Lincoln LS: Problems & Solutions

lsjunky

I have an automatic 2000 v8 LS. At around 50,102 miles i accelerated onto the freeway pretty quickly and had a msg saying check engine. It would stall out and the engine would sputter. I found out i had a busted coil and replaced that and the engine ran great. Around 61,000 same sort of deal I accelerated onto the freeway this time no light went off but then the tranny made the car run almost like a race car after that. I would barely step on the pedal and the car would fly. I was happy at first until i realized that downshifting in d4 didn't really slow down the car, and i get a check transmission alert. Is there a easy fix for this tranny problem? I take my car to jiffy lube regularly, but with the reading of how hard it is to check tranny fluid maybe those guys at jiffy lube dont know what the hell they are doing.

akirby

Could you explain the symptoms a little better? It's hard to tell what the problem is. And definitely keep it away from jiffy lube (for tranny work).

lsjunky

The gas pedal seems much more sensitive when i accelerate. I just barely have to press on it and the cars rpms jump from 1000rpms to 3000rpms. I feel a bit more torque now too. Like i said earlier the car feels much more like a sports car now. Its almost like when i floored it that one time it cleared something out of he transmission system. My only concern of course is the check transmission light came on when it first happened. I have been driving it today and the light has not come on again. It still revs high.

akirby

That doesn't sound like the transmission. Does it feel like it's slipping (engine revs but the wheels don't move) or does it feel like it's fully engaged?

Maybe you had a problem with the accelerator linkage and now it's back to normal?

akirby

Continentals suck. The best tire out there (IMO) is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. They're also probably the most expensive. Kumho and Yokohama have cheaper alternatives that seem to work well. Go to www.tirerack.com and see what's available. Check the survey results or the comparison tests to see which tires are rated high by actual drivers.

lobsenza

I second the Pilot Sport A/S. That is consistently the best rated tie for the LS. I am not sure about 16" rim availability, however.

gunnersmate

If you have an autozone stop by there and ask them to read your car with their OBDII scanner. Write down any codes and stop back by and post them for us. And please heed akirbys suggestion of steering clear of jiffy skrewed for tranny work don't even go to ford. I can't impress upon you enough the need to take it to a Lincoln dealer if and when it does come to service of any sorts esp.... the transmission.

dcls

Of the above recommendations, which ones are the most quiet w/ a bit smoother ride??

crankey

I have a 01 LS w/ 53k miles. The car starts fine each morning but through out the day, after it has sat for at least 1 to 2 hours - it cranks and cranks before it will turn over. When it does start there is a stong smell (like paint thinner)If you shut it off and re-start right away, it's fine. It has to sit and it has to be warm. Unfortunatly my business causes this to happen several times each day. The dealer replaced the fuel pump, EGR Valve (called something else) and O2 sensor. I always put in 92 octane Shell fuel. I am stumped, all ideas and advise are appreciated!!

akirby

The Pilot Sport A/S is still the smoothest and quietest in addition to having the best wet grip and you only give up a little bit of dry traction.

Here are links to good comparison charts. Note the number of miles driven by the survey respondents. The bigger the number the more accurate the results. Also, read the individual comments on the tire you're interested in as the same tire can be very different on different vehicles or in different sizes.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp

akirby

One possibility is a leaky fuel injector. It slowly leaks as the car cools down, leaving the engine flooded. When it cranks is there a puff of smoke from the exhaust?

crankey

Yes, sometimes there is but mostly not. However the strong fuel smell is always there. Any idea how to determine which injector is leaking?

akirby

I think you'd have to pull the injectors or spark plugs and see which cylinder has the extra fuel. Or you might be able to pull the injectors and look for leaks as the engine cools down.

crankey

I'll try it this weekend, hopefully they will be easy to get to. I've already tried injector cleaner, in fact I think that may be what started all this. Thanks for the advise, I'll let you know next week wether it was the problem.

lsjunky

It looks like there is a leak up in the front center of my car. It looks like its oil in color but doesn't have the smell of motor oil. I read that transmission fluid when it is burnt has the look of oil. Now the car in the higher gears just doesnt sound good , has the slippage sound. My guess is that leak up front is transmission fluid and my car is down to no trans fluid in it. The check engine light is always on now. It is in the shop now. I hope i didn't do any major damage to the tranny.

tapasin

Thanks,

I checked the tirerack. Unfortunately, Pilot sport A/S does not have right tire for 215/60-16 size. I checked the survey, Bridgestone and Kunho have some tires on the top of the survey list.

