Proper maintenance procedures will go a long way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your air springs. Here are three air spring maintenance tips to get you started.
- Fully extend the rubber flex member off the piston so the piston is totally exposed and rinse with water. That removes grit and grime from the highway which can cause abrasion and an air spring failure.
- If the air spring rubber area is exposed to solvents such as gasoline or oil, immediately rinse with water as those solvents will degrade the rubber. Continued exposure to solvents will cause premature air spring failure.
- Determine the longevity of your air spring by measuring the required pressure to achieve design height. When installing a new air spring, notate the pressure gauge rating when the vehicle is in a static idling condition. As time passes, check pressure rating and when pressure increases by 15% to achieve design height and static idle condition, the air spring should be replaced as it is worn out.
This tech tip for air spring maintenance was provided by ContiTech.