AHC delete or not to delete on 100 series overlanding build (2 Viewers)

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I belong to the delete camp - I loved my AHC and always liked that I could lower the ride height to clear parking garages and other low entrances. The AHC works great until it doesn't. I had pretty severe pogo stick syndrome happen suddenly one day and if my wife was driving she may not have been able to avoid losing control.

Since deleting my AHC I have peace of mind; theres no worry in the back of my mind about the potential failure. I think if you have the funds to keep your system up to snuff and the time to tune it then keep it and go for it! I just didn't have the time or desire to keep futzing with it.
 
dirtymotoman said:
I belong to the delete camp - I loved my AHC and always liked that I could lower the ride height to clear parking garages and other low entrances. The AHC works great until it doesn't. I had pretty severe pogo stick syndrome happen suddenly one day and if my wife was driving she may not have been able to avoid losing control.

Since deleting my AHC I have peace of mind; theres no worry in the back of my mind about the potential failure. I think if you have the funds to keep your system up to snuff and the time to tune it then keep it and go for it! I just didn't have the time or desire to keep futzing with it.
Click to expand...

Since deleting my engine, I have peace of mind; theres no worry in the back of my mind about the potential failure. I think if you have the funds to keep your engine up to snuff and the time to tune it then keep it and go for it! I just didn't have the time or desire to keep futzing with it.

flintstones-car.png
 
porkandcorn said:
Since deleting my engine, I have peace of mind; theres no worry in the back of my mind about the potential failure. I think if you have the funds to keep your engine up to snuff and the time to tune it then keep it and go for it! I just didn't have the time or desire to keep futzing with it.

View attachment 2929660
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Gonna have to bill you for the new keyboard after my mouth gasket failed mid drink. Touché @porkandcorn touché
 
dirtymotoman said:
Gonna have to bill you for the new keyboard after my mouth gasket failed mid drink. Touché @porkandcorn touché
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Sorry, I have the day off and I'm a couple beers in out on my deck. You set yourself up for that.... ;) You the man.
 
dirtymotoman said:
I belong to the delete camp - I loved my AHC and always liked that I could lower the ride height to clear parking garages and other low entrances. The AHC works great until it doesn't. I had pretty severe pogo stick syndrome happen suddenly one day and if my wife was driving she may not have been able to avoid losing control.

Since deleting my AHC I have peace of mind; theres no worry in the back of my mind about the potential failure. I think if you have the funds to keep your system up to snuff and the time to tune it then keep it and go for it! I just didn't have the time or desire to keep futzing with it.
Click to expand...
There are certainly two sides of the coin. I have had zero problems with my AHC for the past 100k since I have owned it. Have recently replaced all height sensors and all four accumulators preemptively and did a fluid flush. I want to keep the versatility of the AHC as it will continue to be a daily driver when not used as an overland rig. The truck wasn't used to travel to remote locations etc but that is about to change.

UP to this point I used my HJ61 for overlanding but am looking for a few more comforts for longer on pavement sections and increased safety features such as shoulder seat belts in the back and air bags (my HJ61 only has lap belts and I have two young boys). Hence the question regarding to delete or keep the AHC based on the change of use and function with the added weight etc with gear and accessories.

The keep it simple side of me does want to limit things that could possibly go wrong that are difficult to fix where resources might be severely limited (parts etc). So I can appreciate the delete camp.

Thanks for your input and experience
 
 
 
Studebaker - Built for overlanding.

1645191217505.png
 
If I were to sum up the actual scariness of failures in a quick chart...

1645313544319.png


AHC isn't a big deal, failure wise. There's an awful lot in the car (AHC or not) that's liable to fail on the highway or a trail. Do the basic AHC upkeep (which is a tiny fraction of any car's overall maintenance needs) and replace the wear items pre-emptively if you're either scared or going to be getting way out into "the bush".

