Car Drops While Driving

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StincolnLincoln

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:shifty: :shifty: I have a 1988 lincoln Mark VII LSC it just started doing this several mths back and is now starting to annoy the hell out of me as it does it more and more. All i do is pull over shut the car down and restart it and it will lift back up. Now its just hissing and sitting on its ass. Just the rear suspension is doing this. The front is absolutely fine. On some days it will lift up and stay leveled all day long and then some days it will level out and then drop back to the ground. What might be the cause of this. Does anyone have any ideas and or clues and or fixes.:mad: :mad: right now its just sitting on its ass and im not driving it cause i dont want to hit anything and bounce and ground out. It wont even lift now. It tries but then i hear the air coming back out ..could it be the sensor in the rear or what else..HELP!!!
 
could be a number of things, could be the bags are shot (most likely considering the year and past history), something could be telling the rear to vent, air lines could be damaged. I'd think its the bags since you've had problems with it sinking already.
 
In the instance where you are driving and it drops, does the check suspension light come on? I would suspect the o-ring in at least one solenoid is failing. Run the air suspension self diagnostic. Then get the car level, turn off the air suspension switch, and check the bags and solenoids for leaks with soapy water.
 
JoshMcMadMac said:
In the instance where you are driving and it drops, does the check suspension light come on? I would suspect the o-ring in at least one solenoid is failing.
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That would also happen if any part of the suspension (the bags) were damaged to the point where it couldn't fill, right? Its just a time out for the compressor?
 
yes the check suspension light does come on. But if the bags were shot why would the car level out and sit just fine for several hrs and then as i start driving go down so i will check to see if it will level out and get under there and try out what you said if so.. i am seriously thinking of the conversion kit for the air ride where would i get that from. Im in austin tx and would like to find a shop that is affiliated with lincoln lovers..if you guys know of any let a brotha know..
 
StincolnLincoln said:
i am seriously thinking of the conversion kit for the air ride where would i get that from.
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Look at the adds to the right.
 
i think i will be ordering afull conversion kit by the end of this week. just have to find a plce to put them on at a reasonable price lol..im tired of the damn car dropping like a fat booty lady ..Thanks guys
 
yeah im looking at it right now almost thinking of ordering to full kits because theres a guy with a pearl white 96mark8 he doesnt want to put the money in it cause all 4 bags are done and its sitting on its belly..
 
man im all in i will be ordering these probably by friday to start on them by the following week when they get here
 
It will be easier, quicker, cheaper, and much more plush to simply fix the air system than to bastardize it with a coil spring kit. You can fix the rear springs, which you have claimed to be the problem, for under $200. If the solenoids are at fault then it could potentially be a $2 issue. I highly recommend fixing the issue instead of bandaiding it.
 
Coil Spring Conversion

I just got done pulling the Strutmasters conversion off of my 87. The car came with the front already installed (Due to bad bags) so i figured why deal with the air and just do all four corners! Well to make a long story short, Can you say snowplow? the rear conversion made the rear end ride at least 3" righer than the front and looked horrible. I ended up not only putting the rear bags back on, but the frount ones too. The bags are definately the way to go if you don't spend the money to convert properly with the T-Bird parts. Anyone else ran into this with the kit? I sure learned the hard way over an entire weekend, but boy I can drop the components blindfolded to air work now! Rsteeda
 
ok now im up in the air with this..ok how do u do the suspension diagnostics and what should i look for on the it. i started the car up and literally lifted the car up some and it actually raised up for a little while and then a few min later let the air out and sat its fat ass back down on the ground ..if its just a 200 fix im ready to get this damn thing done or do you think i shoud take it to a shop.
 
its only the rear acting :q:q:q:qty. maybe i will just change the rear bags to a coil i was damn near to the point i was gonna put air shocks on it and level it and leave it
 
Diagnose the system, then repair it. As I said before, it could simply be the solenoids. Check it out and actually determine the source of the problem and you'll be in much better shape.

BLACK87LSC, fixing the system properly is not a bandaid; removing it for some off the shelf kit is. A properly serviced air suspension will last approximately ten years with trouble free service. Coils wear out quicker, and that is when those coils were originally designed for the vehicle, unlike the aftermarket kits. It is cheaper and easier to repair the system than to replace it, and it will function much better as well.
 
ok the problem has been found the driver side rear bag has cracks so i am just gonna buy 2 new bags and solenoids and dryer i see that it a hell of alot cheaper to order from strutmasters. in total with shipping and handling is $250 found a place to put them on for around 120 bucks because of where i work i get one hell of a discount since i dont have the time to do it myself. Thanks guys i will have updates as well. Planning on most likely purchasing a 98 mark 8 as soon as i see what this guy wants for it.
 
The solenoids and dryer are probably in fine shape. You can rehab your current dryer, too. You can easily complete the work yourself and save $120 dollars. In under an hour you can fix your own car with simple hand tools.
 
Black87LSC said:
Which is exactly why he should put coils in. The air system will only be bandaided until it $hits the bed again
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[dryWit]Yeah. That's the ticket. Those rubber products only lasted 15 to 18 years so rip them out and throw steel in it's place. And when those darn rubber radiator hoses go after only holding up 18 years, replace them too with steel. The next rubber tire that goes flat after only ten or fifteen years of use, should also be replaced with steel.[/dryWit]

This is Bags vs Springs version 435,2653,987

All five of my Mark VIIs have bags and I love the ride. My last air ride suspension repair cost $40.00 plus tax with Ford Motor Company parts.

Dude has bad bags in the rear.

I'd replace em properly and the car will ride another 15 to 20 years on air ride springs ... when the :q:q:q:q hits the fan again :)
 
im telling you i cant wait to fix this then my next project will be the exhaust from the headers back i will most likely post a new thread on that to see what type of headers to get and mufflers and so on..
 
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