Air ride system please help

[DVC72680]

I have a 94 Lincoln Mark 8. When I first get in the car the compressor kicks on and levels itself out. When I begin to drive the "Check Air Ride System" message pops up and when it hit reset it clears. If I continue driving around the city staying at 50mph or less it does not show up again. If I hit the E-Way and above 60mph it pops up again since it's trying to lower and fails. Previously before whatever decided to fail on me I never had any problems with the air ride system both in city and on the highway. Any thoughts on what the best bet the problem is caused by? I am striking out finding any kind of Chilton or Haynes for the car so I am going to have to order 1 at Autozone that is going to take 3 days (special order). Any help is greatly appreciated - Thanks

 

[cadillackman]

I have a 94 Lincoln Mark 8. When I first get in the car the compressor kicks on and levels itself out. When I begin to drive the "Check Air Ride System" message pops up and when it hit reset it clears. If I continue driving around the city staying at 50mph or less it does not show up again. If I hit the E-Way and above 60mph it pops up again since it's trying to lower and fails. Previously before whatever decided to fail on me I never had any problems with the air ride system both in city and on the highway. Any thoughts on what the best bet the problem is caused by? I am striking out finding any kind of Chilton or Haynes for the car so I am going to have to order 1 at Autozone that is going to take 3 days (special order). Any help is greatly appreciated - Thanks

Sounds like it's not venting, after you get past 50, it's supposed to lower itself about an inch. If it's not releasing air to lower itself, you'll probably need a new compressor, read some of the tech articles on the homepage or search to get a better understanding of how the air ride functions.

 

[Right on the Mark]

Very common for the vent in the pump to fail. I got my car this way the thing almost blew up the bags they got so filled and no vent. Talk about a 4x4 mk8 . LOL

 

[Roadboss]

Don't bother buying a Chilton or Hayes as they are generic and a waste of money, go to the auction site and get either a CD or the real shop manual as they aren't that expensive.

Here is where you can get the most info for our air ride systems and the best parts and service. IMHO

http://www.americanairsuspension.com/MARK VIII AREA.htm

 

[unity]

You could try cleaning the contact to the relay first. Since that would be free and they are know to corrode over time. It could even be the relay itself, but as suggested its common for the vent valve to seize up.

By the way, I *think* I have shop manuals if interested. Not sure if I sold them. if I cant find them, I guess I did!