There's a quote that's somewhat relevant to this topic as well. "Magic's just science we don't understand yet." If you don't know how AHC works, it seems like magic and it seems failure can come at any point without warning and for no reason. The reality is that all the failure points can be mitigated with relative ease - either by wear part replacement prior to failure, or adjustment during routine maintenance. And unlike most the other failures above, you can limp off the trail or even multiple states on the highway if AHC goes out. A dead sensor might just mean you're stuck in N or a random height. Not necessarily a huge deal. You still have a mobile vehicle. If AHC totally goes out (very unlikely unless it's rusted like a sunken ship), you're stuck on the bump stops. That sucks, but it's far better than a dead alternator, starter, brake booster, etc...
 
suprarx7nut said:
If I were to sum up the actual scariness of failures in a quick chart...

View attachment 2930771

AHC isn't a big deal, failure wise. There's an awful lot in the car (AHC or not) that's liable to fail on the highway or a trail. Do the basic AHC upkeep (which is a tiny fraction of any car's overall maintenance needs) and replace the wear items pre-emptively if you're either scared or going to be getting way out into "the bush".

There's a quote that's somewhat relevant to this topic as well. "Magic's just science we don't understand yet." If you don't know how AHC works, it seems like magic and it seems failure can come at any point without warning and for no reason. The reality is that all the failure points can be mitigated with relative ease - either by wear part replacement prior to failure, or adjustment during routine maintenance. And unlike most the other failures above, you can limp off the trail or even multiple states on the highway if AHC goes out. A dead sensor might just mean you're stuck in N or a random height. Not necessarily a huge deal. You still have a mobile vehicle. If AHC totally goes out (very unlikely unless it's rusted like a sunken ship), you're stuck on the bump stops. That sucks, but it's far better than a dead alternator, starter, brake booster, etc...
Click to expand...
Really great post. I was never concerned about trail failure as you mentioned. Im not sure how to recreate pogo stick syndrome on porpoise but I will tell you that making even a 15mph turn through a drainage dip is downright dangerous during this scenario for someone who isn’t prepared. I almost liked the Jesse pink man-esk-ness of having my front tires leave the ground during a slow moving turn and I was even able to manage it on on-ramps for a spell but if you haven’t driven an AHC vehicle during this circumstance I think you should try it and let us know your feedback.

Not bashing just providing personal input. I did fix this issue within a week of it happening and there’s plenty of shoulda, woulda, coulda’s but when it happens out of the blue it is dangerous. Food for thought friends.
 
dirtymotoman said:
Really great post. I was never concerned about trail failure as you mentioned. Im not sure how to recreate pogo stick syndrome on porpoise but I will tell you that making even a 15mph turn through a drainage dip is downright dangerous during this scenario for someone who isn’t prepared. I almost liked the Jesse pink man-esk-ness of having my front tires leave the ground during a slow filing turn and I as even able to manage it on on-ramps for a spell but if you haven’t driven an AHC vehicle during this circumstance I think you should try it and let us know your feedback.

Not bashing just providing personal input. I did fix this issue within a week of it happening and there’s plenty of shoulda, woulda, coulda’s but when it happens out of the blue it is dangerous. Food for thought friends.
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Oh I imagine. I'm sure that's rough.

How old were the offending globe(s)? How many gradations did they return?
 
suprarx7nut said:
If I were to sum up the actual scariness of failures in a quick chart...

View attachment 2930771

AHC isn't a big deal, failure wise. There's an awful lot in the car (AHC or not) that's liable to fail on the highway or a trail. Do the basic AHC upkeep (which is a tiny fraction of any car's overall maintenance needs) and replace the wear items pre-emptively if you're either scared or going to be getting way out into "the bush".

