overhauled front end...one problem

[BLACKMAGIC03]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/blackmagic00/20131006_091348_zps2e285445.jp g
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/blackmagic00/20131006_091327_zpscb036c4c.jp g



Sup so I finally bit the bullet and re did my front end with moog. I did outter hubs, tie rod ends, upper control arm with balljoint, lower ball joint, eibach springs, kyb struts, spc alignment bolts and drilled slotted rotors. It is night and day difference...my balljoints would wiggle when you flicked them....and to my problem my drivers side looks lowered the other side looks not as low..its leaning to the drivers side at least .5 to a full 1inch...I did the struts the same on both sides with the springs sitting the same way....my only option I thought of is swapping side to side to see if it changes im lost and i cant stand the lean...

[Krytin]

first, check to make sure the springs are seated all the way on the top and bottom supports - the spiral ramp looking things. If that's good...........

When you tighten the upper and lower control arm bushings the arms should be at the same height side/side. Try supporting the lower control arms on jack stands or blocks w/bushing bolts loose. Check the car for level side/side and control arms supported evenly - level side/side.
Once everything looks even, tighten those bolts up!

[BLACKMAGIC03]

10 fo I will I had it on a lift it was hard to do.put the stands under but didnt work the way I wanted

[Krytin]

Yeah, the bushings do bind when tightened up - if they are too far apart when you tighten them the car will "lean". Good luck - I just did my front end last year at about 130k miles. Night and day difference! You will like the KYB shocks!

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Man I love it so far with the eibachs now I need them for the rear....the sailboat feels like a race boat now lol

[Krytin]

Try lowering the air ride before you switch to springs in the rear.

[Comin' in Hot]

I had Eibachs on my first one that I sold, I just took the QA1s off my blue and put on Eibachs, and I have another set for my DD waiting to be installed.

They are amazing!!!!!

As was already said, you ride needs to have weight on it when you torque everything. It's probably the problem.

[Comin' in Hot]

As for the rear, swap the shocks for KYBs too, it will get rid of the floating feel.

Just make sure you get the bushing kit too.

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Loosened them up no difference guess the coil is bad....

[BLACKMAGIC03]

If I go with the eaton sorings for the front 1 1/2 even though its for a crown vic will that be ok?

[babbage]

Kudos for doing this job yourself. I too recently got a 100 new moog front end, but I had my wrench do the work! (went with Monroe severe front shock)

I think he said he did 1 side at a time, measured then final torque on ground, not sure if doing both sides at same time -- I'd think that might be harder. Sucks that you got a bad spring.

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Im goona try one more thing..mthe thing that weird it was on the lift to sucks but what ever goes right working on cars

[jaywish]

I have not worked on the 03 and up front ends so could be wrong.
I am not sure but here are some thoughts.
The spring does not determine the drop on the lower control arm. The upper control arm bolts to the spindle which bolts to the lower control arm. The travel of the floating assembly is limited by the shock and any other attached parts like the sway bar.

Since you know how to disassemble it safely already.
Would the spring be safely retained by the floating assembly? If so and if the shock is bolted in at the top, I would suggest putting a jack uder the LCA, unbolting the shock top mount and measure the drop.

Then raise the LCA a bit, remove the sway bar connection and measure again. (still with shock top mount removed.

Like i said I have not done 03 and up, Is there a shock top nut?

Also is the difference in drop important?
With the car on the ground, Have you measured the distance between the ground and both sides of the front cradle? If the height is the same side to side maybe this does not matter?

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Does have a nut that bolts the strut assembley together....also its a innch lower on the driver side from the ground to fender

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Could the strut busshing being deifferent matter? Cause my car had two different struts up front with the bushings being a little different

[jaywish]

Could you elaborate on the last two posts?

[BLACKMAGIC03]

The car sit oower by an inch on the drivers side...and the actual strut bushing where its bolted together at the top they were a kittke different but not much

[Comin' in Hot]

The car sit oower by an inch on the drivers side...and the actual strut bushing where its bolted together at the top they were a kittke different but not much


it could make a difference, you also need to make sure that the springs are clocked correctly.

meaning where the bottom of the spring ends should be centered toward the outside of the car.

[Comin' in Hot]

I could see in the pictures your is not

[Comin' in Hot]

it only fits together one way. the 3 studs at the top only fit in the crossmember one way. if they don't fit in easily, you have the mount in wrong, it will cause the spring to be seated wrong

[BLACKMAGIC03]

So your saying there the right way or not the right way....there both faced towards tue outside

[BLACKMAGIC03]

I figured the top should be faced outward which I did so the bottoms have to be faced towards the outside

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Thats what got me was the bottom on the kyb rotatates and the top also rotates

[Comin' in Hot]

IIRC the top and bottom are to both point out

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Jacked up the rear today and put jacks stands at back of frame evenly with tires off the ground and the front end sat level....so looked at it more and my left airbag isnt as filled as my right one and its sitting a inch lower

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

The source of many front end ride height discrepancies is, as you found, the rear air bags. I guess the frames are stiff enough on these cars that a rear ride height problem transfers to the front as well. You probably have a blown airbag, bad solenoid, broken air line, or wiring problem to the solenoid. Does your compressor run all the time? If not, I'd look at the solenoid and solenoid wiring.

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Not al the time but about every time I get in it...would it be worth it to buy the whole kit for it

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Might be. My friend had a lincoln town car and the solenoid on one side came unplugged from a broken connector, and she drove it like that for a while, and the airbag bladder became damaged from being stretched as the vehicle drove, without being pressurized. She would have only needed the connector pigtail replaced if she had caught it earlier. Verify the solenoid on the bad side is still plugged in and the wire isn't broken.

[BLACKMAGIC03]

10fo yea ill check it out I know for sure one bag is lower

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Do our cars have one solenoid or two?

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

two, one on each bag. each one twists and locks into the top.

[jaywish]

Two, one for each bag.

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Sweet tjanks im gonna buy the whole kit...is it pretty much straight forward

[lifespeed]

Not al the time but about every time I get in it...would it be worth it to buy the whole kit for it

I've got a pair of brand new Arnott towncar/limo airbags if you're interested. Rubber eventually dries out and cracks. PM me.

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Thanks but I ordered the suncore kit last night

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Update...installed new airsprings and solenoids deflated all the way then pumped up still leaning....coukd I unplugg one solenoids and deflate one and wait to it matches other side or no

[lifespeed]

Update...installed new airsprings and solenoids deflated all the way then pumped up still leaning....coukd I unplugg one solenoids and deflate one and wait to it matches other side or no

No, you have to find the actual problem. Both solenoids are open while filling so pressure is equal by definition. If the resulting ride height is uneven the cause is uneven load on the rear. There is a single height sensor, left/right leveling is solely by equal air pressure. If one solenoid didn't open then one side would not fill at all.

If you had one leaking bag the rear would be level after the compressor ran, then one side would slowly get lower until the compressor ran again. Don't think this describes your problem and you have new air suspension now.

Unless you have a bent frame or axle, go back to looking at the front end. Didn't this problem occur after you rebuilt the front?

[BLACKMAGIC03]

I think....or maybe just got more noticable...

[shou]

Ever get the lean sorted out?

[BLACKMAGIC03]

Put new coils on still leaned...I looked and looked finally figured it was from the front left...so its not the way I wanted to fix it but I used thos coil boosters and its up even and then went to go put hook sway bar up and it was off from side to side...so I shimmed it down on one side....now it sits level...weird crap goin on. I do collision repair and there is no signs of bent frame plus if it was gaps in sheetmetal would be off...next step put eibachs back in (eatons ride like doodoo) and cut right side till even...