Rough Ride in my 93 with SRC at any Selection.

[Cabral]

Bought a 1993 coupe with 87K miles a few weeks ago. The ride is kind of rough no matter what selection the Selective Ride Control is switched to. The SRC warning light goes on momentarily during the start up then goes out. This normal behavior according to the manual. Is there any way to tell that SRC is working? Can you open the hood to visually see if the SRC actuator is doing its thing?

 

[Hib Halverson]

Does this 93 have Z07?

 

[Cabral]

Hib-
It does not have have the Z07. It has the FX3 package, Selective Ride Control with the selector switch in the center console.

 

[boomdriver]

Might be time for shock replacement. They DO wear out...

its gonna sting......

 

[Cabral]

Ya, I was afraid of that. That's why I was wondering if there is any way to make sure the SRC is working. I would hate to replace them to find out it was the control system and not the shocks.

If I have to replace them, I may consider sending them out to get rebuilt.

 

[Hib Halverson]

If the car had Z07, which was a crossbreed of the earlier Z51 and FX3, that would explain a stiff ride, but it doesn't so we'll have to look elsewhere.

Contrary to "boomdriver's" comments, if the shocks were worn out, the car would not ride stiff or hard, it would do the opposite--it would ride soft and bouncy.

Has the car been lowered?

 

[Cabral]

Hib-
As far as I can tell, the car has not been lowered. I have compared it to other C4s, and it appears to be the same general height.

As a test, I was considering disconnecting the SRC actuators to see if I got a change in the ride. This would only tell me something if the shocks defaulted to a more spongey ride when there are no actuators functioning.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Ok.

Not a Z07.
Not lowered.
SRC light comes on an key-up then goes out.

Now you need to road test. Find a highway with bumps, tar strips or tilt-slabs and drive about 50 mph. Start with the SRC selector in tour. Slowly move it to sport and then performance. You should feel a noticeable difference in damping between the three ranges on a bumpy road.

 

[Cabral]

Hib-
This sounds like a good plan. The car is in for paint this week. I should have it back before Thanksgiving to run the road test. I'll report back on what I find. As a C4 newbie, I really appreciate your support.

 

[glazounov]

Original shocks?

Looks as if you have a good plan there, BUT ... possibly the SRC shocks have been replaced with standard shocks? I bought a '94 convertible with the same package (SRC, etc.). It had 70k on the odometer, and the original owner had replaced the worn-out SRC shocks with standard ones (he couldn't afford SRC shocks). The SRC indicator lights up momentarily just like yours does, but, of course, without the correct shocks, SRC isn't functional.

Just a thought ...

 

[Hib Halverson]

Looks as if you have a good plan there, BUT ... possibly the SRC shocks have been replaced with standard shocks? I bought a '93 convertible with the same package (SRC, etc.). It had 70k on the odometer, and the original owner had replaced the worn-out SRC shocks with standard ones (he couldn't afford SRC shocks). The SRC indicator lights up momentarily just like yours does, but, of course, without the correct shocks, SRC isn't functional.

Just a thought ...

"glazounov" makes a very good point...no one's asked that question yet, so why don't you verify the car really has SRC shocks. When you open the hood the front shocks are easy to see. If you have SRC the two front shocks will have black, round devices on top (the SRC actuators). A wiring harness will connect to each actuator.

If the original SRC shocks have been replaced, obviously, the actuators will either be missing or just handing loose somewhere.

Please check this and post to the list.

 

[Cabral]

Hib and glazounov-
That is a good suggestion. I vaguely remember the controller being on top of the shock, but I can't say for sure. She is still in the shop getting painted this week. I have to stop by there tomorrow to drop something off, if she is not all masked-up, i'll pop the hood and take peek.

 

[Cabral]

Hib & glasounov-
I have confirmed that the shocks are SRC. The control harness is connected and the and the controller is mounted on the top of each shock. Car is still at the painter. Will do the road test soon.

 

[Cabral]

Well it appears that the rough riding conditions I am experiencing may not be due to the SRC. After noticing that I started getting a noticeably rougher ride when I hit ~70 MPH, I decided to get the tires rebalanced and checked. The bad news is that the tires are out-of-round by about 1/4 inch. Not good. I guess the sitting in one place for 6 years screwed them up.

They are very new tires with a lot of useful tread on them. I think I will ride on them for the next year. Yes, cost is also a motivator here. With the tires out of round, I doubt I'll be able to make any objective judgement on how my ride reflects the current state of the SRC. If anyone has any other ideas how to determine if the SRC is working, I'm all ears.

Thanks everyone.

 

[93Rubie]

If those tires sat for 6 years, how old are they? For safety sake park the car until you can afford new tires. It is not worth it. You can get a set of 4 for about 600 or maybe a bit less from tirerack.com. Nothing special at that price but WAY better than what you got.

If the SRC light is not on, your FX3 system should be working fine. Check for any oil soaked shocks. Some film is ok, this is normal, but soaking wet all over is not.

You'll NEVER be able to tell how it rides with tires like that. Replace them.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Well it appears that the rough riding conditions I am experiencing may not be due to the SRC. After noticing that I started getting a noticeably rougher ride when I hit ~70 MPH, I decided to get the tires rebalanced and checked. The bad news is that the tires are out-of-round by about 1/4 inch. Not good. I guess the sitting in one place for 6 years screwed them up.

They are very new tires with a lot of useful tread on them. I think I will ride on them for the next year. Yes, cost is also a motivator here. With the tires out of round, I doubt I'll be able to make any objective judgement on how my ride reflects the current state of the SRC. If anyone has any other ideas how to determine if the SRC is working, I'm all ears.

Thanks everyone.

It could be your problem is not rough ride at all but vibration due to the out-of-round tires.

What I'd do is take the car on a longer drive at fast highway speeds. Sometimes the tires need to get hot and stay that way for a while and then they loose the flat spots that develop during a storage. It is also possible the tires are permanently damaged and you'll know for sure after a longer run.,

 

[CHRLDO]

mine is a 92 and i've worked on one shock. you can remove the control from the top of the shock , hold it so you can look inside with a light , while looking into it have someone turn the key to the on position . you will see the gear move. this will throw a code . no special alignment required when you re-install it. i can tell you that the ride wont feel much different in any of the settings until you really get to know you car. if you dont have codes its probably working fine.