Question about suspension on my 97 Grand Marquis.

[Geezertron]

First of all, I'm no mechanic by any stretch of the imagination. That's my excuse for having taken two weeks to notice that my suspension is not what I thought it would be. There...I feel better already. So, without further ado, this idiot has a question for you:

Does anyone have any idea what the suspension-code on my door sticker means? Under the "SPR" header it says "43KK". I've done a search and checked out someone's handy-dandy door-sticker decoder, but that particular code isn't covered. If anyone has the same code, perhaps they could tell me what type of rear-suspension they've got in their chariot?



I suspect that it came from the factory with air-ride suspension, but that it was replaced with non-air suspension as there are big springs above the wheels. Not that I mind really; the ride is nice and smooth (makes the little shitbox I was driving before I got this beauty feel like a skateboard by comparison) and it'll be a LOT cheaper to fix should I run into problems down the road. I couldn't figure out why the air-ride switch in the trunk was missing from its housing until now. I figured the housing was either there for future suspension upgrades or the suspension had been downgraded. Either way, I'm curious as to what the "43KK" code on the door-sticker means.

Thanks!

[gadget73]

it has something to do with the springs, usually it tells you what spring rate is in the car but I don't know what the codes mean exactly.

It may or may not have been factory air ride though. Many of these came with coils from the factory. If there is no compressor under the hood, somewhere around or under the air filter box, it wasn't an air suspension car. Theres also a suspension controller that would live in the trunk, plus the air lines that would be there on an air spring car. Its very possible those coils are original equipment.

[Geezertron]

I see. In the manual, it repeatedly mentioned disabling the air-ride via the switch on the right-side of the trunk when jacking the car up, and since there is what appears to be an empty electrical housing, from which it appears a switch has been pulled, wired into exactly the spot in the trunk the manual refers to, I just assumed it had it. No complaints about the ride though.

Thanks.

[BigMerc96]

The first 2 digits are the front springs, which are different rates side-to-side, the 2nd 2 are the rear springs, which are the same side-to-side normally. FWIW, my '96's tag lists 43LL. Air ride cars usually had a XX or ZZ for the rear springs IIRC. My car also has the cutout in the trunk and everything for the air ride, but it never had it.

Also, air ride is rare on GS trim cars, you don't list what yours is tho. If it did in fact have air ride from the factory, there would be a compressor below the airbox under the hood, and air lines along the driver side frame rail. Most people when they delete the air suspension leave it intact and just swap springs and cut a wire behind the glove box to turn off the light on the dash.

[miamibob]

On my 1995 GM the code is U65XX. Anybody translate?????

[TomO]

I read somewhere that the "XX" code means standard rear air springs, and the "ZZ" code means HPP rear air springs.