There's a quote that's somewhat relevant to this topic as well. "Magic's just science we don't understand yet." If you don't know how AHC works, it seems like magic and it seems failure can come at any point without warning and for no reason. The reality is that all the failure points can be mitigated with relative ease - either by wear part replacement prior to failure, or adjustment during routine maintenance. And unlike most the other failures above, you can limp off the trail or even multiple states on the highway if AHC goes out. A dead sensor might just mean you're stuck in N or a random height. Not necessarily a huge deal. You still have a mobile vehicle. If AHC totally goes out (very unlikely unless it's rusted like a sunken ship), you're stuck on the bump stops. That sucks, but it's far better than a dead alternator, starter, brake booster, etc...
Click to expand...
I like the risk matrix and the visual bar chart to put it into perspective. Great post.
 
suprarx7nut said:
Oh I imagine. I'm sure that's rough.

How old were the offending globe(s)? How many gradations did they return?
Click to expand...
They were around 175xxx, not sure about the gradations - I just flushed the system filled it with new fluid and that took care of the problem. Could’ve done some preventative maintenance but then again there wasn’t any warning, wobble, indication. Kind of like the brake booster motor, it fails when it fails.
 
dirtymotoman said:
They were around 175xxx, not sure about the gradations - I just flushed the system filled it with new fluid and that took care of the problem. Could’ve done some preventative maintenance but then again there wasn’t any warning, wobble, indication. Kind of like the brake booster motor, it fails when it fails.
Click to expand...

Considering the globes are only made to last about as long as normal shocks before total failure (100k or so), 175k is pretty phenomenal. I'd offer an adjustment to your statement. The warning was the gradation test. The warning was available, but you have to take the 2-3 minutes to see it by doing the gradation test. You can do it in the parking lot while your partner runs into the grocery store. It's that easy.

There's no surefire test for the brake booster. For globes though, there is.

dirtymotoman said:
P.S. I love the AHC system and would’ve kept it if I had the time and money to keep it going.
Click to expand...

I think this is the core reason I've turned into a preacher on this, haha. It's not expensive and it takes relatively little time. You almost surely spent more money and time on the conventional swap than your AHC system would have consumed - assuming you've got a basic foundation on the system's quirks or know a mechanic that's up to speed on it.

The key, IMO, is that AHC takes more knowledge. Specialized knowledge, at that. So much so that even 100-specific mechanics often avoid jobs on the system. Not because they're incapable, but because they just haven't bothered to learn it. Time and money? No. Knowledge? Yes.

I know this is all water under the bridge for you and that's all good. I'm belaboring the point for the thousands of other folks that will cruise through google results and land on mud threads to help them decide whether they should put any effort at all into the system before going nuclear on it.

In almost all cases, accurate AHC maintenance and upkeep is less time and money than a conversion.
 
suprarx7nut said:
Considering the globes are only made to last about as long as normal shocks before total failure (100k or so), 175k is pretty phenomenal. I'd offer an adjustment to your statement. The warning was the gradation test. The warning was available, but you have to take the 2-3 minutes to see it by doing the gradation test. You can do it in the parking lot while your partner runs into the grocery store. It's that easy.

There's no surefire test for the brake booster. For globes though, there is.



I think this is the core reason I've turned into a preacher on this, haha. It's not expensive and it takes relatively little time. You almost surely spent more money and time on the conventional swap than your AHC system would have consumed - assuming you've got a basic foundation on the system's quirks or know a mechanic that's up to speed on it.

The key, IMO, is that AHC takes more knowledge. Specialized knowledge, at that. So much so that even 100-specific mechanics often avoid jobs on the system. Not because they're incapable, but because they just haven't bothered to learn it. Time and money? No. Knowledge? Yes.

I know this is all water under the bridge for you and that's all good. I'm belaboring the point for the thousands of other folks that will cruise through google results and land on mud threads to help them decide whether they should put any effort at all into the system before going nuclear on it.

In almost all cases, accurate AHC maintenance and upkeep is less time and money than a conversion.
Click to expand...
We’ll said Sir! I wish I had started a post like this before the switch, you might’ve talked me out of it 😌
 
dirtymotoman said:
We’ll said Sir! I wish I had started a post like this before the switch, you might’ve talked me out of it 😌
Click to expand...
I've been convinced! Thank you.
 
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