Kumho ECSTA HP4, 716 HP4 and 716
Turanza LS with UNI-T AQII tires
Yokohama Avid S/T
BFGoodrich's Traction T/A family

Do your guys think I should go with Kumho or Yokohama? And I am confused why some performance tires have lower score in wet traction and lower price than Groundtouring tires? Does performance tire wear our faster than groundtouring one?

lobsenza

Can you go with a wider tire like a 235/55-16? I am guessing this will fit since the 235 width tire fits on a 17" rim. You need to check availability in this size as well as whether or not your rim can handle this wide a tire.

gunnersmate

I have enjoyed the past 2 sets of kumhos I have used. The first were the 712's fast tread wear but a very aggressive tire for the street. I am now using the 711's not as fast on the tread wear but are still impressive handling. I would drive them as hard as the 712's; still a good deal though.

lolaj42

If noise and ride comfort aren't the most important features on the tire shopping list, try out Falken Azenis Sport tires. Simply incredible grip that simply provides MAXIMUM performance wet or dry (not frozen, though). Maybe Goodrich KD's are marginally better, but not at twice the price. The Azenis sports can be had in an OEM recommended size of 245/45ZR17 for about $140 at Discount Tire (Tire Rack doesn't handle Falken's -- wonder why?) but they are simply incredible when it comes to cornering, turn-in and grip. My previous Falken GR-Beta FK451's were good tires too (less noise, but less absolute grip) but the Azenis can corner like mad. I wouldn't recommend these tires if you're interested in anything but HIGH PERFORMANCE driving.

gunnersmate

How is the tread wear? I am happy with mine but never too early to shop ahead.

smealey

I own a 2001 Lincoln LS V8. Love the car. Actually do not have any complaints about the car with the exception of a burning odor. The car has almost 80,000 miles on it.

I have noticed quite frequently that there is a very stong burning smell coming from the front of the car. It almost smells like when something electrical shorts out and it overheats. I have taken the car to two seperate mechanics. The mechanics at the Lincoln dealer tell me that they could not find anything. I have taken it to another mechanic and the only thing that they can tell me is that they think it is the catalytic converter and the way that it is mixing the fuel. (???) I am an accountant, so I am not even going to pretend that I understand this. They have assured me that the car is very "tight" and is not leaking a drop of anything. I park the car in a garage and do not see any evidence of leakage. I just don't know if I buy the theory that it is the catalytic converter. Have any of you experienced this? HELP. Oh, and the car runs GREAT.

gunnersmate

I was going to suggest that maybe oil has filtrated the valve covers. However, I read where you stated the car runs great which often fly’s in the face of this diagnoses because when oil filtrates the valve covers you typically see some loss of power or misfire.

If you have even the least amount of mechanical aptitude I would suggest removing the Coil that sits on the spark plugs. I can email you a picture and some details on the removal process. It would be worth seeing if you have oil on them or your spark plugs.

Transient wafts of smoke have to be the hardest thing to extrapolate a diagnosis from. Good luck.

I am sure other members will gladly add to this thread.Good luck.

the_necroscope

I'd bet my hat it's the passenger side valve cover gasket. Mine did the same thing and never showed a drop in performance or refinement...other than the smell.

akirby

Two possibilities:

oil - common problem with the valve cover gaskets. This smell would be present most of the time and is easy to diagnose by visual inspection around the valve cover gaskets. Typically fills up the spark plug well with oil.

catalytic converter - I've had this smell since day one. It only occurs when the engine stays above 3000 rpms for more than a few seconds. WOT runs will do it as will leaving it in a lower gear with the SST and holding the rpms above 3000. It is very strong with the moonroof open but this smell goes away very quickly once the rpms drop - within a minute or so it's totally gone. Had 2 mechanics tell me it was normal. 3rd guy went through the entire engine and found no oil leaks at all, then went with me for a test drive. He thought it was the cat and said they had a similar issue with the explorers and mountaineers when they first came out. It's not supposed to be detrimental - mine's been doing that since Nov. 1999 with no ill effects.

pnewby

I had the burning smell with no noticable performance problems, and it was a leaky valve cover. They replaced gaskets and it went away. For a new twist on this- No smell this time- Dealer had car for a week - problems were overheating according to all the emerg. lights, power reduction etc, air bag light on, other assorted electrical probs. The over heat and airbag probs had been worked on at least 6-8 times each. Dealer got factory involved and was told to look for oil pooling around the plugs. If it was present, likely cause was erroneous signals caused by the coils shorting in the oil. The oil was ther, so they replaced 6 coils, gaskets and valve covers. I picked the car up yesterday and am now hoping for the best. It's a '00 built in June of 99. 44k on the speedo, purchased new in July 99.

