cylinder and valve problems

i have a civic with 4" smc cylinders in the front and 3" in the rear, the left rear when fully lifted loses pressure and "clicks down in increments"but doesnt leak anywhere in the system back to the tank.. could it be an internal leak? cause it doesnt seem to be leakin elsewhere... and the front right, when i tap the switch to get to ride height it just drops slowly to the bottom, doesnt stop till it bottoms out... i have 8 gc450 xtremes... what the best maintanece for the cylinders and valves .... or any suggestions on my issues?

What air pressure are you running and how big is the tank? Try raising the pressure first, then if that doesn't work switch sides on the cylinders and see if that changes it.

HMMMMM... running 140 to 160 around town...

as far as switching sides.. the car is copper plumbed...lol not too flexible on switching sides

try spraying the lower port, and around the shaft. (with soapy water) Air is getting out some where. How old are they?
Give Rob a call at 1 866 FUK NLOW. He can help ya.

You might have the cylinders mounted too tightly on the top. When it is bolted in solidly and the piston extends the lower control arms will pull the cylinder toward the inside and could cause a leak. Try letting off on the mounting bolts a little bit. That might explain why it "clicks" down instead of just leaking slowly.

Originally posted by BagedRanger



try spraying the lower port, and around the shaft. (with soapy water) Air is getting out some where. How old are they? Give Rob a call at 1 866 FUK NLOW. He can help ya.

when it "clicks" down it puffs air out of the lower port... but not around the shaft..

one side or both?

Then the cylinder is definitely leaking. Try loosening the bolts on top first, that could cause it to do that, if not you need to rebuild them or new cylinders.

Edited: 1/11/2006 11:44:00 AM by ir8st8

just the left rear...

how much pressure should those valves need to run around on? what would be 2 low of a pressure? and as far as the front right.. it just leaks straight down anfter adjusting to any othe point other that full loc.... if its at lock... itll ride all day without dropping in the front....

but the left rear drops in clicks pretty fast even after its been locked up full...

Edited: 1/11/2006 11:48:24 AM by pearldrop

The only time air should come out of that lower port is when you are lifting the car and extending the piston. If there is air coming out of the lower port when the car is dropping, it is slipping past the piston.That is the only thing it could be in the rear. (There could be something else... also, but for sure the air is leaking at the cylinder).

A common problem with the fronts of cars on cylinders is having the air push back past the valves into the tank. Check valves usually fix this, but it should only happen while you are driving and hitting bumps. I would take some soapy water or glass cleaner (which I prefer) and keep checking for leaks in the front.