[EricD]

There isn't enough space left in the spring with the bump stop in place. The airbag material is fairly thick too, it's not going to flex into the narrow gap between the spring and bump stop

 

[MrJohn]

@EricD - Bummer…

Definitely watching this thread for the outcome of your quest.

 

[Asamson]

I attempted a DIY install of the Firestone kit on my 22 AWD Platinum. I'm 100% positive that the AWD and FWD rear suspension is identical. That said removing the bump stop requires access from above the spring which I'm not sure how to do. I'm going to call the place in had I had do the lift install and get them to do it.

Please give us some an update on that once it's done, my kit has not arrived yet and I'm planning to DIY it. I heard that removing the bumpstop was not ''easy'' but tearing down the rear suspension is kind of next level for DIY

 

[Asamson]

I attempted a DIY install of the Firestone kit on my 22 AWD Platinum. I'm 100% positive that the AWD and FWD rear suspension is identical. That said removing the bump stop requires access from above the spring which I'm not sure how to do. I'm going to call the place in had I had do the lift install and get them to do it.

I just took a look, I think it might not be too bad. Please don't take this has a ''real'' instruction, but that would be my best bet.
1. Lift the car and remove the rear wheels
2. Put an hydraulic lift under the swing arm and relief the spring weight, remove bolt that attach the swing arm to the wheel, than the bolt of the stablelizing shaft.
3. Slowly lower the swing-arm with hydraulic lift to remove the spring .
4. Remove the 3 bolt of the top spring retainning plate.
5. Figure out a way to remove the bumper-stop.
6. Re-install the spring with the air-kit. I think I might try to install it with the air- line upright, to avoid getting the line under the swing-arm.
7. step 5 to 1 to reassemble.

For the step 3, here an example of a ''safe'' way to do it

at 2:02

 

[Asamson]

I just finished installing the 4155s. It went very smoothly following the steps from my previous post. I didn’t run any line , simply drilled a hole at the bottom of the spring and installed the valve right there at the bottom. Removing the bump stop is very simple once you have the top plate in hand, it’s just 1 bolt holding it there.
It took me ruffly 2 hours

 

[EricD]

if I have a set of 4 jack stands and a hydraulic floor jack is that enough to do the bump stop removal? Any chance you took pictures of the process?

 

[Asamson]

if I have a set of 4 jack stands and a hydraulic floor jack is that enough to do the bump stop removal? Any chance you took pictures of the process?

Yess, i lifted the rear wheel about 3 inch, and then put the jack stands. For the rightside , i unbolted the top plate while the spring was still on, but fully extended, because the exhaust pipe limit the swingarm travel a little, so sliding the top plate towards the outside gave just enough clearance to remove the spring.

 

[Reluctant_Minivan_Driver]

I just finished installing the 4155s. It went very smoothly following the steps from my previous post. I didn’t run any line , simply drilled a hole at the bottom of the spring and installed the valve right there at the bottom. Removing the bump stop is very simple once you have the top plate in hand, it’s just 1 bolt holding it there.
It took me ruffly 2 hours

Did there appear to be room around the top plate to run the airline out the top as opposed to out the bottom? When I looked it over when swapping out my winter rims there did not appear to be sufficient room between the last coil of the spring and the body of the van.

 

[Asamson]

Did there appear to be room around the top plate to run the airline out the top as opposed to out the bottom? When I looked it over when swapping out my winter rims there did not appear to be sufficient room between the last coil of the spring and the body of the van.

It seems obstructe, but my main concern is the fact that the air-bag doesn't touch the top plate when not under the weight of the car. So if you catch a big bump on the road, the top blue spacer might get displaced and mess with the valve. This doesn't seems to be an issues when installed upside-down

 

[EricD]

Yess, i lifted the rear wheel about 3 inch, and then put the jack stands. For the rightside , i unbolted the top plate while the spring was still on, but fully extended, because the exhaust pipe limit the swingarm travel a little, so sliding the top plate towards the outside gave just enough clearance to remove the spring.

So for the right side did you not disconnect the swing arm (step 2) on the right side? I assumed the spring was still under some amount of compression as long as the swing arm was attached.

 

[Asamson]

So for the right side did you not disconnect the swing arm (step 2) on the right side? I assumed the spring was still under some amount of compression as long as the swing arm was attached.

