Recently got a 2005 LS and need some guidance

phessional

So I decided to this beautiful car but bought it May and had to fix a few things already. First it was the Dual Valve for the A/C and it ran me about $500. Then it was the Throttle sensor which ran me about $200. Now it stutters when driving and it has stalled on me a few times. I thought it was the transmission because sometimes I feel a hard shift between 2nd and 3rd but when I took it to the shop the mechanic said it needs a tune-up and will also need to replace the coils which will run me about $1,000. I have never bought from a dealership and this was my first time so I forgot to ask for a carfax, would anyone who has unlimited access be able to help me see if this car has been involved in something the dealership didn't tell me. My VIN is 1LNHM86SX54614749. or if anyone has had similar problems with this car be able to tell me if coils are necessary. It has 60,000k on it. Any advice will be appreciated, thanks.

jayyy_k

I also have a 2005 lincoln ls v6 with the same exacrt problem. I took it into the dealership and they told me it was the throttle body so $600 dollars later, it does the same thing no different, i call the dealership and they tell me its probably the coils. now you have to take off the intake manifold to get to the passenger side coils. i also read in some other forums that some people with this same problem found that it was actually the valve body in the trasmition that was giving them all the problems. so either way its gonna take a million dollars and a headache worth of work, but its a lincoln so what would you expect huh :mad:

toomanyfumes

Can't believe a dealer wouldn't go for the coils first. Very common problem, did you just do all six right away. That's what I'm gonna do.

jayyy_k

the classic question. does anybody know what this means? i took my 05 LS to the lincoln dealership the first time my car went into fail safe mode when i was accelerating, so they charged me $600 for a new throttle body, but guess what that wasn't it. same code same problem but this time i dont have another $600 to guess with. If anybody can help or point me in the right direction your going to heaven

lincoln05

Hello out there my God I am so thankful for this blog, I have had my 2005 Lincoln LS for about 3 years and have about 66K miles and I am having the same identical issues as been stated, also I took my car in for NC inspection, and I asked him if there's such thing as a tune up! with these cars and he said yep but not with the few miles I had acquired on the car, he said usually it will start skipping or something to indicate a tuneup is needed. I explained to him the skipping and like the one person stated 2nd gear seem to be like a jerk (sometimes) but he stated it could be a spark plug (s) or a coil (s). Also stated they were in areas very difficult to get to. So I called the dealership and asked a few questions that I had gathered from this blog, like do I replace all 8 coils and spark plugs or what? He stated that I would have to put the car on a machine and it will let them know which coil or spark plugs are in need of replacement. My question is should I replace everything since it very expensive to get in that area to replace them? As you have may have figured out I am a woman with no mechanical knowledge. Please advise me with your thoughts. I understand one coil could cost as much as $100.00, depending on where it's located and if its a planitumn or something. I await your response. I do love this car!

lincoln05

I did not get your reply if you replaced all 6 at the same time, I understand one coil could cost as much as $100.00. How's your car driving now, do you think it will help on gas usage. Seem like my car just drink drink drink GAS!

toomanyfumes

I'm guessing you have a six cylinder?. If so, the three coils on the driver side are very easy to replace, the passenger side requires removal of the intake manifold.
My '05 V6 was missing, I just replaced the three on the driver side, figuring 50/50 chance of solving the problem, and the car runs great now. If it's missing bad, new coils will definiterly help the mileage.

skm32

i have an 05 ls , with skip issues , first of all the coils arent hard to get to, second , check prices at advance , and autozone, these coils are less that 100.00, very easy to change out , i also recommend purchasing a new set of plugs and boots while ur in there . mine runs perfect. dealerships and most mechanics will tell all kinds of bs concerning these cars . do some research of your own.

or you could simply bring me the car and i'll do it for the same price they are going to charge you, and but a huge amount of cash in MY pocket.

cmax

Sorry just now read message.The reality of this whole thing is that ford has made a complicated decent looking cat in the LS but the quality sucks and to make matters worse they claim that there are NO problems with this vehicle ,Yes this is the most perfect vehicle ever made by ford .I was sent an e-mail that declared that was nothing wrong with with my car, I have had just ABOUT EVERY PROBLEM ALL THE OTHERS HAVE BUT SINCE MY ls IS PERFECT I REALLY AND LOST .SORRY I CANNOT HELP YOU BUT IF YOU LIKE THE CAR IT WILL COST YOU ALMOST AS MUCH TO KEEP IT RUNNING AS A CAR PAYMENT EVERY MONTH GET USED TO IT FORD IS NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR PROBLEMS.THE BEST IDEA WOULD BE FOR EVERYBODY THAT HAS ONE WOULD BE TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE PRESIDENT HOME AND PARKED SINCE HE SUPPORTS THE AUTO INDUSTRY.

