When I first start my car and drive all is ok but after some miles, i.e. 10 to 50, the Airmatic Malfunction light shows in the cluster. The car rides like normal at a normal level the entire time BUT my Owner's Manual says drive no faster than 50 mph even though I cruise the freeways at 70+.

Will an auto parts store OBD scanner tell me what's wrong or is this a dealer only item?

 

You will need an OBD II scanner such as Star Diagnostic or to read the fault codes. To me it saying that something is wrong.. it could be that the pump is dead.. Have you tried to raise the truck?

 

Yes, I can raise and lower the truck.

 

With a DAS or IcarSoft you'll probably read out a compressor run time exceeded or compressor overheat code related code. Or perhaps one of your level sensors is sending implausible signals. A scanner doesn't really provide dead giveways when troubleshooting Airmatic issues (as it does for other on board systems or sensors), it merely hints to where you need to put your eyeballs and look for leaks.

If your malfunction indicator is the white car symbol with the up arrow through it it is usually compressor related - either it is not providing output when commanded, or the output falls below threshold (16 bar in 30 seconds).

Check relay, check that compressor runs when pushing the raise button, check your bags for leaks with soapy water or leak detector spray before investing in a code reader.

 

Ditto to that, but don't think too hard about the investment for something as inexpensive as a MBII scanner. It will save you a huge amounts of time and cost in dealing with the many inevitable CELs you will experience with these vehicles. Pays for itself many times over.

 

So, I connected my icarsoft MBll, scrolled to Airmatic and got this message, "Recovery time during filling of central reservoir is too long", now, what do I do with this? I have a new Arnott compressor and a new valve block at the ready but I have no way of knowing if either of these will solve my "Airmatic Malfunction" warning. I have no sagging on any axel or corner and other than the warning on the dash the car acts absolutely normally.

 

That says your compressor isn’t putting out enough PSI to fill the reservoir when commanded to.

change your compressor and that will go away - but ask yourself why your compressor is worn out. Have you checked the air springs for leaks?

 

Thank you very much for your reply. I think I read on a related post that the dealer's scanner (MB Star or On Star, ???) would pinpoint the problem to the compressor, the valve block or an individual air bag at which corner of the car? Is that correct?

Thanks again.

 

Not entirely correct, just generally. See reply in your other thread.