Is replacing a front air strut difficult ?

  • Thread starter Deleted member 20330
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Denna said:
Soduka,

Fortunately, a repair shop had replaced three of the struts at one time (1 front, 2 rear). They didn't replace the fourth because it appeared good enough at the time.
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:confused::eek::Bang:slamOkay, I'm sorry. I just can't stand it anymore and this statement was the straw that broke my camel's back. The Mark VIII does not have struts. It has an SLA (Short/Long Arm) front suspension. There are no MacPherson struts anywhere in the Lincoln Mark VIII's suspension. The front suspension has an upper control arm and a lower control arm. The integrated air spring and shock absorber assembly is attached to the LCA and anchored to the body at the shock tower. It is not mounted to the spindle and does not turn with the wheels. It does not have a bearing cap on top of the air spring to keep it from scraping the metal as it turns with the steering. It only acts as a damper. It does not act as a steering kingpin, or upper suspension locating link. Therefore it is not a MacPherson strut by any stretch of the imagination. The rear suspension in the Mark VIII uses an upper and lower control arm design with a separate shock absorber and air spring. There are no MacPherson struts in the rear suspension either. And there never have been.

Okay I'm done. I guess I just saw the word "strut" too many times :rolleyes: and it made me snap. Seriously, I was trying my best to hold back and be nice. Oh well.
soup nazi.jpg
Oh yeah, let me know if anyone won any money betting on how long it would take me to blow up. I'd like to get my cut :D

soup nazi.jpg
 
what is the name for the crooked tubular steel rod between the front LCA and K-frame? the rod the SRB's go around?
 
That is a "strut rod" or "tension strut" or "drag link". That should be the only time the word "strut" should ever be used when talking about the Mark VIII suspension. :) And they're not actually "tubular', they're made of forged steel. I used to make those when I worked at Metal Forge Company in Albemarle, NC back in the mid-1990's.
 
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
The Mark VIII does have struts
 
ford nut said:
The Mark VIII does have struts

The Mark VIII does have struts
Click to expand...

:lol: True. But the "shocks" are not "struts". That's the difference. Call the "strut rods" struts all day long and it would be absolutely correct. Calling the shocks "struts" is absolutely wrong. It's just like that fella who called my Explorer a "Jeep". Just because it "looks" like something doesn't mean that it "is" that thing...

chris2523 said:
i knew something like that would happen.
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Yeah. Me too.
 
98lincmk7lsc said:
No it's not.
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Yeah. It is. The Mark VIII's suspension is not the "strut type" design. It is an SLA. Therefore, calling the shocks "struts" is wrong given the difference in the two types of suspension designs. If you were driving a Fox body Mark VII that actually has a strut suspension, then you could call the shocks "struts" all day long and it would be perfectly correct.

ford nut said:
3,040 posts, 3,000 of them are a strut lecture.

~looks for dog...needs something to kick~
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Nah. More like just 2,999 of them :p. I didn't realize I had that many posts :) I just don't know when to quit! :lol:
 
thaywood said:
:confused::eek::Bang:slamOkay, I'm sorry. I just can't stand it anymore and this statement was the straw that broke my camel's back. The Mark VIII does not have struts. It has an SLA (Short/Long Arm) front suspension. There are no MacPherson struts anywhere in the Lincoln Mark VIII's suspension. The front suspension has an upper control arm and a lower control arm. The integrated air spring and shock absorber assembly is attached to the LCA and anchored to the body at the shock tower. It is not mounted to the spindle and does not turn with the wheels. It does not have a bearing cap on top of the air spring to keep it from scraping the metal as it turns with the steering. It only acts as a damper. It does not act as a steering kingpin, or upper suspension locating link. Therefore it is not a MacPherson strut by any stretch of the imagination. The rear suspension in the Mark VIII uses an upper and lower control arm design with a separate shock absorber and air spring. There are no MacPherson struts in the rear suspension either. And there never have been.

Okay I'm done. I guess I just saw the word "strut" too many times :rolleyes: and it made me snap. Seriously, I was trying my best to hold back and be nice. Oh well.
View attachment 828455018
Oh yeah, let me know if anyone won any money betting on how long it would take me to blow up. I'd like to get my cut :D
Click to expand...

Thaywood,

Thanks for the detailed correction.

I only used the word strut since that's what others were calling it.

Also, the links below use the word strut as well so it looked like the correct terminology.

http://lincolnsofdistinction.org/lincolntech/modrepair/strut.html

http://www.americanairsuspension.com/Articles.asp?ID=259
 
miatatomark said:
Denna, does it inflate at all? I'd do the leak check (soapy spray) to make sure the bags not holding air at all before replacing it. That would be to make sure the solenoid is not the problem. Also, in the instructions on the LOD websight, you don't need to be stabbing the bags to deflate them. Just do a search for the solenoid and you'll find out how to remove a clip and twist to deflate the bag. Having had most of it apart yesterday, replacement actually looks much simpler than a regular spring/shock/strut assembly. Biggest problem is the cost of the hardware being 3 times as much.
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Miatatomark,

I'll do the leak test, but for some reason American Air Suspension doesn't recommend the soapy spray method.

http://www.americanairsuspension.com/Articles.asp?ID=258
 
Denna said:
Miatatomark,

I'll do the leak test, but for some reason American Air Suspension doesn't recommend the soapy spray method.

http://www.americanairsuspension.com/Articles.asp?ID=258[/QUOTe
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Click to expand...
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I think what they are saying is that if you don't see bubbles you may assume the air bag is not leaking. I agree with that. But if you do see bubbles, that narrows it down. If you don't see bubbles, it doesn't mean that your bags are not leaking. It just means it's not showing up with this test. If you do see bubbles, you've eliminated other causes of leaks.
Click to expand...
 
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