karg

I have had my 2000 Lincoln LS V6 (purchased brand new) since March of 2000. I don't drive it in the winter and have really taken care of this car. I've never had any major issues - thank God. (I still have the original battery in it & just drove 800 miles round trip to the East coast!) My point is - that I've gained some experience and would like to share:

1.) Change fuel filter about every 15K. The filter is small and probably plugs
quickly. Easy to change - left front wheel well - remove the wheel, remove the backside black plastic well liner and you'll need an 8mm 1/4" socket & wrench and a flat screwdriver. Carefully remove and reuse the old plastic clips - as the Motorcraft doesn't usually come with new ones. Fram does.

2.) I decided to follow the 30K tranny flush interval and that is the ONLY maintenance I let my dealer do on my car. I do the power flush without filter change (they can't change it so don't let them sell you that.) They need to put an additive also - make sure that they do.

3.) I've used Mobil 1 oil and change every 5K - engine looks brand new inside.

4.) I've found that when I power wash the engine - this is when I have coil problems. I have an OBD II scanner and it always tells me the specific coil that is shorting out. I have also found that these coils and water do not get along. I think the same is the case for if there is oil accumulating in the plug well. So -- I have learned to limit the driving once a coil starts a misfire and check which has moisture in it. If you dry out the plug well (you can roll up a paper towel and dry it out easily.) If the coil in question is on the passenger side for the V6 - swap out one from the driver's side - in case the coil really did die. I've run into the same issue with my 2003 Towncar - so i try to be cautious when cleaning the engines. My guess is - if you aren't cleaning your engine that it is probably an oil build-up in the plug well.

5.) The 2nd to 3rd gear shift is very complex. The LS 5-speed auto - actually has to shift TWICE between 2nd and 3rd. That is why it is sometimes rough. The tranny had 3 gears and an over drive. 1st is 1st. 2nd is 1st + overdrive. 3rd is 2nd gear. 4th is 3rd gear and 5th is 3rd plus overdrive. So - for the 2-3 shift it has to first remove overdrive from 1st and then change into 2nd gear.

6.) Cabin air filter needs changed every 15K at a minimum, too. Easy to change and the dirty one will make you wonder how air got in the cabin at all!

Probably the biggest issues now - are that the front suspension bushings are starting to get loud over bumps. I'm also concerned about the longevity of the ball joints. My steering wheel cruise buttons are losing the black paint in spots and my right arm rest has a small crack. Oh - and the steering wheel retraction chatter does get annoying! I wish the heated seats didn't cycle for just 10 minutes, too. I think several of these issues were fixed in 2003 - as a result of the feedback from websites such as this. It was cool to be a part of that whole process.

I have 123,000 miles on my car and really have been thrilled at the quality of this car. Besides the original battery - I haven't ever recharged or messed with the A/C and it blows super cold and strong - all summer long.

I regularly get 25-27 mpg on highway trips and rarely below 22 mpg with mixed driving.

toomanyfumes

Glad to hear you still like your car. My '05 has about 60K and I'm thinking about having the tranny fluid changed. I might do the fuel filter now too. I think the battery lasts longer on these cars because it's in the trunk and isn't exposed to the underhood heat. Lucky you don't drive it in winter because it sucks. Much worse than the T-bird I used to have. I just put Goodyear Eagle GT All seasons on so hopefully this year it will be better.

karg

I can honestly tell you that I have taken the car out on local untreated (no salt/brine crap) with several inches of snow and it doesn't take much to get stuck. I think I would have snow tires on the rear and a little extra weight - if I was planning to drive my LS in the winter in NW Pennsylvania!

My 2003 Town Car with real-wheel drive does fantastic. I didn't even have to put extra weight in the trunk the 2 winters that I've driven with it.

Nothing went like my early 90's FWD Continentals with snow tires - I could go just about anywhere with those. Too bad those cars were built so poorly - they were great vehicles for comfort/space, etc.