The chill cobra-1994 Mark VIII q's

[GREAT_VIII]

Hello Lincoln lovers-
Just joined the site and so far I like what I see. It certainly looks like you guys know what is up if you know what i mean.
Anyway, I just bought a 94 mark viii w/ 125k mi. for $2400. it is in pretty good shape still, but there are a few dents and scrapes on the body. drivetrain seems fine, but it leaks both oil and tranny fluid, oil not so bad but tranny is about a pint a month.

my questions are:
-should the car drop to about 3 inches above the ground after sitting for a day or 2?

-is the oil/tranny leak a common problem?

-is there anything other then bad alignment/tire pressure that would make it pull to the right?

-the car has 125000 miles. Is there anything that is probably going to fail on me soon?

Sorry for all of the questions but I am new to Lincolns and want to get some reliable info on my new ride. So far it has been super fun, and I would love to keep it crusin for a long time.
oh ya, and one more thing...are the trannys on these cars any good? should I baby it or will it stand up to a little abuse (ie braketorque's, holeshots, steet racing in general)

thanks guys.
-Keith

[ekooke]

If there's a big temperature drop after you park (say 50 F) it can drop, since the compressed air stored in the springs lose energy.
The oil leak for high milers is usually the oil filter adapter plate gasket. $12 part, with about 2 hours labor.
Pull to right was tires in my case. New Michelin Symmetry tires fixed it.
Part of the 100,000 mile maintenance was draining the rear axle torque tubes and installing new seals & lubricant. If it wasn't done, please have it done ASAP.
Premature Brake rotors/pads wear are a common complaint.
The 1-2 accumulator piston in the trans should be upgraded, if it hasn't been done already.
You won't be able to see to drive at night with the stock headlights, unless you have the eyes of an owl. An HID upgrade from the '96 headlights will fix this.

[GREAT_VIII]

The drop dosn't really seem to be temperature related. I live near Phoenix, so it it never really gets very cold, and anyway, it is a pretty much linear decrease over time.

if it is a leaky shock, what is the best way to find out which one it is and how hard are they to change?

thanks

[ekooke]

Spray soapy water on the front struts/rear bags to find the leak(s). A leaking shock, which is integrated on the front and separate on the rear, shows itself by leaking fluid. A leaky shock usually doesn't affect ride height, only ride quality. If you have bad front struts, replace them with the Gen II struts (97-98) for a smoother ride, and they are cheaper at about $200 each (discount). If you are going to keep the car and do the repairs yourself, get the factory service manual and the EVTM for your car. These show up a lot on eBay, or you can order them from helminc.com. Avoid the $10 paperback books at the auto parts store, since these typically don't tell you enough.

[sleeper]

you probably have a leaky bag. it would take a big temp drop for the car to drop more than maybe an inch.

on the rear axle, definitely get the lube changed, but replacing the seals isn't necessary unless they're leaking, and even then, not really necessary. My '94 had 154k on it when i sold it. The axle seals were never replaced. They leaked a little bit, for awhile, then stopped. And it never lost any measurable amount of fluid after i changed it.

definitely do the 1-2 accumulator. The trannies tend to wear out, so you may not have long to go on it, but all you can do is beat the hell out of it and find out, right? You can always get one from a junkyard for a few hundred bucks and do the swap yourself, or just learn how to rebuild it.

other than that, good luck with the car.