Air Suspension-Lincoln Mark VII LSC

mike350

My 1987 Lincoln Mark VII has the air springs which
until today were perfectly trouble free. Now the
car is flat on the bottom of the springs and I am
wondering if it is driveable the short distance to
the dealer and if anyone else has had this problem.
Is it expensive?

jnowski

I have no personal experience with this problem, but since you imply that both sides of the car are down, it may be a simple leak in the air hoses. I believe that they are fed from a single pump, so a leak in the common air line would cause the situation you describe.

mike350

Thanks for your comments. The car is now totally
down, front and back. Initially, the air pump was working trying to keep the car level and the dealer suggested due to a hole in one of the front air springs (which would not keep inflated)so the car being "computer smart" kept the front at the same height and matched the low side by not pumping up the one good bag (spring). The dealer suggest to expect to pay $1,000 CDN to fix the problem typically. (Ouch!)

mike350

So the car remains in the driveway looking like
a low rider. I have been told that for less than
a hundred dollars, the dealer can get the computer diagnostic device to tell them what is
the problem. So will do that and see what it says.
Mike

mike350

Oh man is this stuff expensive! Over $2,000 CDN so far and two air springs replaced @ $240 each, an electronic control module @ $640 and lots of labour! Nice car but suspension work is scary!
Anyone know if the 95 Town Car features similar suspension?

pat455

You might try asking that question in the Town Car topic over in our Sedans conference - here is a link:

Lincoln Towncar (Topic #1496)

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

krusen

I has an 88 LSC with air bag problems. If you get under the hood. Spray a detergent/ water solution on the pump gallery where the hoses connect. It is under a plastic cover on the top side of the pump. This will tell you if the connectors at the pump are leaking. If they are, you can get a kit from Ford for $25.00 or so to repair. This is the most likely point to leak. You can also use the solution on the airsprings themselves to check for leaks

timste

I got 2 rear air bags for my 85 lsc @ arnottindustries.com for $89.00 a piece. They're really not that hard to change, if you can change your own tire then you're 1/2 way finished. It took about 45 minutes a piece to do each side. They have all air suspension parts Lincolns

dantzler

I have 80,000 miles on this car and very happy with it except it has more "road noise" than any car I've driven. This has gradually woresened over the last 2 years. One Lincoln dealer changed the stabilizer end bushings, which did nothing. A second Lincoln dealer couldn't find anything wrong except maybe a little leak in the air springs. Replacing the 2 front bags at a cost of $1500 MAY HELP, he says. Has anyone had similar experience? Solutions?

majcole

Sorry to hear that you spent some $$ on stuff that didn't work. The LSC is a very quiet, smooth riding car. One of the things that I didn't hear you mention is tires. Have you tried changing to a different brand tire? I had a similar problem with a car that I had. I had road noises and the car would pull to the right. The tires looked very good with lots of tread. I spent money to fix the problem. Someone suggested that I change the tires. As difficult as it was, I changed them. No road noise... no pulling. It made a very big difference. With the year and make of your vehicle, you should have a smooth, quiet ride. Try changing the front tires first. If the noise goes down, change the back to see if it goes away completely. Remember... some tires are louder than others so shop around first!

back1

About six months ago I replaced both ft. struts on my 94 MK VIII due to the ft. going flat over night.

I now have a problem that started during the original problem. The compressor is noticeably noisey. It tends to come on when I slow to stop at a red light. It doesn't seem to indicate any real mechnical problem but is making a noise it shouldn't make.

miken313

Man, have ya'll been paying through the nose to fix your air suspension problems. I have a 88 Mark VII that had some air problems. First if you deal with the dealerships, you will pay alot more for solutions. So try to find someone smaller who has some experience with Lincoln's air ride system. The first air bag I replaced cost me $300 because I bought the bag from a franchised auto part store for $200 and paid a mechanic $100 to put it on. Then the second air bag that started leaking was a cheaper deal. I actually found a local auto maintenance shop that specialized in Licoln air system problems. They had access to an after market air bag that came with a ten year manufactures warranty (also was made out of kevlar). They installed it within 20 minutes, while I watched, with useing only a floor jack (lots of labor, RIGHT!) and charged me only $180 (parts & labor). They were also quite informative about the system. If you get a leak, get it fixed as soon as possible because a leak will cause the compressor to constantly run, causing it to wear out. They charge $350 for the compressor installed. Not bad. Hope this has been some help to all of you Lincoln lovers.

joser854

I own a Mark 7 LSC Special Eddition and as I've been finding out as I am replacing and fixing things that go wrong the "SE" also stands for Super Expensive but what's a Mark 7 owner that loves this car to do. I've replaced all of the air bags @ a cost of $195/bag,replaced the anti lock unit at a cost of $300 used all 4 tires @$90/tire replaced the seal around the sun roof@$130 and recently the over drive in my tans. will not engage so I now have a 3 speed 5.0 HO Gas guzzler great to drive around town but sh*#I for the highway. any one know the going rate to rebuild these tranny's I love my car but aamco quoted $500-$1500 lotsa $$$ for a 1990

luvmy8

miken313
What is the phone number for that mechanic? My mechanic is the kind that does not want to start replacing things that aren't bad just to zero in. He is getting no help from other mechanics in the area because nobody knows this problem. The dealers told him they start at the front and replace parts until the problem is solved, but my mechanic won't do it.

msinger

I live in the Sacramento area and thinking of buying a Mark 8 96-98 and will tow a 3000 lb. boat rig with it. any comments on air suspension with trailer tounge weight on it and further comments about brake durability. Mo-singer@home.com

miken313

Luvmy8
Sorry it took so long to get back with, you I dont visit this site that often. As per your request, the info on the shop that replaced my air bag is MOTION AUTOMOTIVE 4222 TROLLEY LINE ROAD IN AIKEN S.C. 29801, (803)649-0090 or (803) 649-8323. Hope this helps you with your problem.

luvmy8

miken313
Thanks for the scoop. For any others with a Mark VIII problem, I also got a tremendous amount of help from the Lincolns of Distinction club. Their web address is MarkVIII.org

usedcarhell

will cost $25/50 most yards will take part off for you. you cn tell if leaking beacuse willl be dry rotted

bdspike1

1994 Lincoln Continental
Problem: The ride control light on the message center on the dash comes on shortly after starting to drive.

Description: I was having problems with the suspension air bags (air shocks) when the actually froze and did not function properly. Rather than spend an enormous amount of money to replace the air bags, I decided to replace the air bags with regular struts on all four wheels. The ride of the car is actually not much different currently with the struts as before with the air bag suspension.

I believe that the sensors are sending a signal to the computer that an air adjustment is necessary and causing the bell to sound for a couple seconds and the ride control light to turn on and remain on. This really doesn't hurt anything but it is a real nuisance.

Question: Does anyone have any idea how to somehow disable the bell and the message center ride control light? This is really "driving" me crazy. Any help would be truly appreciated.