Lincoln LS

drolds1

Speaking for myself, I certainly don't mind having you here. As I posted here a couple of weeks ago during the latest flame war, we welcome anyone who's seeking info and doesn't have an agenda that consists solely of stirring up trouble.

BTW- Oldsmobile was my first (automotive) love for many years. Note my screen name. I mourn the division's passing. It's ironic that they've been making the best cars at GM recently.

gkarg

All,

Monday morning, my interior lights would not dim after I started my car. I knew my door was closed and no one else was in the car. I looked in the side mirror and saw that my LR door was ajar. I tried pulling it shut from inside and noticed it would not latch at all.

I got out and tried slamming it, noticing that the handle was stuck in the "pulled out" position. I tried using the handle inside and it didn't help. I thought maybe the child safety thing was on. I switched it the other way and slammed the door... it latched. The handle was still in the "out" position. I thought later... I'm never going to be able to open this door, because it won't open from the inside or outside.

Long story short... got to work hit the lock/unlock switch a few times.... was able to open the door and when I shut it... the handle went in partially. It was still out about 1/4 inch, so i opened and shut it a few times - with it still being out. I decided to tap it a few times, until suddenly i heard a piece of something drop inside the door... it opens/closes/locks and unlocks fine and the handle is back to normal...

I just had the LR & RR windows fixed... so I'm thinking that the bozos at the shop did something - who know what? I guess I'll have them check it out when that window fails again.

Oh, and being the clean car fanatic that I am, decided to give the LS a good interior cleaning and couldn't help but notice all of the smudges and marks left from the multiple window repairs!

PS - can't wait for the Borla and 2002 Airbox... any news Brian?

Gtoma

Has anyone seen 2002 LS's at the dealerships? My dealer says they haven't been released from Wixom yet. Does anyone know if LM has a scheduled release date? I assume that the cooling fan issue has been put to bed. Thanks for any info.

Tom

ls1bmw0

We have two Borla systems left from the last batch order. If fantom still wants one then it's one left. After this group I will probably order them as needed.

Still waiting on the part number for the airbox. As soon as I find out I'll post it along with pricing.

ls1bmw0

As of today we have 40 people attending Mania 2 at Wixom.

In case anyone was worried, LLSOC and Lincoln have NO intentions of cancelling the event. The Lincoln folks are very excited about having us there and are looking forward to meeting all of us. Lincoln is planning a very nice day for all of us and this event should surpass Mania 1 for fun! No, there won't be any driving events!

There are still hotel rooms available at both the Dearborn Inn and the Quality Inn. The Quality Inn is cheaper than the Dearborn Inn and several members will be staying there. All activity will be taking place at the Dearborn Inn and that's where we will all meet to be shuttled over to the factory tour.

If you want to sign up there's still time! We are going to cut off registration by October 5 to give us enough time to plan the logistics of the shuttle buses, etc.

An email will be sent to each of the attendees next week asking them to verify that they are still planning on attending.

More info. on LS Mania II is available at the club's website at www.llsoc.com

mlvande

I have a 2001 LS V8 Sport. Recently while cleaning the trunk, I noticed a significant amount of water in the tire well portion of the trunk. This had happeded to me once before but I thought it was due to me putting items in the trunk when it was raining. I have only done that once, so I know that is not the reason for the water this time. THe trunk seal looks OK and everything else is dry in the trunk except for the tire well. Anyone else have this happen? Any ideas of what to look for or what may be wrong?

mrankell

Has anyone had any problems with the outside temperature reading around 5 degrees higher than it should. The dealer just replaced the sensor but it does not seem to help.

thomas_l

Mine has never read an accurate temp despite two dealer attempts to fix it. A $0.99 stick on from K-mart will work better.

jdonnee

Yes, I have a 2000 V8 Sport and it consistly reads 4-6 degrees too high. I have not seen any TSB for this. I was going to get the sending unit replaced but it sounds from the posting above that it does not help.

thomas_l

I guess when they replaced the license surround last year (Lincoln logo fell off) the tabs that hold the license lamps in got manhandled and weakened. Both have decided to let go so my LS has a new "falling apart" look from the rear. They're not quite hanging by the wires yet, but they probably will after a few more times closing the trunk.

joe166

The obvious reason that only the tire well is wet is that the small amount of water being let in is going to the lowest point in the trunk. I had a similar problem. It stopped when I siliconed the trunk seal. It must have been wrinkled in one spot or more and letting in just drops which then accumulated in the tire well. No problem since I did that, but thanks for reminding me, we just had a lot of rain in South Florida and that was last rainy season that I did it.

drolds1

Had the car just been washed? Rarely will you be able to find anything on visual inspection. I've had trunk leaks with 2 of my previous Sables. I fixed both in a matter of minutes. You need to get in the trunk with a flashlight while someone runs a hose over the entire rear of the car:rear window, tail lights, etc., anywhere water could get in. You will probably have to remove some of the liner to do this. One time there was a leak in the seam where the rear quarter-panel joined the body and the other was around a tail light. Silicone sealant cured both problems in short order.

One other thing to check is what appears to be a drain in the spare tire well. I noticed the other day that there's a fairly large hole in the well through which I can see the ground. There are usually drain holes somewhere in the trunk, but sometimes they have a rubber plug. Perhaps water can come up through the opening while you're driving in the rain. Of course, if this was the case, it should drain out again. We're expecting heavy rain here the next day or 2, so I'll check mine. I've never seen water in the trunk, but I rarely look in the well anyway. I could be there but drying up. However, I do store some items there & there are no water stains on them. Just a thought, but it is odd that the moisture is in the spare tire well and nowhere else. I don't recall seeing any other complaints about this.

Of course, you can take the obvious route & complain when you take it in for the next service. This should be rather routine for them (famous last words).

andyl2

I have one on order. Should be here mid October.

stanny1

Ford can reprogram the auto climate control that displays an outside temperature different than what's actually outside. The TSB is 00-3-2. