1998 Lincoln Mark VIII Air ride height

GEORGE BENDER

MEMBER
1998 LINCOLN MARK VIII
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
148,000 MILES

I have been having a check air ride message lately and the only thing I see is the height is to high. I do not get this all the time however it is occuring more and more. I have fixed several problems, and will assume the pump is not shutting off when it should, but have no idea what to look for. I have replaced the pump twice and one of the front struts so am fairly familiar with the system. Only one time about a month ago for some reason the front was a good foot above the wheel, it did release during the day, but ever since then the light problem has occured

1 Reply

BLUECOLLAR

MEMBER
86 POSTS

The problem your describing is a very common one for the Mark VIII. The problem is excessive moisture inside the system.

Dryers only absorb moisture for 4-5 years. After this, the moisture just "collects" there. Then on the vent cycle, the air goes out in reverse of how it came in. The problem now is that all that air pressure pushes all that moisture accumulated in the dryer through the compressor. Basically giving the compressor a bath everytime the car vents! These compressor are designed to run bone dry and won't last long if they have to put up with much moisture.

At this point, you should figure out if you want to stay with the air suspension or convert to coil springs.