The front air ride deflates periodically.
The air ride works fine on the back of my 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII, but lately the front deflates periodically. Since it’s only the front, I don’t know where to start.
I would start with the air line that supplies the front.
I would suggest that you start by looking for the Ford-designed retro-fit coil spring package. Ford came up with this retro-fit simply because of problems with the original design as it aged.
If you convert to coil springs–
Will the car ride quite as well as it did originally? NO
Will the suspension become a problem-free area that you will likely never have to repair again? YES
I suggest that you cut your losses and have Ford’s coil spring kit installed on both the front and the back.
Leaks are generally in one of two places, and sometimes both.
The ride heigh solenoids have O-rings that age and can leak. The other potential area is the bags themselves. Aged rubber bags dry rot just like tires and they usually leak right around the fold where the bag attaches to the strut.
This can also be intermittent in nature, depending on the stance of the car.
There are other possibilities but that is the most common ones. Since the car is a 94 and if the air ride has never needed to be repaired the best option is to go with a coil spring conversion. Check with Eddie at American Air Suspension. He has a great site, provides all types of suspension components, and is hands-on knowledgeable about air ride systems.
His site also provides some guidelines on self-repairs of the air ride if that is the way you want to go.
I converted my old (and now totalled out) 94 Mark to coil springs and it was fine.
If you go this route you will need to access the ride module and snip a wire to prevent an “Air Ride Problem” warning from appearing on the Message Center.
It’s not a big deal and if you’re mechanically inclined you can perform the entire conversion both front and rear in about 3 hours, give or take. Piece of cake in my opinion.