1994 Mark VIII

[olddavid]

Well, I've drank the kool-ade. I am the proud owner of a rust free solid coupe. It has 144k. The engine is rock steady and most goodies work. It even looks O.K. when its down on the snubbers. I am not an ASE wrench, but I am reasonably competent. Can I expect to repair the air suspension and maintain it, or should I just swap for the kit that makes it a traditional set up? I have read your forum, and there seems to be no consensus on this topic. Which manual is the best to buy? I would appreciate any input. Thanks to all in advance.

 

[mespock]

Best Manual is the Ford Shop Manual they are out there for about $25 - $50.

You can do the air ride work yourself not hard to do. Use Eddie's site for help (note my signature).

As for which is better depends on what you want. If you like the air ride and want to keep it. Easy to work on only problem is the cost (depending on what the problem is - use the trouble shooting page of Eddie's site). If you are tired of hunting down the air ride problems then a coil conversion is fine. No more air ride headaches. It all depends on what you like or how bad you like your air ride.

 

[JDS353]

+1 what rich said welcome to the site there is a lot of infomation to be found. do a search and also check out the information that comes up at the bottom of this page.jd

 

[Green Machine]

keep the air ride! and welcome!

 

[Lownslowlsc]

imho go coils if it's a dd.

 

[NoLimit95]

I would also keep the air ride. Normally if you have a problem, it will be the front struts that end up leaking. If one is leaking just a little bit, the entire front of the car will look lowered. It's because the other air strut can not hold the weight of the engine and everything else in the front on it's own.

The link below should help you with anything you need to know about the air ride.

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

If you do convert over to springs, don't go cheap or you will not like the ride.

 

[Calabrio]

Consider what Rich said.
And from an economic stand point, right now is the time to decide whether you want to keep the air ride or go the coil spring route. Before you start pouring money into it, decide if you want to keep that commitment. Its a commitment of time and money.

And it's extremely inconvenient to find yourself hundreds of miles from home and discover that the vent solenoid has decided to free in the open position.

I stuck with the air ride on mine, but that was only because I'd invested so heavily in it.
But the moment my Navigator fails, I'm throwing springs on it.