Help, My Mark VIII's air ride died...

C

Cronostar23

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Hey guyz, I guess you could call me a newbie to all this. I just purchased my 1993 pearl white Mark VIII back in febuary of this year. I fell in love with it when i first saw it. The body was in perfect shape, no rust, no dings in the paint. The driver seat had a small tear in the leather, but nothing major. My troubles began when the weather began getting warmer. The first few warm days in spring, i started getting a check air-ride system message on the dash. So i took it back to the car lot i bought it from and they said it was my passenger height sensor had come off. So they put it back on and all was fine. Then when the weather turned hot and humid, i began having troubles again. This time i went on a long trip to visit family in another state. When i parked the car and got out, there was a loud bang, almost like a shotgun going off, and the front of the car fell to the ground. After jacking the car up and inspecting the air-struts i noticed that drivers side bag had exploded and shreded. I had a local garage put in an air-strut i purchased from a junk yard, just to fix it long enough to get it home. I then ordered two brand new air-struts and solenoids and o-rings from an online site that deals with air suspension and had them put on.
All seemed fine until i got up the next morning. The front end was again resting on the ground. I've replaced those air struts and orings and its still doing the same thing. It seems like nothing has been right since the bag exploded, which i was told that the passenger side height sensor wasn't working so the driver side was supporting all the weight of the front, which caused it to blow. And to make things worse, the whole air-ride now refuses to come on now. As soon as i turn the key on, the check air-ride message immediatly pops up and the car no longer will air up. I'm at my witts end, i love the car but friends are telling me get rid of it and steer clear of air-ride equiped cars. :Bang
Can anyone give me suggestions of what i can do myself without having to take it to a dealer!?
 
Ever since I converted to coil, I have had:

Zero Problems
Zero Check Air Ride messages
Zero Worries about my suspension suddenly collapsing with no warning or explanation

Spend the $400. You can do it yourself, it's simple with good tools. Get to know your car. Get it over with. You'll spend that much in diagnostic checks and one repair after another before it's over with anyway. Do it while you still have your money.

My personal experience and $.02
 
Thanx for the suggestions ;-). I have been thinking of converting to the non air suspension, but wasn't sure if it would be worth it.
 
Cronostar23 said:
Thanx for the suggestions ;-). I have been thinking of converting to the non air suspension, but wasn't sure if it would be worth it.
Click to expand...

Totally worth it. If you just bought this car, trust me, you are in for a long series of nickel-diming (and sometimes more than that) from the air ride. Don't wait to find out for yourself. It sounds like it's already started. IMHO, you can't put a price on peace of mind. You'll spend a lot less if you do it now, guaranteed. It doesn't ride quite as soft and cushy, but it does handle and corner better.

If you're still not sure, do a search for coil conversion and read all the threads. You'll be convinced. Talk to BlackIceLsc about it.

BTW, mine's a 93 also.
 
yeah i have to agree with the majority here, go with the coils! air ride is nice, but coils will last you a lot longer.
 
Its sounds like your pump is now shot.... can you hear it running????
I replaced mine for about $159.00 plus overnight shipping $30.00 and put it in myself. I had a estimated of $550.00 to do the job but did it myself in under 2 hours.
 
No, i can't hear the pump running, i'm going to replace it and the relay first, because i like how the air-ride feels. If i continue having problems though, i'm going to convert to the non-air ride conversion. I love the car but i don't wanna go broke from the nickel and dimming with the air ride...lol
 
Cronostar23 said:
No, i can't hear the pump running, i'm going to replace it and the relay first, because i like how the air-ride feels. If i continue having problems though, i'm going to convert to the non-air ride conversion. I love the car but i don't wanna go broke from the nickel and dimming with the air ride...lol
Click to expand...

It's not even an "IF". It's WHEN you keep having problems. It WILL happen, it's just a matter of time. I wish I had done it as soon as I had my first problem, but I made the mistake of asking a dealer about it, and he said there was no such thing as coil conversion. I didn't know any better, but in hindsight it would have saved me thousands of dollars.
 
if any of your guys are EVER considering going to coils... you MUST email/PM me. I have your solution....I have converted 4 cars(including my own), and have discovered the ultimate set up for both confort, handling, price, longevity, and I have written many tech articles on the HOW TO.

From a simple conversion, to a full tuned set up combination.

I cant even count on both hands how many other Mark owners have driven in my car and told me it rides better than any Mark they have ever ridden in, both around town, around corners at extreme speeds, and on the highway.

email me/pm me... whatever. That's what I'm here for.
 
I'm back and my air ride is still dead...LOL i have replaced both front air struts, the compressor, dryer, the connector that connects the compressor to the car and it still will not work. The compressor starts to fill the bags, but stops and gives a check air ride message. I can't get them to air up to support the weight of the car. I have the car up on a jack to keep from putting all the weight on the deflated bags. Is there any way to manually turn the compressor on to air up the bags.
 
