I know you have heard horror stories about the suspension on your Mark VII. Well, it's not that bad. You can change a rear air bag in less than 30 minutes after some practice. For this you will need the following special tools: a socket set and a flat head screwdriver. That's it. Let's get started.

First, shut off the air ride suspension (switch in the truck, above the spare). Now jack up the car and remove the wheel on whichever side needs the bag. Did I mention you should put the car on jack stands? No? Ok, PUT THE CAR ON JACK STANDS!!!! Jacks fall, topple and just collapse, don't trust them. I digress. The jack stands should be placed under the frame rails so that the rear end can hang free. Ok, you should now be looking at a large donut looking rubber cylinder. This is the air bag. It will look nothing like your new one. That is ok. There is a solenoid located in the top of the bag. Remove the electrical connector, but leave the air line connected to the solenoid. A C-clip holds the solenoid in place. Remove the C-clip using the screwdriver. You can now rotate the solenoid in it's hole. Step back, because when you twist and pull the solenoid all the air pressure from the bag will be released. Luckily, Ford put a safety catch in the solenoid barrel to keep it from shooting out. Once the air is out, continue twisting the solenoid until it can be pulled free from the bag. You do not need to remove the air line, just gently push the solenoid out of the way. The bag is held in place by a lock ring at the top of the bag. There is a metal spring lock that keeps the lock ring from turning. You should feel your fingers around the top of the lock ring until you hit the spring lock. Push it down and rotate thel lock ring counter-clockwise. The ring should then drop down and the top of the bag will be free. Now, the bottom of the bag is held to the rear control arm with 2 bolts. Remove the bolts and the bag should come right out.

Your new/rebuilt bag will not look like the bag you took out. It will be thin and long versus the short donut you took out. Slip the new bag in place. Make sure it is rolled correctly (the bag should be rolled down over the bottom rubber piece). Put the bottom of the bag into the slot in the control arm, then slip the top into place. You will have to rotate the lock ring around until it reaches the correct tab openings. Twist it clock-wise until the lock spring snaps into place. You can now push the bolts through the bottom of the bag and the control arm. You may have to muscle the bad around a little to get the bolts in. Use a little dab of white lithium grease and lube up the solenoid seals. Now re-insert the solenoids, rotating it until it bottoms out in the bag. Slip the C-clip around the barrel of the solenoid. Re-connect the electric connection to the solenoid. You are now ready to inflate.

One of the hardest parts of this job is getting the bag to inflate straight. The best way to fill up the rear bag is by using a floor jack. Place the jack under the brake rotor and lift up the axle. Turn on the air suspension. The compressor will now come on and the bag will start to fill. If not, jack up the axle a little more to make the car think it is sitting low. It should begin to fill now. Keep an eye on the bag as it fills. Do not allow it to twist or bend to one side. It will fill up and maybe make a few pops. Keep the jack in place until the car begins to lift itself up off the jack. Lower the jack until the bag stops filling, but not so far as to make the bag vent. Turn the air suspension off again. You can now put the tire back on. Take the car off the jack stands and lower the car to a little less than normal ride height. Do not remove the jack, use it to hold up the car. Turn the air suspension back on. The suspension will fill the bag and pick the car up off the jack. Your done. Congrats, you just saved yourself several hundred dollars.