Psi?

[thedt]

just became a Lincoln owner as of 2 days ago
and i was just wondering...

Whats the working psi of the air system?

i was thinking of adding a tank and 1 or 2 valves and setting up a system bypass so i can control the back on its own.

person i bought it from said the bags are new so they should be ok, thinking about upgrading to the limo version.

thanks if you know,

[MichiganTeddyBear]

a 2 wheel system probably has 100 psi or so max (rear takes less pressure than fronts), with a 4 wheel system in the 135-150 range probably.

putting tanks in will probably be a lotof work. the air lines in the system dont have any pressure unless they are filling or venting the air springs. each air spring has its own solenoid. Also, the vent air goes back thru the dryer (attached to the compressor) to remove any moisture that its pulled out of the air. the system MUST remain dry or the springs may rot from the inside out, as well as problems with the solenoids rusting (especially the vent valve)

some people have done bypasses of the air system controller to run the stuff by hand, but I dont recall where I seen the info on what they did.

[Tman70]

Thedt, welcome to LincolnsOnLine!

The working pressure of the load levelling system you have on your 91 is the same as all other Town Cars-variable. At 0 psi, the body sits on the axle rubbers and you feel like you're on a carnival ride. Between 1 psi and above, you have the best ride going. I won't give you an upper figure because it varies depending on the load. psi is whatever it takes to level the car. If the system is working, leave it alone. It does great on its own. If it's not working, give us a chance here to help you fix it up, won't you?

If you really want to add a valve see below...
http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00194.html

[thedt]

Thanks guys for the welcome.

anyways
doesnt the dryer work on the air coming in?

valves im talking about are more like these guys
http://www.suicidedoors.com/SMC14Valve.php

electronic control like the ones on there.

pretty much i want to be able to when parked have the back resting on the bump stops, and when im ready to leave be able to raise to normal height without waiting for the long about of time it would take the compressor to do it on its own.

i was just wondering what the specs were for the stock system.
thanks for the info.

[nailfoot]

Nice article Tman! I wondered when you would do that!

Welcome Thedt.

As for what you want to do with the system, you could wire in to the solenoids and have them open and dump all the air on command, but Town Cars that are on the bumpstop in the rear and normal height in the front look kinda weird (Like an orange TC doesn't huh?!?).

When you wanted to go, just flip the override off, start the car, and drive on. The compressor will raise the air springs quite rapidally, assuming it doesn't have to fight you accidentally leaving the solenoids in an "open" state!

[thedt]

right to dump tho i would need to open both solenoids on the bags and the 1 at the compressor.

ill have to give it a try and c how long it takes to fill.

[nailfoot]

Originally Posted by thedt

right to dump tho i would need to open both solenoids on the bags and the 1 at the compressor.

ill have to give it a try and c how long it takes to fill.

That's what I thought I said. Put either a toggle switch, or (better) a momentary on switch up on the dash somewhere.

[thedt]

"Venting test '90 - '94 Town Cars

Switch off the air suspension and disconnect the control module connector, then simultaneously ground the Purple/Light Green, Light Blue/Black and Pink wires. The rear of the car should lower. If not then check fuse U and try again if blown."

yea ez enough

[nailfoot]

Originally Posted by thedt

"Venting test '90 - '94 Town Cars

Switch off the air suspension and disconnect the control module connector, then simultaneously ground the Purple/Light Green, Light Blue/Black and Pink wires. The rear of the car should lower. If not then check fuse U and try again if blown."

yea ez enough

Just remember that however you splice into those wires, make sure you "unsplice" them before turning on the car. Actually, will splicing them even work if you do not manually flip the trunk switch off? I doubt it.

[thedt]

right but i could just hook up a relay inline with the switch as well.

[98TC-Cartier]

You would also need to add another dryer and larger compressor to refill your aux air tank. Replace the lines from the new air supply to the air springs with 1/4" lines and reducing adapters to speed up the air delivery. You are looking at a 5-10 gal air tank to have enough reserve capacity to refill the springs without waiting for the compressor to finish the job.

Using the stock unit will wear it out rather quickly as it was never designd for "severe service".

[Tman70]

Beside which, I think there is a 45 second time-out period for the compressor run. Over that, it shuts down.

[Dereck]

Hi Thedt

The compressor should kick out 100 - 120psi, the presssure in the air springs will be much lower maybe about 25 - 35 psi simular to the tire pressures.

The compressor runs for a second before the air spring solenoids are opened to allow a build up of pressure in the airline, if it didn't the springs would empty rather than fill.

Regards

Dereck

[thedt]

thanks for all the info.

good stuff.

really this would just be for quick fun, at some point i would just buy all pro stuff and add it. tho i would like to keep the stock type backs in the back instead of having to weld new mounting points on them. which is why i asked if anyone knew anything about the limo bags for the back.

but im glad i found such an active community.

[Dereck]

Originally Posted by thedt

Which is why i asked if anyone knew anything about the limo bags for the back.

Hi Thedt

Bags are what you get under your eyes after a heavy night out or what old ladies carry thier groceries in, air springs are a suspension component

I am sceptical that there is any difference in the so called "limo air springs" they may be made of slighty thicker rubber but will not give you any different a ride.

Regards

Dereck

[Tman70]

Just to clear up some erroneous thoughts...
1. There are no air springs in the front of a stock Town Car.
2. Air springs are not an Add-On but are mounted in the same place that coil springs are mounted on non-air suspension cars.
3. There are no "limo" add ons that I know of, either.

[nailfoot]

Originally Posted by thedt

...
but im glad i found such an active community.

This is the best Lincoln (and probably the best Ford) forum on the 'net! You are in the right spot!

Dereck and Tman have you set here. To do what you want, bite the bullet and spend $1500 on full air suspension. If it isn't illegal in your area, spend a bit more and lose some trunk space and go with hydraulics.

[v8_dave]

Originally Posted by nailfoot

This is the best Lincoln (and probably the best Ford) forum on the 'net! You are in the right spot!

Dereck and Tman have you set here. To do what you want, bite the bullet and spend $1500 on full air suspension. If it isn't illegal in your area, spend a bit more and lose some trunk space and go with hydraulics.

Before I replaced my front coils I toyed with the idea of going aftermarket 'bags' all around. But I couldn't find any that would ride as well as the factory setup. But they do it, cardomain as a number of fully 'bagged' TC's. Dropping only the rear would not look great IMO plus an empty propane tank you can use for a supply takes up a bunch of room.

[neterhet]