pnewby

No over heating problems so far, but that only happens when it's over 80, not often at this time of year in Ky. But the air bag warning light is on again. Flashes a 3 - 7 sequence several times, then stays on. Just 24 hours out of shop.

markxp

I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT MY 2000 LS V-8 I WAS DRIVING IN NORMAL CONDITIONS(45 deg OUTSIDE AND ENGINE TEMP WAS NORMAL) IN TOWN AND MY CAR STARTED TO STUTTER WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT A CONSTANT SPEED THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO - THREE TIMES IT ALSO HAPPENED WHEN I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT HAS ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE

akirby

Could be the fuel filter or one or more COPs (coil on plug). Did the check engine light come on and if so, was it flashing or solid? If there is a code Autozone will read it for you at no charge, but this will probably require a mechanic with the right equipment to diagnose.

gkarg

It is probably most likely a COP. I had a neighbor with the V8 (I have the V6 LS) call me because they were experiencing a Shutter that they thought may be transmission related.

I drove it for several miles and the shutter seemed to happen going up hills at lower RPM's. It also was very apparent in SST if you tried to start out in 3rd or give it extra throttle in 3rd.

They finally were able to have their mechanic fix it by changing each COP, one at a time until he found the culprit.

PS - The V6 LS running on 5 cylinders is not a fun experience!

I've had 3 COP's crap out on my V6 - thanks to the COP's getting moisture in them, after I power washed the engine. (I think the COP's are covered in the V8's.) It seems funny to me that Ford recommends washing the engine and does not show to cover the COP's, yet when put into contact with moisture - they fail.

akirby

Don't feel bad - Mike Hall did the same thing. We let him live it down after a week or so.

johnr3265

Searched and found your posting regarding the cabin air filter. I have a 2003 LS V8 that's warning me to change it. Nowhere in my manual does it say where this filter is. Can you tell me where it is?

I also have a brake lamp out. The manual tells how to change all lamps, but says that it has to go to the dealer for the brake lamp change. Sounds ridiculous to me. Please help.

akirby

From page 79 of the owner's guide:

The filter is located just in front of the windshield under the cowl grille on the passenger side of the vehicle.

Remove the cover by pressing in on the center of the plastic studs, then removing them. You'll see the filter after you remove the cover on that side of the cowl. Push the center pin of the plastic stud out si it sticks up, reinstall the cowl and push the stud into the hole, then push in the center pin to lock it.

Not sure about the brake lamp change - is it one of the taillights or the CHMSL?

johnr3265

Thanks for the directions...I'll give it a shot. Regarding the brake lamp...what is CHMSL?

akirby

Center High Mounted Stop Lamp

tapasin

Hi, Gunnersmate:

I bought a set of new Kumho tires. After I inflate the tires to 35psi, they still look like under inflation comparing to my old continental set. Should I still follow LS manual and inflate the tires to 30 psi for these Kumho tires? My tire size is 215 60HR16. They are Kumho 714. What is your experience?

Thanks

akirby

30 is generally considered to be the lower limit. Most people run higher pressures, especially on the low profile sport tires. I would run them as high as possible between 32 and 40 (don't exceed the maximum pressure printed on the tire) - how high depends on your comfort level. And keep an eye on the treadwear and make sure they're not overinflated (more wear in the center). They'll run cooler and you'll get better mileage.

dcls

Dropped off the LS for an oil change at the LM dealer and asked about changing the transmission fluid; the service tech wrote it up. (39k miles and no problem w/ tranny). Got a call from him, explaining that the transmission is non-serviceable and doesn't require maintenance for 100k miles. Said the fluid looked good - red.
I've seen previous correspondence on this site about changing fluid. So is this good info??
BTW, they wanted to charge me $350 to change the fluid - prior to the phone call. Seems a bit high!!

jeffandhebbie

I have a 2001 V6 LS with around 53000 miles, she has been a great car (my first lincoln) Well here is my problem, when it rains she gets awfully moody on me, she runs like crap..doesn't want to excelerate, shifts hard and just really runs crappy. once it seems to "dry"out she is fine. Has only been going on for a couple months!

Oh and by the way i just had to replace the water pump hose tonight, what a mess, woke up this morning and warmed up the car and came out to the wonderful odor of antifreeze and steam rolling out from the under the hood and underneath the car. I found on the internet that this is a common problem in the 01's. Cheap fix though, just went to autozone and got a radiator hose (not the exact, which is dealer only part) cost 16.00 with gallon of antifreeze! Hope someone can help me, don't care much for a moody expensive car!
THANKS A BUNCH!

