The Lincoln Continental owes its smooth ride to its standard air suspension system. This system uses air struts in the place of conventional struts to deliver a smooth, comfortable ride, and to provide a ride-leveling system that keeps the suspension balanced at all times. Installing the air struts can take between 2 to 3 hours to complete, with the front air struts taking longer to install than the rear air struts.
Insert the front spring and strut assembly into the mounting point within front wheel well of the vehicle. Insert the strut-to-body top mounting bolts and tighten them with a ratchet and socket.
Connect the ball joint to the steering knuckle. Connect the joint to the knuckle using the lower control arm-to-ball joint nut and tighten it with the ratchet and socket. Connect the height sensor to the lower ball stud.
Connect the stabilizer bar link to the front spring and strut assembly. Tighten the bolts used to connect the two parts with a combination wrench. Locate and connect the strut actuator at the body wiring harness connector. Locate and reconnect the air strut solenoid harness connector. Reinsert the air line into the solenoid, pushing inward until the line firmly connects.
Insert the rear air strut into the mounting point within the rear wheel well of the vehicle. Connect the top of the air strut to the air spring cap.
Attach the bottom of the air strut onto the lower spring seat until it locks into place. Coat the air strut solenoid O-ring with a thin layer of silicone grease. Insert the solenoid into the plastic mount near the top of the air strut. Lock the solenoid into place by rotating it through the stops until it reaches the third and final stop.
Reattach the air line to the solenoid, pushing inward until the line firmly connects. Reconnect the electrical connector at the air strut solenoid.
Lower the vehicle to the ground. Open the hood and reconnect the negative terminal cable to the battery.
Locate the air suspension switch at the rear of the vehicle inside the trunk. The air suspension switch is on the left-hand side of the trunk wall. Move the switch to the ON position.
Crank the vehicle and allow the engine to idle. Wait for the air suspension compressor to turn on and refill the air struts. When finished, turn the vehicle off.
