2006 bouncing like pogo stick after following ABCs of AHC

[JACKSON470]

Hey everyone, just picked up an ‘06 lx470 with 170K miles and I couldn’t be more excited. Biggest downside of the truck was that the AHC fluid was basically empty and the truck was essentially stuck on its bump stops with a very jarring ride quality. I’m not sure how long the suspension was bottomed out like that
Before I bought it, but I wanted to try fixing it before deleting the AHC system. I found a ton of good content here I closely followed the ABCs of AHC thread. I seemingly dialed everything in, but my ride is absurdly bouncy. What I’ve done is the following:

• Flushed and replaced the fluids
• replaced all 4 globes
• replaced the seals on the front shocks (front left seemed to be leaking previously)
• Bled the system again
• Adjusted front and rear heights
• Dialed in pressures using Tech stream (Front 6.9mpa, Rear 6.1mpa, accumulator 10.5)
• Dialed in ride heights (all +/1 0.1 inches)
• Drove around and cycled heights a bunch
• Bled one more time to ensure all air was removed

After all this, my truck still bounces like a pogo stick and is undrivable at the moment. Throughout the whole process of changing the globes and bleeding the system, the car was also bouncy. It’s almost as if nothing I did to the AHC system impacted how bouncy the ride was. Wondering if the shocks need to be replaced since they were previously bottomed out for an unknown amount of time. Apologies if there is already a thread that answers this but the only threads I saw about a bouncy ride said to replace globes. Thanks for the help!

 

[x8o8drifter]

What globes did you replace them with and where did you get them from?

 

[JACKSON470]

What globes did you replace them with and where did you get them from?

Got them off eBay from what seemed like a legit dealer. The fact that your asking me the source makes me question my logic..

Link here: Pardon Our Interruption... - https://www.ebay.com/itm/145028690002

 

[x8o8drifter]

Got them off eBay from what seemed like a legit dealer. The fact that your asking me the source makes me question my logic..

Link here: Pardon Our Interruption... - https://www.ebay.com/itm/145028690002

Just before someone else asks.
Not saying it was wrong at all.

 

[GTV]

How many graduations in the reservoir?
How’s the rust?
No trouble codes?

The truck sitting on the bump stops and the AHC reservoir being empty is very concerning to me.

 

[Rhetoric]

Those globes may not be ideal. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is…

 

[JACKSON470]

How many graduations in the reservoir?
How’s the rust?
No trouble codes?

The truck sitting on the bump stops and the AHC reservoir being empty is very concerning to me.

About 8-9 graduations
Rust is pretty minimal (the whole reason I bought it)
Currently no trouble codes. When I bought it was showing C1762 (Abnormal Pump Pressure) but that cleared after I added the fluid and bled the system

I assume the fluid was slowly leaking from that bad seal on the shock and just got worse over time...

 

[LXfromTX]

I'm not sure what to think. The globes are definitely Chinese knock-offs. That seems to be the point of the Chinese company you sourced them from from square one. That doesn't mean they won't work but I'm always skeptical of knock-offs quality. Perhaps they use compressed air rather than nitrogen or don;t have the proper pressure behind the diaphragm... You're getting enough tank graduations that they should work, even if not ideal. The only other thought I would have is air in the system somewhere but I am definitely not an AHC expert. I need to change mine on my 99 LX but am hesitant due to the trouble I see people have after installing "NEW" globes.

 

[suprarx7nut]

7 grads is dead globes. 14 is new. If you're getting 8-9 with "new" globes, that's a potential sign the globes are just plain bad. You should get 14.

I would buy new genuine globes. Expect to spend $700-800 minimum. Anything less is probably fake. That's no guarantee this will fix your problem, but paying 30% of the minimum discounted rate is a sure fire sign you're buying something questionable.

 

[JACKSON470]

Okay it seems like buying new globes might be the right move here. Before I do that, ca. Someone help explain to me if the 16 step damper test would have any value here? Not sure if I’m understanding the system logic correctly, but since I’m getting no dampening it would make sense to try increasing the stiffness that way? I’m still not sure what the system is actually doing as it walks through the 16 steps there. Do the globes need to be in perfect condition for this to work? Thanks for the help everyone. Just want to make sure I’m exploring all diagnostic options before spending the money on a new set of globes