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Would I get an error if the Air compressor wasn't working?
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BertRemington
New member
Yes, you will get an error indicator -- your butt will feel every bump in the road.
So you have taken your first step into the failed ACS briar patch. You basically have three choices. (1) Go to a manual fill system, which many riders recommend once the various air fittings have been refurbished. (2) Repair the system which could be a combination of compressor, release valve, height sensor, air (bag) spring and any number of fittings. Beaucoup bucks and hard work. (3) Install an aftermarket rear shock with stronger spring. Beaucoup bucks and easy work.
So you have taken your first step into the failed ACS briar patch. You basically have three choices. (1) Go to a manual fill system, which many riders recommend once the various air fittings have been refurbished. (2) Repair the system which could be a combination of compressor, release valve, height sensor, air (bag) spring and any number of fittings. Beaucoup bucks and hard work. (3) Install an aftermarket rear shock with stronger spring. Beaucoup bucks and easy work.
Don't forget that IF your Ride Height Sensor is connected to the swing arm (look at lower Left Hand Side of the bike, under its skirts, on top of the swing arm, just below the top chord of the belt... 
) and working properly (often either/both are questionable, especially if no-one's touched it since the dealer's techs last did! 
) then that Up/Down Hard/Soft switch thingy on the dash is really just a gimmick - the static ride height should be set in the computer and pretty much nothing you do to the switch &/or the air bag pressure will change your ride height for very long, it'll only work/vary anything to KEEP your static ride height at the preset level as the load on the bike varies, and it won't really have too much impact on the Hard/Soft of your ride either - the ACS is designed to and if working, will simply MAINTAIN YOUR SPYDER'S PRESET RIDE HEIGHT! :lecturef_smilie:
Your required pressure to maintain that preset ride height may well vary significantly from anyone/everyone else's, even tho your preset ride height shouldn't be too far off theirs, IF it was ever set properly; so the fact that yours happens to reach 20 psi (or 90 psi ) is pretty much a moot point &/or irrelevant.... It could well be that 20 psi is all your air bag needs to maintain the preset ride height of your Spyder given the load you impose, and even if you do adjust it manually via the Schraeder Valve under the seat, if the system is working at all like it should, the very moment you start to ride again it'll immediately return the air bag pressure to 20 psi or thereabouts, only ever changing IF the load on your Spyder changes. And if the ACS ISN'T working as intended, all bets are off and that might never change even if the load does... or maybe not! 
Bert's laid out your options very well - trying to achieve anything else with the OEM ACS set-up is pretty much a recipe for much grief and frustration, and it'll probably do a very good job of removing $$ from your wallet &/or bank account too! :gaah:
The ACS is a prime example of one of the GREAT Concepts that BRP's come up with for our Spyders, and an even better example of the poor execution of said concept!! :yikes: :banghead:
) and working properly (often either/both are questionable, especially if no-one's touched it since the dealer's techs last did! ) then that Up/Down Hard/Soft switch thingy on the dash is really just a gimmick - the static ride height should be set in the computer and pretty much nothing you do to the switch &/or the air bag pressure will change your ride height for very long, it'll only work/vary anything to KEEP your static ride height at the preset level as the load on the bike varies, and it won't really have too much impact on the Hard/Soft of your ride either - the ACS is designed to and if working, will simply MAINTAIN YOUR SPYDER'S PRESET RIDE HEIGHT! :lecturef_smilie:Your required pressure to maintain that preset ride height may well vary significantly from anyone/everyone else's, even tho your preset ride height shouldn't be too far off theirs, IF it was ever set properly; so the fact that yours happens to reach 20 psi (or 90 psi
) is pretty much a moot point &/or irrelevant.... It could well be that 20 psi is all your air bag needs to maintain the preset ride height of your Spyder given the load you impose, and even if you do adjust it manually via the Schraeder Valve under the seat, if the system is working at all like it should, the very moment you start to ride again it'll immediately return the air bag pressure to 20 psi or thereabouts, only ever changing IF the load on your Spyder changes. And if the ACS ISN'T working as intended, all bets are off and that might never change even if the load does... or maybe not! Bert's laid out your options very well - trying to achieve anything else with the OEM ACS set-up is pretty much a recipe for much grief and frustration, and it'll probably do a very good job of removing $$ from your wallet &/or bank account too! :gaah:
The ACS is a prime example of one of the GREAT Concepts that BRP's come up with for our Spyders, and an even better example of the poor execution of said concept!! :yikes: :banghead:
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Mikey
Well-known member
If you're seeing 20lb in your air bag, then chances are your compressor's working and the system's working as intended. It's when you start bouncing down the road feeling every bump thru your spine that you have a problem! Unless you have good hearing, you may never know when your compressor comes on, the bike has to be in gear and you have to do something to change the load on the suspension to make it self-adjust, like have someone get on the back while it's running & in gear without the brake on - then you may hear the pump or feel it raise up! A lot of us have gone to changing it over to a manual fill system; it's just as good and less expensive to fix. It's a great system when it works as it should, but it WILL be a pain in the butt when it doesn't!!! Good luck
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NorwegianRT
Active member
I had similar thing happen to my 2012 RTS. Ride height sensor connected and working - Display showing normal signs when using switch. All fuses and relays were ok, so the fault had to be elsewhere.
I decided to unscrew all the aft tupperware to get to the compressor and take it off the bike. Then hooked up 12 volts directly to the compressor and it almost twisted out of my hand, so there was life inside at least, but no air delivered. Then I unscrewed the endplate on the compressor and immediately saw the fault. The piston shaft inside the compressor unit that had fallen off the axle coming from the compressor motor. (That is why the compressor could not be heard when operating, no pump action.) This axle has a flat side where the set screw is supposed to secure the piston shaft in position.
I could not get in to tighten the set screw as it was mounted in the proper position, but with a couple of tries I managed to make it fit tight enough so that I could put it back on the axle with a little pressure. I also made a plate on my 3D printer with a 7 mm block in the centre on the inside and installed it between the compressor housing and the end plate. That will make it impossible for the shaft to fall off the axle again due to there being not enough space.
My compressor has been working fine for almost a year now. It is a lot of tupperware to remove, but worth it in my case. This is just a tip about another thing to check if you can't figure out why yours is still not working.
Best of luck and have a great summer.
I decided to unscrew all the aft tupperware to get to the compressor and take it off the bike. Then hooked up 12 volts directly to the compressor and it almost twisted out of my hand, so there was life inside at least, but no air delivered. Then I unscrewed the endplate on the compressor and immediately saw the fault. The piston shaft inside the compressor unit that had fallen off the axle coming from the compressor motor. (That is why the compressor could not be heard when operating, no pump action.) This axle has a flat side where the set screw is supposed to secure the piston shaft in position.
I could not get in to tighten the set screw as it was mounted in the proper position, but with a couple of tries I managed to make it fit tight enough so that I could put it back on the axle with a little pressure. I also made a plate on my 3D printer with a 7 mm block in the centre on the inside and installed it between the compressor housing and the end plate. That will make it impossible for the shaft to fall off the axle again due to there being not enough space.
My compressor has been working fine for almost a year now. It is a lot of tupperware to remove, but worth it in my case. This is just a tip about another thing to check if you can't figure out why yours is still not working.
Best of luck and have a great summer.
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safecracker
Active member
If your compressor fails, the display will say manual where your bars would be in the display. Mine never threw a code it would just show manual when you tried to adjust firmness. Most common fails in system are the above-mentioned compressor problem or the check valve is dirty and letting air escape past it. This will cause the compressor to burn out fast.
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