Free me from the pump!

I need input from anyone who has converted and been set free from the autoride pump-a-lumpa system. I'm not sure what is wrong with mine other than the "bags" look dry and cracked and flat...and I don't know if the pump even works. I just bought this '05 1500LT and I don't care about theauto leveling crapola. I just want good shocks for mostly highway driving and an occassional dirt road or easy off-road.

I need input from anyone who has converted and been set free from the autoride pump-a-lumpa system. I'm not sure what is wrong with mine other than the "bags" look dry and cracked and flat...and I don't know if the pump even works. I just bought this '05 1500LT and I don't care about theauto leveling crapola. I just want good shocks for mostly highway driving and an occassional dirt road or easy off-road.

Is everything still working?
Oem setup?
Bags on Just rear or all 4 wheels?

Check with your parts places.
Some have change over kits.

I need input from anyone who has converted and been set free from the autoride pump-a-lumpa system. I'm not sure what is wrong with mine other than the "bags" look dry and cracked and flat...and I don't know if the pump even works. I just bought this '05 1500LT and I don't care about theauto leveling crapola. I just want good shocks for mostly highway driving and an occassional dirt road or easy off-road.

a forum member in the tahoe section just removed his air bag system and installed new bilsteins ..says its great ..

see what the details are ..

air bags usually last 6 years. after that the rubber gets bad..

Is everything still working?
Oem setup?
Bags on Just rear or all 4 wheels?

Check with your parts places.
Some have change over kits.

It rides kinda mushy....waaaay different than my '96 with HD shocks. The bags in the rear are dry and have tiny cracking....and don't have any air in them. I can't tell if there's bags on the front, but this burb came with all the goodies so I suspect they are up front, too. Yes, oem setup.

I see a ton of grunge/rust(?)/mud(?) on a frame ground point where it looks like they might be connected to the system near the pump (on the rear rail). Maybe there's no ground to make a circuit?? I am trying to find the fuse on a online ops manual...hard to read and follow. Fuse box up front is hard to read.

Hmmmmm...found a loose wire coming through the firewall....has a full round connector at the end and has definitely been hooked up recently (clean). The guy I bought it from had a thumper stereo taken out and it could be a leftover, but from what? OR...it could be from the airlevel system????

It rides kinda mushy....waaaay different than my '96 with HD shocks. The bags in the rear are dry and have tiny cracking....and don't have any air in them. I can't tell if there's bags on the front, but this burb came with all the goodies so I suspect they are up front, too. Yes, oem setup.

I see a ton of grunge/rust(?)/mud(?) on a frame ground point where it looks like they might be connected to the system near the pump (on the rear rail). Maybe there's no ground to make a circuit?? I am trying to find the fuse on a online ops manual...hard to read and follow. Fuse box up front is hard to read.

Hmmmmm...found a loose wire coming through the firewall....has a full round connector at the end and has definitely been hooked up recently (clean). The guy I bought it from had a thumper stereo taken out and it could be a leftover, but from what? OR...it could be from the airlevel system????

If bags have no air in them you should be sitting low to ground and have a very bumpy ride.

Remember air bags or springs or torsion bars carry the load and the shocks is what takes out the bounce.

On the fuse if you are not sure which on just take a test light and check all of them for 12 volt power both sides.

Shocking revelation!!!

I got new tires today (Pirelli Scorpions), and while the tech had the left rear wheel off he discovered that the entire bracket that mounts on the rear axle housing and holds the upper trailing arm IS GONE!!! Yeah...broken off at the housing and not even hanging by the bolts. GONE!

Took it to a local shop for a quick repair --- NOT! They have to fabricate a new bracket from plate steel and it's gonna cost about $400+. I am soooo pisssssed! The seller and the dealer...AND the rebuilder...of this truck MUST have known that bracket was gone because you see it as soon as the wheel is removed (no splash shield). I called them and said I was going to report it to the DMV if they didn't help with the cost because it was supposed to be inspected and certified by the DMV and a licensed shop.

Of course, the DMV could pull my title and hold it until it's all straightened out, so that may only be good for a threat. I've never seen anything like that on a vehicle actually being driven on the road.

And, I'm definitely gonna go for the normal HD shocks. Any suggestions??

Shocking revelation!!!

I got new tires today (Pirelli Scorpions), and while the tech had the left rear wheel off he discovered that the entire bracket that mounts on the rear axle housing and holds the upper trailing arm IS GONE!!! Yeah...broken off at the housing and not even hanging by the bolts. GONE!

Took it to a local shop for a quick repair --- NOT! They have to fabricate a new bracket from plate steel and it's gonna cost about $400+. I am soooo pisssssed! The seller and the dealer...AND the rebuilder...of this truck MUST have known that bracket was gone because you see it as soon as the wheel is removed (no splash shield). I called them and said I was going to report it to the DMV if they didn't help with the cost because it was supposed to be inspected and certified by the DMV and a licensed shop.

Of course, the DMV could pull my title and hold it until it's all straightened out, so that may only be good for a threat. I've never seen anything like that on a vehicle actually being driven on the road.

And, I'm definitely gonna go for the normal HD shocks. Any suggestions??

If you are going to drive it on the road get the bracket fixed.

I would go back on the dealer that sold it to you and make him fix it at his expense.

Check out you state laws on things like that.
Whoever inspected the truck and the rebuilder may be in a world of hurt.
Over a deal like that.
In a lot of states the state has to inspect a rebuilder vechical and make a rebuilder title.
Did your dealer inform you that it was a rebuilder title and truck when you bought it?
How long have you had it?

