[BMM]

Hello. Im looking at purchasing a 1987 Lincoln Mark VII. However, the owner says a local shop said there is a problem with the Air-Ride system.

Is this the same deal as with the Thunderbirds? If the Air System completley fails, what happens? I can deal with the 'firm' ride being on all the time, but I can't deal with the car bouncing all over or sagging.

Can anyone clear up this system for me? Thanks.

[chieftain]

The t-bird system uses shocks with actuators for internal shock valving, the air ride system are air bags to control ride height. Probably could be converted over to conventional suspension if you had a doner car.

Depending on whats wrong it could get expensive pretty quick to repair.

[GypsyR]

The ride is pretty darn harsh, particularly if the front system fails. You pretty much have no springs at all. Expensive and difficult to deal with no matter which way you go. MK7's aren't an easy bolt-on swap to change either. I've heard of someone doing it on the front by swapping out the entire engine support/crossmember assembly for one out of a 90's 5.0 Mustang. Then the springs and lower control arms from a Tbird. On the rear it's a bit easier. You pretty much just have to weld spring mounts onto the rearend and install Tbird rear springs. There may well be more to it than I can remember right off.
Fixing the problem is a bummer too. Good used parts are almost non-existent as almost every junkyard MK7 has also experienced the same type failures. And if you do find good used bags or a pump, how long will they last? New parts are scarily high priced.
Kind of a shame. Those 5.0 MK7's have always appealed to me for some reason. The air ride has scared me away from many a good deal on one.
You might have heard of a "simple" Lincoln air ride swap fix. It doesn't apply to the Mark Series cars, just Town Cars and Continentals. Town Cars readily accept (REALLY easy) a pair of Crown Vic/Marquis coil springs in the rear. Maybe 30 minutes work. With a couple of extra drilled holes in front, 80's-90's Continentals will accept a set of four Taurus struts. Say a saturday afternoon, all day maybe if you work slow.