firm ride light

For now, take the actuator off and spray gobs of wd40 down the "hole"... then take some needle nose pliers and wiggle the pin in there back and forth gently.. it may take a little coaxing at first. Just remember to keep the pin in the position it started with.

Its only a temp fix as you should be looking at new shocks now.
 
For now, take the actuator off and spray gobs of wd40 down the "hole"... then take some needle nose pliers and wiggle the pin in there back and forth gently.. it may take a little coaxing at first. Just remember to keep the pin in the position it started with.

Its only a temp fix as you should be looking at new shocks now.

The above advise is correct; just be careful with the actuator pin.

And, it may not only be a temporary fix. My low-mileage 89 did the exact same thing, but it was due more to corrosion in the shock post from engine compartment cleaning, coupled with never driving the car to "exercise" the shocks. After cleaning and lubing the shocks, they work fine. But, if your car has high mileage, or you notice other shock degradation, it may indeed be time to replace the shocks. Give the lube-job a try first.

JD
 
I have an 89 SC with 94,000 miles and I have had this problem intermittently throughout the car's life. I lubricate as described above and the shocks seem to work fine until they need lubricated again. I have only had problems with the front shocks. I leave the automatic suspension in firm most of the time so they do get exercised often.

I would not replace the shocks simply for this problem. If the shocks are leaking oil or if they have lost their gas charge then replace them. You can tell there is gas charge in them when you are manipulating the small stem with pointed pliers since you usually see some bubbles of gas leaking past the stem seal in the lubricant for a short time.
 
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