doing this shock replacement.
Thanks for checking!
Didn't I see in this group that you need to turn the system off before you lift the truck or the shocks can over extend and get stuck??
Alright! Well, after a tremendously busy weekend, I'm finally reporting back on the shock replacement.
Friday morning I pulled the old shock off, counting on getting the new one in that morning as well. Everything went excepptionally well with the removal. Since at the time I didn't have the new shock in front of me, I wasn't sure where or how to disconnect the air line. However, the new shock came with instructions (simply push in on the green or red collar, while pulling out on the air line). So, the new one was back on in less than 30 minutes! Pretty easy, straightforward job.
HOWEVER!!!! I am somewhat dissapointed. The new shock was ordered through the Ford dealer, but is manufactured by Monroe. (I will include part numbers below) To my "shock" (pun intended!), the new shock eliminated the electronic damping feature! Simply isn't there anymore! I know the parts guy said there was a new part number when we ordered, so I don't know if it's just the Monroe part number that I recieved that doesn't include the Electronic Damping, or if that is the only way you can get that shock now. I'm a bit dissapointed, since all the others have it still. The instructions reccomended replacing the shocks in pairs, but said you could do one at a time. At $180 each, I'll stick to one, thank you.
So, the Motorcraft part number on the box is: ASH-140 or 2U2Z-18125-BA. However, the Monroe part number is either A321V2A or 40007MM, not sure.
It would be interesting to see if that Monroe part number was available for a cheaper price through some other distibutor besides Ford.
After the installation was complete, I set the truck back on the ground, started it up, put my foot on the brake, and put it in 4Low. This time it started rising, and gained about 4 inches of lift! Before the replacement, the compressor would run, but the truck only went up about a 1/4". So, it looks succesful. The ride feels about the same, but it's hard to say.
Well, there you have it. My experience with replacing the Automatic Ride Control shocks in a 1997 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer.
Good luck to you!
What is 'Electronic Damping"
How do you know the electronic damping feature isn't there anymore?
Monroe did originally make the OEM shock for the Explorer Limited. Monroe's online catalog lists a 40005 part number for the front, no part number for the rear.
I just replaced all four shocks on my '96 Limited (ouch) with shocks that my mechanic got from Ford. The ARC works fine. I had the opportunity to drive through the same torn-up road several times, and could tell the difference between the 2WD and 4WD ride settings. Whether this has anything to do with the electronic damping or just the ride height and spring rate that it changes, I don't know.
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