As far as the shock change over see what your local parts places have and talk too your repair man on that end.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

I did get the bracket fixed (actually, had a new one fabricated and installed to the tune of $700), and hooked up the autoride system. I don't know if the pump even works but the sub sits a little uneven. It is 1" higher on the driver side rear and the passenger side front. I talked to a frame shop and they said it's probably the shocks. Anyway, I loaded enough kids and grandkids into the rear to = 1000 lbs+, and the rear still didn't dip at all.

I think I'm gonna get some standard shocks all around and eliminate the whole autoride/air pump issue, but I'm not sure how that system works with my all wheel drive.

I did get the bracket fixed (actually, had a new one fabricated and installed to the tune of $700), and hooked up the autoride system. I don't know if the pump even works but the sub sits a little uneven. It is 1" higher on the driver side rear and the passenger side front. I talked to a frame shop and they said it's probably the shocks. Anyway, I loaded enough kids and grandkids into the rear to = 1000 lbs+, and the rear still didn't dip at all.

I think I'm gonna get some standard shocks all around and eliminate the whole autoride/air pump issue, but I'm not sure how that system works with my all wheel drive.


your vehicle should have torsion bars that adjust height in the front one on each side . these replace springs.these bars can get damaged or the parts supporting them can be damaged.

these torsion bars are adjusted to level off the vehicle. my vehicle after 10,ooomi I had to increase hieght slightly. still good after 10yrs. with bad shocks with springs or these bars ,, you will damage these components.


if you have coil springs in the front the driverside spring fails after a few yrs. this is common. the front driverside will be lower and get lower, no adjustment. 100% failure. with worn shocks or cheap ones this takes very little time to kill these springs.

the rear height will also be affected .

SHOCKS DO NOT CHANGE HEIGHT ! so the people who told you that are idiots.

your vehicle should have torsion bars that adjust height in the front one on each side . these replace springs.these bars can get damaged or the parts supporting them can be damaged.

these torsion bars are adjusted to level off the vehicle. my vehicle after 10,ooomi I had to increase hieght slightly. still good after 10yrs. with bad shocks with springs or these bars ,, you will damage these components.

I do have the torsion bars in the front. Would a shop such as "Big O Tires" normally adjust those during an alignment?

I do have the torsion bars in the front. Would a shop such as "Big O Tires" normally adjust those during an alignment?


most tire shops do not have trained alignment tech's . I very much doubt they know how to properly align your vehicle. or inspect for damaged worn components, [which you may have with the torsion bars] ..........

your vehicle with these bars working correctly and aligned should correct your issue....bring to a repair shop that has the knowledge of how to repair align your vehicle.

I would never have a tire shop do any work on my vehicles.

tire service only !

most tire shops do not have trained alignment tech's . I very much doubt they know how to properly align your vehicle. or inspect for damaged worn components, [which you may have with the torsion bars] ..........

your vehicle with these bars working correctly and aligned should correct your issue....bring to a repair shop that has the knowledge of how to repair align your vehicle.

I would never have a tire shop do any work on my vehicles.

tire service only !

The "Big O" store down the road from me is where I have all my 4 wheel alignmenrs done. So far, so good. I did call the mgr and he said it's possible I have a broken torsion bar, but that they need to be checked to see where the adjustments are set right now. I don't have a problem with sagging or being too low. I just think it wasn't adjusted properly when it was last worked on.

From what I read, I could actually loosen the right front bar to equal the height of the left front rather than tighten the left to get more height. It would seem like that would be better than trying to crank more height since I don't know what it was from the factory. I don't want to overtighten for sure.

I would take re-indexing the T-bars over cranking them up any day. If you crank them higher (say 2 inches higher than stock) the other parts will start wearing and failing.

Sounds like you got screwed over on a reconstructed vehicle. I hope you haven't had it for long.

It's better to stay away from reconstructed vehicles (because of obvious reasons), but there is one or two now and again that end up being 100% safe to drive.

The AutoRide shocks on the rear of the Suburban are a combined air bag and shock. They are similar to the aftermarket Monroe MaxAir shocks. They do both jobs: dampen road irregularities and bumps AND adjust the rear height when the truck is loaded with cargo or a trailer. I can get up to 3" ride height difference when unloaded. The AutoRide doesn't do this for looks. This is to keep the vehicle level for handling, provide more control when loaded, and to keep the headlights properly aimed.

If the AutoRide pump doesn't work, there may be corrosion at the pump's electrical ground or the fuse has blown.

As far as the front t-bars, they can be checked for even tension by counting the number of threads visible on each adjusting screw...usually inside the frame under the front seats. They should be more or less equal. If not, one of the t-bars may be weak.

Hope this helps!

The "Big O" store down the road from me is where I have all my 4 wheel alignmenrs done. So far, so good. I did call the mgr and he said it's possible I have a broken torsion bar, but that they need to be checked to see where the adjustments are set right now. I don't have a problem with sagging or being too low. I just think it wasn't adjusted properly when it was last worked on.

From what I read, I could actually loosen the right front bar to equal the height of the left front rather than tighten the left to get more height. It would seem like that would be better than trying to crank more height since I don't know what it was from the factory. I don't want to overtighten for sure.

with the torsion bars requiring adjustment..there are owners that increase height because they need road clearance or it looks COOL !

the adjustment is called the Z ...I tried to do this Z adjust ment ..not easy to do ..so I measured the frame bottom to ground ..saw that the passenger side was lower than driverside..increased height 1/2 turn on stud ..bounce front end a few times check measurements..both sides..repeat until close...

look at the control arm bumpers both sides should be almost touching the frame and about the same amount..that way you know your not too high...

yes you may have a worn component that caused this issue..the torsion bar hardware should be checked by a competent repair shop that knows all this !