86 Lincoln Continental (front air suspension)

[herbsist]

From time-to-time, I have experienced the vehicles
front wheel air ride system to fail on a occasion, from month to month, with the 'Check Suspension' idiot light, lighting up. Would there be a home remedy to engage the switch, without bringing the lincoln to the auto shop?

[nicholas77586]

Well the first thing you want to not do is go to the Lincoln Dealership unless you have lots of money. First check and listen for leaks in all the air lines. This happened to me also. My problem was that my compressor had worn out and didnt have enough power to fill the air bags and when the compressor quit the solodins were still open and the front end fell (I rember it happening a lot when it was hot outside). I bought a new compressor from (arnott Industries, they are on the internet) and havnt had the problem since. Its worth a try to spend an half hour with it before bringing it in.

[pro-five-oh]

By fail do you mean the front starts to sag? You probably have an air leak (fatigued springs) so do a visual inspection of them at the bases, with the car jacked up.

If its leaking, fix that first, then worry about the light.

[Nick]

The light usually comes on to signal the compressor failing to lift the car in the alloted time. This may be from a leaking spring or two or from a worn compressor. You need to give us a more detailed description of what the car is doing so we may make a more accurate prognosis.

[Stykes16]

Do a thorough inspection for a possible bad compressor. Yes, damaged or leaky airlines could be the culprit. I believe it could be remedied through splicing.

[ekooke]

The '84-'87 Conti air suspension is the same as the '84-'92 Mark VII. See:
http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00150_a.html