Air Suspension Mistery

[ChrisB777]

Hi All .
I have had a 1997 Mark VIII for 2 years .Original Suspension worked fine until a couple months ago.After a few days not moving it was lowering beyond normal .2 months ago it started to go down overnight in the front and after a few days not running rear was going down too .I inspected the bags and when they were deflated I could see the rubber fold having cracks not visible when bag is inflated .At this point my whole suspension system still works fine and levels perfectly .I bought a set of new suncore struts and rear bags so to install along the new solenoid valves .After I installed the new bags car lowered again overnight , but when starting the car it was still leveling up perfectly and I could ride it .I thought it might come from bad height level sensors , so I bought a new set of OEM sensors and changed the 3 of them .Still the same overnight lowering issue .In my mind the last thing it could be was the compressor leaking as it was abnormally noisy.So I ordered a new Dorman aftermarket compressor for the Mark VIII and installed it .That's when I got the major problem .It ran and stopped after 5 seconds with the Dorman compressor .I decided to go install back the OEM and now I have the same issue with it .Starts and stops after 5 seconds .I'd like not to give up as I already bought new bags and struts new solenoid valves new height level sensor and new compressor . At this point I do not have any remote idea of the issue .I decided to reach out for help before opting for a coil conversion which I am not looking forward to on such a low mileage otherwise perfect car ( and all the money I pent on air components ) Any ideas would help .Thanks in advance

 

[firstmark]

I will definetly be following this thread as I have a low mileage (32k) 1997.
Don't give up , one suggestion would to make sure the bag solenoids are not leaking by disconnecting the air line at the solenoid and connecting a length of tubing into the solenoid and putting the other end
into a jar of water and watching for air bubbles.

 

[ChrisB777]

I will definetly be following this thread as I have a low mileage (32k) 1997.
Don't give up , one suggestion would to make sure the bag solenoids are not leaking by disconnecting the air line at the solenoid and connecting a length of tubing into the solenoid and putting the other end
into a jar of water and watching for air bubbles.

Hi firstmark. My mark VIII has 33k miles.I bought it at 27k 2 years ago.My previous one I bought at 30k and sold it at 65k without any suspension issue .Here it goes following up my yesterday post.Finally I got the compressor to run .Turns out it was the relay connector which looks ok but might have had some contaminant infiltrated .I cleaned the plows put it back and forth multiple time and it worked .Now I have my left strut that gets deflated within an hr .Stay tuned

 

[nightfly]

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I converted to coils a few months after buiying my Mk VIII back in 2015. The difference in performance under 100 MPH is negligible, as is the MPG from my experiments. I understand why Ford did whatever it could to increase MPG back in the 1990's due to government regulations, but for day to day driving, coils and a good set of shocks works just fine. I would suggest removing the air suspension and just saving it for the day when you sell your car, as an option for the next buyer. Convert to coils and new shocks for about $500 and just enjoy this wonderful car. I converted in 2015, and never looked back; the ride is wonderful, with no worries about a collapsled suspension showing up at an inconvenient time.
I don't understand those who want that infinitesimal llowering of the suspension at speed; it doesn't make enough off a difference, although perhaps if racing at LeMans it might gain your 0.010 of a second a lap over 24 hours.
Life is too short to worry about inconsequential things. I've been there; began with planning to install inline autolite carbouraters into a 66 mustang 289. A small fortune, to what end? I was never going to compete in Trans-am. Same with lowering the rear end from a 3.00 to some drag race low ratio; why?
Enjoy your car. It's a terriific grand tourer. It has 1/4 mile grunt.. Top end is even ridiculous, if you can somehow remove the software limiters, as shown by the factory 181 mph run at Bonneville back in 1993.
It's a magnificeint machine. Now going for pennies on the dollar. If you want an even better performance vehicle, I can recommend a Porsche 928, as that was what preceeded my Mk VIII. They also go cheap, due to the Porsche people preferring 911s. Same setup, only way better handling, good enough to compete at LeMans.
I'm happy with my Mk VIII. I how you will be, too.

 

[ChrisB777]

OK . I fixed everything by myself .Now the suspension works like new .It is actually a very simple system but every connector, relay , solenoid valve , bags ...etc need to be fully inspected .My major problem was front solenoid valves not fitting correctly ( both new but different provenance) in the driver strut housing plus a compressor relay connector that needed deep cleaning , and finally I replaced the height sensors with OEM new ones .Now my car works like new and I can fix future problems if any having passed 3 times through it including compressor .Total cost is around 800 Dollars with new struts ( Suncore) ,new solenoid valves, new rear bags, new height sensors .I am so glad I didn't give up and not convert it to coil .Especially as my car has 33k miles and in pristine condition .A true survivor .I am the second owner .Rubber got rotten though and dust/humidity accumulated on connectors .When you have a wreck, go coil but these IMHO were not cobra in disguise but a different luxury kind so they deserve to be kept as original as possible when overall condition is great .I drove it and waited a few days before posting to be sure it wouldn't go down on me and lay on the ground .Car is standing proud at proper height after closing door and hold air pretty tight .

 

[firstmark]

OK . I fixed everything by myself .Now the suspension works like new .It is actually a very simple system but every connector, relay , solenoid valve , bags ...etc need to be fully inspected .My major problem was front solenoid valves not fitting correctly ( both new but different provenance) in the driver strut housing plus a compressor relay connector that needed deep cleaning , and finally I replaced the height sensors with OEM new ones .Now my car works like new and I can fix future problems if any having passed 3 times through it including compressor .Total cost is around 800 Dollars with new struts ( Suncore) ,new solenoid valves, new rear bags, new height sensors .I am so glad I didn't give up and not convert it to coil .Especially as my car has 33k miles and in pristine condition .A true survivor .I am the second owner .Rubber got rotten though and dust/humidity accumulated on connectors .When you have a wreck, go coil but these IMHO were not cobra in disguise but a different luxury kind so they deserve to be kept as original as possible when overall condition is great .I drove it and waited a few days before posting to be sure it wouldn't go down on me and lay on the ground .Car is standing proud at proper height after closing door and hold air pretty tight .

Good to hear, enjoy your mark viii !