Hebbie

lobsenza

The trans is rated (and tested) to go 100,000 to 150,000 before a fluid change. One of the design engineers said, however, that if it was his car he would change it at 30K. The filter should never be changed.

The price sounds high. In addition, the dealership doesn't sould like they know what they are doing. You need a special machine to do a proper fluid change on these vehicles. The machine takes the old fluid out while replacing it with new fluid. It should change almost 100% of the fluid.

akirby

And the only way for them to see that the current fluid is 'red' is to put the car up on a lift and pull the fill plug. There is no dipstick so I doubt they even checked it.

If you aren't having problems I'd wait. A dirty flush can actually introduce problems and would be worse than no flush.

akirby

2 things - first, it sounds like you have a leak in your electrical system and the wiring is getting wet. After you drive it look for wet wiring under the hood. You could also check the COPs (Coil on Plugs) on the spark plugs and see if they're wet or covered with oil.

As far as the water pump hose being bad, that's the first I've heard and I've been on this board and others for 5 years so I don't know where you got the idea that this is a common problem.

jeffandhebbie

Thanks for the help next time it rains i will have to look under the hood, because when i wash it doesn't happen. If the coils are bad, can i replace them myself or should it be taken to the dealer?
 And the info on the water pump hose my husband found at Lincolnonline(i think it was that one) in the forum there, it was common because the hose isn't the best quality that they put on it and it cracks in the 90 degree curve, so that is where we got the info...

akirby

I looked at that site and there is only 1 post (one, uno, un) that says the dealer told them this hose failure was a common problem. No other posts on that site or the other site I belong to. If it was a common problem it would have shown up by now.

Don't go by one post that says it's a common problem unless others concur that they've also seen it a lot.

lamar

Look at post 12427 in the LS Forum and you will see that a hose failure at the 90 degree bend is said to be common.

akirby

Exactly - ONE person said the dealer TOLD THEM it was common. But nobody else here or on that site or the other dedicated LS site has ever mentioned the problem, and we're talking about several thousand LS owners.

If it was really a common problem (like the rear window regulators or the seat heater failures) there would be numerous posts here and on both of those other sites with owners reporting that same problem.

Dealers say a lot of things that aren't necessarily true. Maybe their definition of 'common' is that they saw it one time before.

gkarg

Funny that should come up. I just had my second flush for my 2000 LS V6 w/ 70K miles. Local Ford garage had the tranny flusher. (service via the cooling lines.) The total cost with PA sales tax was $135. I wouldn't pay more than that. All they are doing is sucking out 16 quarts of old tranny fluid and HOPEFULLY flushing in 16 quarts of new.

Its funny though. It honestly seemed to run a bit better. (Maybe I'm just optimistic.)

I had the first tranny flush at 30K.

gkarg

Hebbie,

You should have read up about 9 messages. I wrote about how my V6 ran bad after pressure washing the engine. The Coil-on-plug units that Ford used for the first couple of years can really crap out quick with moisture.

I think the V8's are safer since they have covers over them. The V6's are open to the air and moisture. The ones on the drive side are a since to replace and each one costs about $40 or so. The ones on the passenger side are a real bear. You'd have to tear off the intake manifold, etc.

Does the check engine light ever come on? If so, then you'd have a code that would tell you which particular cylinder was misfiring. Otherwise, you'd have to play a guessing game.

A neighbor with a V8 LS had a similar problem and their mechanic fixed by replacing one of the COP's and driving until he found the bad one.

jeffandhebbie

Thank you for the information gkarg...and as for u Kirby, u do understand ur not gods gift to the lincoln ls and just because you haven't been told that they are bad doesn't mean that they aren't, it offends me that i try to come here for help and all i end up with is your attitude, but i want to thank everyone else for their help! I was trying to help if anyone else ran into this problem, but i quess since i am not Kirby I am not good enough.

akirby

I don't understand the hostility. You said the water pump hose breaking was a common problem. But that was based on 1 comment from 1 owner who heard that from 1 dealer, and it is not backed up by similar experiences from any other owners on this forum or the other 2 which I searched myself.

Don't you think that a common problem like that would be reported by at least one other owner either on this forum or one of the other two? That's all I'm basing this on, and it's much more valid statistically than an offhand comment from one dealer.

Potential buyers reading this could be misled. I assure you it was not personal and I'm sorry if you were offended, but I do not think it's fair to label a problem as "common" without evidence to back it up.

gunnersmate

I keep mine at a steady 32psi. Let usa know how they perform for you.