Cronostar23 said:
I'm back and my air ride is still dead...LOL i have replaced both front air struts, the compressor, dryer, the connector that connects the compressor to the car and it still will not work. The compressor starts to fill the bags, but stops and gives a check air ride message. I can't get them to air up to support the weight of the car. I have the car up on a jack to keep from putting all the weight on the deflated bags. Is there any way to manually turn the compressor on to air up the bags.
Click to expand...


How long does the compressor stay on before it turn off, if it stay on a while check for leaks at the solenoids, put your ears close to the wheel well and listen. Taken that your compressor is good and your solenoids are working, you should here your solenoids click after the compressor start up, I had the same problem with mine so I had to wiggle my solenoids to get the air to stop leaking out. If you dont have the leaks you may have a bad compressor or a bad dryer, if you replace them all there is no reason they shouldn't pump up. Did you replace your compressor and dryer with a new or used one, if used chances are they are no good, I try that with my Mark VII and they didn't work even though the compressor turn on, or maybe someone may have the answer to your question.
 
I did replace both my front struts one was done 3-5-05 and the other 5-14-05 and the only problem I had with them is air leaking at the solenoids, I could here the air rushing out I put new O-ring on the solenoids and seal then up with Super Blue Silicone Gasket Maker but I found out later that I should of use Dielectric Grease instead.
 
Contact arnottindustries.com they have all the answers and part you wiil need to convert to springs, or fix your air suspension.
 
If you are a gold member you'll get 25% off and free shipping from Strutmasters.

I did the conversion on my 93 and it is a very nice ride after.

Total cost for me was $350 to my door.
 
since you are in sacramento, bring it to me and I'll do the work for ya if you decide to switch to coils. I am in Santa Rosa, and can get it done quickly, and inexpensively.

PM me for pricing.

I can also help with the air ride if needed.

do you hear any leaks as the bags fill? are your ride height sensors set to the proper height?

again, PM me if you are serious about switching to coils. I've done a bunch of conversions, and every owner is STILL thanking me.
 
BlackIceLSC said:
since you are in sacramento, bring it to me and I'll do the work for ya if you decide to switch to coils. I am in Santa Rosa, and can get it done quickly, and inexpensively.

PM me for pricing.

I can also help with the air ride if needed.

do you hear any leaks as the bags fill? are your ride height sensors set to the proper height?

again, PM me if you are serious about switching to coils. I've done a bunch of conversions, and every owner is STILL thanking me.
Click to expand...


You may have to go to him if he decided that he want your help, do to the condition his car is in, I know you wouldn't want to drive your car with that situation..
 
ill say for some ppl it,s worth it
and i have heard nothing but good things about it
but
i bought a lincoln for the power it gives and the ride it has
i jsut replaced my front passanger airshock
and i love the ride agen
yes it,s costly
it was just under 500 after taxes and parts and labor i got a air shock from BagMasterAIr
for 275 remaned
and the dealership put it on for me for just under 175 dollars plus tax for the labor :)
 
I hate to keep posting, but the people at arnnott told me that my air hoses to the dryer is the problem. They told me that i need to push them all the way into the dryer, but i've tried and they just won't go. HELP...LOL
 
Cronostar23 said:
I hate to keep posting, but the people at arnnott told me that my air hoses to the dryer is the problem. They told me that i need to push them all the way into the dryer, but i've tried and they just won't go. HELP...LOL
Click to expand...

I hate to keep repeating myself too, but doing a coil conversion will end this problem you have for good. Just my $200,000,000.
 
A good thing about coil conversion; besides the fact that you'll never have to worry about seeing your slammed ever again are:

You have a choice in what setup you want, you can either get the stock height setup which I believe rides very similar to your current air-ride...(Well when it works hehe)
Or you can choose to go with the 1.5" lowered setup that yields better handling, yet still doesn't sacrifice to much ride quality... Not to mention a sporty look that makes it look like it's ready to pounce at any given time... Good luck on whatever you decide...
 
Cronostar23 said:
I hate to keep posting, but the people at arnnott told me that my air hoses to the dryer is the problem. They told me that i need to push them all the way into the dryer, but i've tried and they just won't go. HELP...LOL
Click to expand...

For one thing, the reason the air strut exploded was probably because the sensor popped off again and made the module think the strut needed to be pumped up. Not knowing when to quit, it just kept pumping until it blew the strut. REMEMBER: If the sensor pops off once....IT WILL pop off again...guaranteed!

As far as arnott telling you that the hoses in the dryer are the problem....the only way that the air lines would kick on the light, is if the compressor ran a full 90 seconds and not bringing the car to its trim height. Seeing how the compressor only runs a few seconds or so at the most, that blows the whole air line theory.

You may have more than one problem. You need to get the suspension working again to even see if it'll leak down on its own again, but your going to need a code to go on to have a clue where to start.

The problem could be several things, but my money is the sensor on that side that blew. That allot of air pressure in a small area. You may not have to go to the dealer to get the code(s) pulled. Allot of independant shops have scanners made from snap-on that will accomplish the same thing.

This is a good example of buying parts from somewhere that only knows how to sell parts....they haven't got a clue how to work on this stuff. I hear it all day long.
 
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