Automatic Level Control

Buick, Park Avenue, 2001, 80K miles. My ACL seems to have activated with a negative load on the vehicle. The shocks appear to have extended the full length. I looked in the owners manual for a fuse that relates to the ACL system. I don’t recognize anything that would be associated with this problem. Has anyone out there had this problem? What was the fix for it? Thanks

There is a fuse in there somewhere - not sure what it would be called but it runs the air compressor that blows up the shocks.

The most likely cause of this problem is a stuck/hung up or otherwise mangled sensor or sensor arm. Up under the rear of the car, probably toward the center is a little box sensor arm on it. The position of that arm tells the car whether its level or not and activates/deactivates the compressor.

If there is just a problem with the linkage then a halfway decent mechanic should be able to put things back in order without too much trouble (or you if you’re ambitious). If the sensor itself has gone bad (I actually don’t know what’s in there, but it can’t be too complicated), I think that those tend to be pricey. If you don’t want to replace, a manual kit can be put on for next to nothing - but that means that you adjust the load manually whenever you load up the car.

Thanks for the response. I’ll check under the car, and look for any damage.

Behind either the left or right rear wheel is the height sensor attached to the frame. Then there is a connecting rod from the sensor to around the axle frame member. That’s what tells the sensor how low the car is and switches the compressor on. If the connecting rod pops off, the car will either be too high or too low. I’ve had to replace mine already. If that’s not it then the $300 sensor is suspect.