MARK VII TECH TIPS AND FAQs

Fix for intermittent Fuel/Tach gauge problem

The problem was whenever the headlights were turned on, the fuel gauge would read full, and the tach movement would be erratic. There is a ground problem that is common with the Mark VII which causes erratic readings from the fuel and tach gauges, here is a link to the fix (courtesy of the Lincoln Mark series Technical Discussion area)
 

My Power Window stopped working, what could the problem be?

There are a couple of things that could be wrong, (Motor, switch, or motor gear). The electronic switches in the console are the same and can be swapped, switch the one that works with the other....if no change then the switch should be OK. Next, press the window switch and listen to see if the motor is running in the door that is not working, if you hear the motor running then you have a bad gear which can be replaced($19.95) fairly easily and without the expense of a new motor. If the motor is not running at all then you possibly have a burned out motor (if you are mechanically inclined you can rebuild this with a brush kit for $19.95). Power window motor removal requires you to drill 3 holes (marked with a dimple by Ford) in order to remove it, if you already have holes drilled in your door then your motors have been out before.

WARNING: PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH WORN REAR CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS!

Beware! As these cars age the rear control arm bushings wear and cause the control arms to lean which puts excessive stress on the mounting base of the rear airbags. When this happens the base snaps/Breaks off and the airbag deflates (this is always associated with a loud "BOOM"). If the base of your air bag has broken then you need to either replace your control arms (ALL OF THEM) with new ones or replace your bushings with Polyurethane ones (we now carry those). This has happened to me and I have noticed an increasing number of people having the same problem....if this has happened to your bag DO NOT order a new bag or put in a used one without fixing the bushings first or it WILL happen again!

How hard is it to replace my rear air suspension bags?

Replacing your airbags is really quite simple and easy to do with basic hand tools. First you need to turn off the air suspension (switch located in trunk on driver side) and jack the car up. Support the car with jack stands under the rear torque boxes and let the rear end drop. Take your floor jack and give the rear end just a little support so that the bags are not stretched tight. It is recommended to replace both bags at the same time so that you do not unfold one bag while attempting to install the other. If you are using our replacement airbags (which are the only ones that come complete with a new solenoid), you will need to remove the plastic air line from the original solenoid. There is a trick for this....you will need a 3/8 open end box wrench....hold the plastic air line firmly and push down into the solenoid. At the same time push down on both sides of the orange O-ring with your 3/8 wrench....while holding pressure on the orange O-ring, you can now pull the plastic air line right out. Now you need to release the air from the airbag, remove the retaining clip from the solenoid (this is what keeps it from turning) and then twist the solenoid counter clockwise until it stops (there are two detents, stop at the first). Usually the solenoid has to be wiggled while pulling up in order for it to "pop" up and release the air....once this happens you can then turn the solenoid the rest of the way and remove it.. Now that the air is removed you can remove the bag. The bottom of the bag is held in with 2 bolts (Some sizes vary by year, I have seen 14mm, 15mm and 1/2"), simply remove the bolts (Our bags come with new bolts and retaining clips). The top of the bag is held in by a sliding retaining ring....This may be difficult to get loose due to road dirt and grime binding the sliding ring, just work it back and forth to get it to spin freely. Press down the locking clip (spring clip) and you can then rotate the ring until free....remove the old air bag.

Now you are ready to install the new bag. Your new airbag (from SVPU) is ready for installation but if for some reason it becomes unfolded, you will need to follow the enclosed Re-folding procedure included in the box. First step is to place the top part of the bag into position and secure with sliding ring (make sure the solenoid is in the same position as before), now raise the rear end up so that the control arm and lower bag mounts are close enough to line up...now bolt in the lower part of the bag and tighten (keep the rear end at this height-DO NOT LOWER IT). The only thing left is to reinstall the plastic air line, this is very easy. Spray some WD-40 or similar lubricant on the line and just push into the solenoid....the line should lock right in place, make sure it is secure.

Raise the car by the rear end and remove both jack stands. Lower the car to the ground (NOTE: you may not be able to remove the jack, just leave it there...once the car rises it will come right out). Turn on the air suspension switch in the trunk and turn the key to the "ON" position. Your car should now fill the rear bags to the correct height. You are done!

How can I lower my Mark VII?

The Mark VII uses an air ride suspension where airbags or air springs as they are called, replace conventional coil springs used on other cars. This helps level the car when loaded as well as provide the "Lincoln" ride. This system uses ride height sensors to tell the computer when it needs to vent air to lower the car or pump air to raise it. There are factory settings which allow you to either raise or lower the car by the turn of a screw or nut. Before you start, Turn off the air suspension using the switch in the trunk on the driver side by the spare tire-ALWAYS do this before jacking up the car! And ALWAYS support your car with jack stands before getting underneath it!
FRONT
The front of the car has 2 ride height sensors, one on each side which attaches to the lower control arm. The sensors look like little shock absorbers. There is a bracket that the sensor mounts to on the lower control arm that has 3 setting positions, most cars are set in the middle from the factory. There is a torx head screw that secures the sensor to the bracket, remove the screw and you will see the 3 adjustment points. Move the sensor to the hole farthest away from the car or outward toward the wheel. Do this on both sides and secure. You are now done with the front end.
REAR
The rear of the car uses only one ride height sensor which is located on the passenger side of the car, it is attached to the passenger side upper control arm on the rear axle assembly. This sensor looks just like the front (like a little shock absorber). The rear sensor is attached using a nut (I think it is either an 11mm or 7/16),  loosen the nut and extend the sensor toward the ground and re-tighten. Depending on the desired height of the rear, you may have to fine tune this adjustment.

Once the car is on the ground again, turn the suspension back and are turn the key to the on position. Then check out the height of the car and fine tune the rear adjustment as necessary. What this does is make the computer think that the car is sitting too high and lowers the overall ride height.

Front sensor

Rear sensor

How can I lower my Mark VII past the factory settings?

This is a relatively easy procedure. Follow the procedure listed above. You must have a drill and a dremel tool. For the front, use the above procedure but you must have the car jacked up with both front control arms hanging (full suspension travel.)  With the sensors unbolted, move them outward as far as they will extend. You will see that they extend just past the last hole, there is enough room there to drill one more adjustment hole just outward and down from the last hole. Start with a small drill bit and go just big enough to match the size of the other adjustment holes. You are using the full extension of the sensor to mark your new hole so that if there is full suspension travel, you do not rip apart the sensor. Bolt it all together when done and lower the car.
For the rear of the car you must remove the bracket with the slide adjuster and notch out the bracket for more adjustment. Make sure you have the rear end hanging at full suspension travel just like the front. Its straightforward and easy. Again, just as above, you may need to fine tune your adjustment  for the rear when done.

Can I replace my air bags with Coil springs?

Yes, this has been done a number of times.  You can use a Mustang V-8 or 4 cyl K-member, Turbo Coupe lower control arms and spindles, Thunderbird rear lower control arms and either V8 Thunderbird or Mustang coil springs depending on ride height desired.  You will need to cut T-bird rear springs or the car will sit too high, the rear frame has a lower to the ground mounting area in the chassis where the spring seats. You will need to fabricate a plate for the rear upper spring perch. Originally we were going to work on making a kit but have decided against it due to the liability involved.

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