br

(ref: 04 Lincoln Town Car Signature bought used in Feb 07 w/36.5K
miles, now 44K miles)

For the most part it turns out that the rear suspension was too high
(I always wondered why it seemed a little jacked up in the rear and
have seen other TC's look the same). Now the rear of the car looks
lower and almost parallel with the ground. The front is at the same
height. The advisor says when they forget to turn off the air
suspension before raising the lift and the wheels drop all the way
down, the system looses calibration.

On the invoice: "Road tested vehicle with customer and verified
concern. Tech road tested and confirmed vehicle unstable. Inspected F
& R suspension, check VAPS at rack and pinion. Checked OASIS - No
known concerns. Torqued all suspension bolts and performed air ride
suspension self test - pass. Performed air ride calibration -
calibration normal. Set all tire pressures to specs, performed
alignment with 4 wheel runouts and road tested vehicle with advisor.
Vehicle handling normal. Note vehicle has aftermarket shocks (4 KYB
shocks)."

This took care of about 80% of my complaint but I would say the other
20% of what's left is me focusing on what is probably typical
handling for this car. Perhaps the sidewalls may have softened a
little but the tires seem OK except for the one that leaks slowly
only during driving. It's now considerably more stable and easy
driving on the highway.

Ben

--

paul of dayton

Glad to hear you found a shop that knew what to do. I usually use dealers
for things I can't do myself but not every dealer is willing to go the extra
mile. I be using that Ford dealer for all my routine stuff like oil changes
and stuff. They are worth building a relationship with.

The Town Car is calibrated for ride first and foremost - but they handle
quite well when you consider that.

Thanks for the update!

PoD

bruce l. bergman

Good - Now write down the full procedure to reset the rear ride
height, and file it at home and put a copy in the glove box. The next
time it gets squirrely on you the answer is right at your finger tips.

As to the rest, what do you want from an old school Land Yacht that
was "built for comfort, not for speed"? ;-0 The wallow was built in
at the factory, you have to exorcise it.

The KYB's will stiffen it up some. Now you need more aggressive
tires, and bigger sway-bars, and hard urethane suspension bushings,
and you can stiffen it right up. Go all the way and it's gonna be a
kidney pounder on a bad road, but tighten up the suspension and at
least you can make it stick to the curves in said bad road...
--<< Bruce >>--

david starr

And, PLEASE post it here!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Retired Shop Rat: 14,647 days in a GM plant.
Now I can do what I enjoy: Large Format Photography

Web Site: http://www.destarr.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

br

I have alldatadiy and it's not a diy for me living in an apartment
and can't do work in the garage. Would need a scan tool, a "special
tool" (some ruler stuck in a base with a thumb screw), and ramps to elevate the car.


Perhaps you already know; 03 and up were improved handling with R&P
steering and a rear sway bar; small diameter but not too intrusive,
and other changes. Still old school but improved. Some article says
Ford tried to lower the median age for the TC but apparently it
didn't work. They don't advertise so nothing's goin' to work. I think
it's become like a checker marathon; just a utility vehicle for
taxi/livery service with a few of the public buying them habitually.

Yeah, you could turn it into a VCPI but it lugs around all that extra
insulation. Don't want to make the TC too harsh. Maybe try H rated
tires.

Had an 06 G35 sedan. Like on rails. A mistake. It had the power seat
controls on the right bolster. After a while it produced too much
pressure into the side of my thigh causing pain. It was gone after 2K
miles. For 07 they moved it to a more orthodox location. Ben

br

it's in
Newsgroups: alt.binaries.automobile.pictures
Subject: Air suspension calibration 04 town car - 5 attachments