Hey fellas,

1991 Lincoln (town car)

The time has finally come...When I turn my car on, the "check air suspension" light comes on and the back of the vehicle drops down because the bags do not inflate...I'm guessing. I don't know much about it and haven't had this problem before. It just started doing it. It could be the air compressor, air springs, or bags...I'm not sure.

Anyone out there worked on the town car air suspensions, or know how to diagnose and fix it. I am willing to pay $$$ for the help and a place to repair this problem (I don't have a garage or tools right now). Let me know if you can help. Thanks.

[Edited on January 27, 2009 at 1:49 AM. Reason : or can someone help me convert it to a regular coil spring suspension??]

1/27/2009 1:45:33 AM

send zxappeal a p/m. he is the fucking man. period.

nah, really. he'll fix it right and won't overcharge like a stealership.

1/27/2009 9:38:25 AM

still going to cost $$ to fix I bet.

1/27/2009 9:52:39 AM

Well the conversion kit with just the coils and rubber insulators is on ebay for only $90. That is a cheap fix. There is also another option with shocks that is (not on ebay) for 249 with the springs and insulators. Do I need to get shocks for it to? I'm guessing so, but not sure.

The full air replacement is like $350 per side, that's if the compressor is still good

1/27/2009 1:58:31 PM

this is the repair that my parents sold the continental over

1/27/2009 3:41:36 PM

Quote :

"send zxappeal a p/m. he is the fucking man. period. nah, really. he'll fix it right and won't overcharge like a stealership."

1/27/2009 3:46:49 PM

sell it to a non-white person. i see them all the time with them riding on the bump stops, just crusing along.

1/27/2009 4:47:48 PM

A similar thing happened on my old Mark VIII. A few questions to start you out:
--Does the suspension hold air and stay in place while parked, and only fall when you turn the car on?
--Does it ever air back up?
--Can you hear the compressor run? (In both my current Marauder and the VIII, the compressor is easily loud enough to hear in the cabin when it does run).

The air springs and bags are not two different things, they're interchangeable terms for the same part. Unless the TC design is different than what the VIII used.

If you do the coil conversion it will be cheaper, definitely, but you'll lose some of the luxury car ride. (Does the TC have air at all 4 corners, or front coil/rear air like the Marauder and some models of the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis?)

1/27/2009 5:41:43 PM

No the suspension is low to the ground when parked. Is the compressor in the front left of the vehicle? Because I have heard a loud compressor type sound when I start the car...I haven't heard it lately. I will listen for it next time I turn it on.

I haven't done any work to this car so this whole job will be new for me.

[Edited on January 27, 2009 at 10:34 PM. Reason : doesn't hold air, or air back up]

1/27/2009 10:33:39 PM

I don't know where the compressor is, precisely (never had to locate it) but it makes a distinctive sound not dissimilar to a shop-type air compressor. If the car just dropped at one point and stayed there, was it a gradual drop, or did you just walk out one morning and the back was on the ground? Either way, if it doesn't come back up at all (i.e. you're bottomed out at all times) you've either got a *big* hole in one of your air springs, or more likely a compressor issue--a small leak will leak down overnight (or sometimes even within a few hours) but will generally come back up when you start the car. If you don't ever hear the comp running I'd say it's your prime suspect.

You might want to check out the forums at http://www.lincolnsonline.com--there is a Town Car section on there, and a bunch of helpful people who I'm sure know these systems like the back of their hand, rather than my "I owned one with this particular problem for a while" knowledge.

Or just let zxappeal have at it...but if you can narrow down the problem area, that's less diagnostic time for him and less cost for you.

1/28/2009 12:44:45 AM

just put the el-cheapo coil spring kit on it. Did so on my mom's 94 town car, works great- actually rides better than it did with the airbags. Don't pay the inflated prices for the kit with shocks- just go down to advance or wherever you prefer and grab a pair of basic gas shocks if yours are blown out or have never been replaced.

Installing the coils was a 2 hour job total in the driveway- nothing overly complex about it.

1/28/2009 8:28:53 AM

^ that's what people on other forums said to do. It rides just as smooth from what they say.

1/28/2009 1:35:09 PM

sorry this is a double post...

Can anyone recommend a shop that will do the conversion from air to coil. I don't have the tools or place right now to do it. Tommy @ Avent Ferry doesn't do that kind of work as well as B&M, AAA care care...no one will do it. Other suggestions??

[Edited on February 2, 2009 at 12:12 PM. Reason : .]

2/2/2009 12:12:02 PM

Crest Road Afromotive Engineering - Jeepman

2/2/2009 12:17:55 PM

2/2/2009 9:34:18 PM

Thanks for the help tww junkies, the lowridin' lincoln is not dragging on the ground anymore.
I love this place.

/thread

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 1:38 PM. Reason : .]

2/17/2009 1:38:01 PM

So did you go with the coil conversion? How is that working out so far?

2/20/2009 2:46:18 AM

Yea I went with the coils, it's working great. Thanks for PM too, it really helped, and it took about an hour and a half to do it. only a $120 fix. yay

2/23/2009 1:53:09 AM

so thats why i keep seeing those things bow-high

2/25/2009 2:57:08 PM