Firm ride switch question

Topic: Firm ride switch question (Read 1536 times) previous topic - next topic

Firm ride switch question

March 25, 2006, 07:54:38 PM

I was wanting to try to see if I could get the TC's struts in firm mode, could someone tell me if the switch is active at all times, or just when the ign. switch is on or in run...the ign switch in the TC is boogered up, and it won't energize the acc components, ie radio, etc.

If it helps, the dash is out of the car, and would it be possible to put 12 volts to the wires to go to firm, or would that burn them up?
I guess what I'm after, is a way to activate em w/o using the dash switch...

I want to see if the struts are still good in this thing, hell, for all I know, they may be in firm mode now, when I push down on the front or back of the car, it's fairly stiff, and doesn't bounce at all, unlike my V6 struts/shocks, which bounce like hooker's bed!

I figure if they're good, I'll swap them, along with the bigger brake stuff, until I park the car in a few weeks, when I'll start re-doing everything in the car.

Firm ride switch question

Reply #1 – March 25, 2006, 08:18:37 PM

Only when the key is in the run postition.

Auto ride feels firmer than most V6 cars do, so its hard to compair to two.

Firm ride switch question

Reply #2 – March 25, 2006, 08:30:59 PM

yeah, I've discovered that the key has to be in run...
Is there any way I could jump the wires to get it in firm, w/o the key being in the run position?

As a side note, in auto mode, it's softer than my V6 stuff, and way bouncier...would this indicate the struts are bad?

Firm ride switch question

Reply #3 – March 25, 2006, 08:58:48 PM

I just got them all on firm, both struts, both rear shocks.
there's a red wire, and a black wire on the connectors to each actuator, i just stuck a wire in each from a 12 volt battery, one hot, one ground. each actuator made a little thunk sound, and and it went to firm...man, I can't believe how stiff the suspension is on a TC, going to have to try these out on the V6 car tomorrow...11" brakes, here I come, lol

Firm ride switch question

Reply #4 – March 26, 2006, 06:06:38 PM

cant you remove the servo from the top of the struts and turn the valve manually.....

Firm ride switch question

Reply #5 – March 26, 2006, 08:48:08 PM

I don't know about that, but it was rather easy to take a hot, and ground, and touch 2 of the wires to switch em, to go to one or the other, all I did was reverse the polarity...at least the things still work.

Firm ride switch question

Reply #6 – March 27, 2006, 02:49:41 AM

Quote from: shame302

cant you remove the servo from the top of the struts and turn the valve manually.....

yep the easiest way takes about 2 min on each strut:D

Firm ride switch question

Reply #7 – March 27, 2006, 06:56:53 PM

Quote from: shame302

cant you remove the servo from the top of the struts and turn the valve manually.....

Yep each 1/4 turn switches from one setting to the next. I suspect there is just a valve that has a hole drilled through it to operate the system, sorta a gate valve arrangement.

The Soft(auto)/Firm switch can be repaired by carefully dissambling it and cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser(fixed mine anyway).