Yes a did disconnect the swing arm, but it cannot be lowered as much because the exhaust pipe is in the way

 

[SiennaSmile]

FWIW I took my van to a shop to get the airbags installed, and the mechanic said he couldn't make it work because the bump stop would have to be removed. I got the 2-inch Journey's Off Road lift kit installed, and between that and an Anderson weight-distributing hitch on my trailer I think I won't need air bag suspension anyway.

 

[mycnam]

I just took a look, I think it might not be too bad. Please don't take this has a ''real'' instruction, but that would be my best bet.
1. Lift the car and remove the rear wheels
2. Put an hydraulic lift under the swing arm and relief the spring weight, remove bolt that attach the swing arm to the wheel, than the bolt of the stablelizing shaft.
3. Slowly lower the swing-arm with hydraulic lift to remove the spring .
4. Remove the 3 bolt of the top spring retainning plate.
5. Figure out a way to remove the bumper-stop.
6. Re-install the spring with the air-kit. I think I might try to install it with the air- line upright, to avoid getting the line under the swing-arm.
7. step 5 to 1 to reassemble.

For the step 3, here an example of a ''safe'' way to do it

at 2:02


View attachment 55598
View attachment 55596
View attachment 55597

Do you know the torque specs for these three bolts?

 

[Xman]

Well I’m happy I got these! I’ve run these before on a 2013 Prius V which allowed me to tow a camping trailer so I knew they would work but I wasn’t sure about the fitment advertised on Firestone’s website since they say these same air springs were also compatible on previous generation Siennas.

These are the Firestone Coil-Rite 4155s
Installed by RhinoPro Truck Outfitters in Phoenix, AZ.
These were out of stock on etrailer.com but I found them available on Amazon.com
It’s raining right now so I haven’t played with the air pressure yet to get it sitting quite level hence why the rear is higher then the front.

View attachment 51362
View attachment 51363 View attachment 51364

Did they removed the bump top?

 

[sophiariggs]

Hi there! I am with VelociRAX and I was wondering if I could use this image on a blog post we're writing. Let me know! Me email is sophia@velocirax.com

 

[Zizco]

Nice! I had airbag helpers installed on my gen 2 Sienna and they made a huge difference, especially with old saggy springs. I initially installed mine with separate valves, like how you have yours set up, thinking that it would be easier to diagnose in case I had a leak. I ended up adding a T-valve to tie them in together

• It auto balances the pressure
• In case of a failure, they both go out instead of having one inflated and one flat making handling all wonky
• Some air compressors really pump out air. Since these things are so small and stretchy, I had filled one from 20 psi to 60 psi before the air pressure gauge even moved.

Could you share the a link of the T valve that you used? I’ve seen a lot but not sure which is the best for. And how do you know at what are pressure to keep the bags?

 

[yonah]

Do you know the torque specs for these three bolts?

@Asamson or @EricD - quoting the above post to see if you guys have the reinstall torque specs for all of the bolts / nuts that are removed/reinstalled in order to remove the top spring perches to pull the jounce bumper; along with any other bolts that were touched.

Asking as I’ve found a local recommended mechanic that’s willing to install my Firestone air bags. He asked that I provide as much info as possible regarding torque specs and install instructions. @EricD, your air bag install thread with photos is extremely helpful, BTW. Thank you!

 

[yonah]

@Asamson or @EricD - quoting the above post to see if you guys have the reinstall torque specs for all of the bolts / nuts that are removed/reinstalled in order to remove the top spring perches to pull the jounce bumper; along with any other bolts that were touched.

Asking as I’ve found a local recommended mechanic that’s willing to install my Firestone air bags. He asked that I provide as much info as possible regarding torque specs and install instructions. @EricD, your air bag install thread with photos is extremely helpful, BTW. Thank you!

Bumping this one more time to see if anyone knows the reinstall torque specifications for the three bolts that attach the upper spring perch to the body of the van.

These specs may be in the digital repair manual for the vehicle, but I do not have access to that.

Referencing these bolts specifically (copied the photos from above):

 

[Elid]

Bumping this one more time to see if anyone knows the reinstall torque specifications for the three bolts that attach the upper spring perch to the body of the van. These specs may be in the digital repair manual for the vehicle, but I do not have access to that. Referencing these bolts specifically (copied the photos from above): View attachment 64047 View attachment 64048

I do not have the actual specs but used my torque wrench to figure out that they are torqued to about 33 ft/lbs

 

[yonah]

I do not have the actual specs but used my torque wrench to figure out that they are torqued to about 33 ft/lbs

Great, thank you!