Live paint breaks down layers and groups

Thank you very much for your helpful reply. After a great deal of thought, trial, and error, I seem to have found a method that will allow me to work relatively quickly and efficiently. I copied all my Autocad linework to a new layer which I use as a live paint layer. Then I adjust linework on that live paint layer. For instance, sometimes I want a gradient to show through the lines above it, so I would turn off those lines in the live paint layer. Once all is adjusted, I make a live paint group and create my fills. Then I expand and ungroup as necessary. The next step is to move live paint fills to another layer where I can adjust opacity, color, etc. When I need to create more fills I lock all layers except the live paint layer and repeat the live paint process. Perhaps a bit cumbersome, but I am getting used to it and end up with a drawing whose look I can control to suit my needs.