I bought a suspension lift for front and back... I am having a hard time getting my shocks to compress enough to install it..the people i got it from said I can use my factor shocks, help..

Sounds like you have a leak. Do a search for suspension components for that car and see what is available online. Also check the blogs. These will lead you to the most logical component to replace. Otherwise, not having ever owned or worked on one, I would pull the line off the compressor, seal it with a chargeable fitting on the end, then I would use external compressed air to try to fill it. I would also use this to try to find the leak. Otherwise, to raise the car enough to move it, jack the car and wedge 4X4 s into the suspension to allow it to be moved. Careful not to bend anything or get hurt.

Coil spring compressor,may be able to rent from auto zone or advanced.

Only the rear ones should have the air lift feature, although there is a conversion kit that may have been used to add air lift to the front.

The type of shocks you have (front and back) will depend on whether you have the Electronic Suspension system option. Without this, the shocks are pretty standard. However, if you have this, they are all (front and back) controlled electronically to adjust the firmness of the shocks to assist in keeping the vehicle level during maneuvers. You can quickly tell if you have this option by examining one of the shocks to see if there is an electrical connection on the side. If you have this system, these can be very expensive and hard to find, and GM has had a lot of trouble with them. As a result, many owners have replaced them with standard aftermarket struts (which includes air lift versions for the back). However, the old shock electrical cables have to be specially terminated if you do this (see The Cadillac User Forum for more info).

Hi!

Your vehicle is equiped with a small compressor that pumps air into either a bag or shock absorber, each one has a leveling mechanism that sends the signal to pump more air to that particular side. This keeps your vehicle leveled at all times, like when you have passangers in the back sit, passenger sit, or luggage.

The message you are getting means that either the air is not getting to the front passenger suspension to level it up, which could be due to an air leak, or the bag or the part of the suspension that lifts that part of the vehicle is defective.

You can get a diagnostic at any reputable suspension shop at no charge to find out the exact cause.

Good Luck!! Don't forget to rate this post!!

Quick answer to a complicated question: There is far more to suspension than just your shocks etc. Every suspension component that moves has a joint or bushing. Because they move, they wear. When a single component wears enough, it fails inspection and you replace it. BUT, the combined wear on all the other components, though they individually are not worn enough to fail any inspection still total far more play in the suspension than you had when new. Additionally, over time the springs get old and loose some "springiness"
You technically could replace all the components but the cost would be extremely high and if you did it over time, by the time you put the last part in, you could start all over with the first one you installed.

Thr front will be MacPherson struts, a shock absorber surrounded by a coil spring looking set-up.


FOR THE REAR:
If you have front wheel drive and you have Electronic Ride Control (ERC), then the rear suspension has "super lift air shocks".

If you have all wheel drive, then you have struts in the rear suspension.

Does help any?

Okay....here is the steps first....and then the directions on how to use the tools:

1. Raise and properly support the vehicle.
2. Remove the front wheel.
3. Detach the shock absorber lower mount by removing the two bolts.
4. Remove the retainer nut, retainer, cushion and shock absorber.
5. Detach the cushion retainer from the shock absorber.
6. Compress the coil spring with a commercially available spring compressor.
7. Detach the stabilizer bar.
8. Support the upper suspension arm and steering knuckle securely.
9. Remove the cotter pin.
10. Loosen and remove the nut.
11. Using a ball joint removal tool, detach the lower ball joint from the lower control arm.
12. Loosen the suspension arm set bolt.
13. Remove the suspension arm set bolt nut.
14. Remove the nut from the strut bar front set bolt.
15. Pull out both set bolts.
16. Remove the lower suspension arm and coil spring. To install:
    
17. Installation is the reverse of removal. Note the following torque specifications:
    1. Strut bar front set bolt: 221 ft. lbs. (300 Nm)
    2. Lower suspension arm set bolt: 148 ft. lbs. (200 Nm)
    3. Lower ball joint nut: 80 ft. lbs. (110 Nm)
    4. Lug nuts: 83 ft. lbs. (110 Nm).

Installation

1. CAUTION: The bearing and seal assembly is press-fit onto the upper mount. The mount washers must be installed in the correct orientation.
   NOTE: Be sure to check the spring insulator for damage before assembly. If the outer metal splash shield is bent or damaged, it must be carefully bent back, so it does not touch the locator on the bearing and seal assembly.
   
   NOTE: New gas struts are shipped with the rod in a locked down position. To extend the new strut, remove the external tie down and/or rotate the upper end of the rod, counterclockwise.
   
   Install the coil spring insulator, coil spring, and upper mounting parts to the new strut assembly. Make sure the spring is correctly seated in both spring seats.
   

Item Part Number Description 1 — Dust Boot (Part of 18045) 2 N803826-S100 Front Shock Absorber Mounting Bracket Nut
(3 Req'd) 3 N803952-S100 Washer 4 N808625-S100 Front Shock Absorber Nut 5 18183 Front Shock Absorber Mounting Bracket 6 3B455 Front Suspension Bearing and Seal 7 5310 Front Coil Spring 8 5414 Front Spring Insulator 9 18045 Front Shock Absorber A — Tighten to 35-40 Nm
(25-30 Lb-Ft) B — Tighten to 55-63 Nm
(40-46 Lb-Ft)

1. CAUTION: Do not over tighten the lock nut; damage to the lock nut or piston rod could result.
   Install new rod lock nut and tighten it to 55-63 Nm (40-46 lb-ft).
   

1. Remove the spring compressing tool.
   

1. Position the strut assembly into the vehicle. Install the three mount-to-strut tower nuts. Tighten the nuts to 35-40 Nm (25-30 lb-ft).
   

1. Partially raise the hoist.
   

1. Position the strut assembly to the steering knuckle. Install the pinch bolt and tighten it to 115-132 Nm (85-97 lb-ft).
   

1. Position the stabilizer link to the strut assembly and install the retaining nut. Tighten the nut to 90-100 Nm (66-74 lb-ft).
   

1. Install the front wheel and tire assembly.
   

1. Lower the vehicle.
   

That all depends on if you have the comfort or the sport suspension. The sport is a bit stiffer, and the comfort is pretty floaty. Now, repair shops will tell you that you need to replace the shocks every 50,000 miles, however they should be good for at least 100,000 miles. But, how to tell. There are 3 items to check- how much "dive" does your front end have when you brake? If it is significant, then you might be due. The opposite is true when accelerating off the line. Finally, push down on the front and back end with your hands, and if it bounces straight up, then you should still be good on your shocks.

If you have rattles from the shocks, either the mounts or the shocks themselves might be bad. You want to replace the shocks in either case.

Note, that replacing the shocks on the X Type is extremely expensive.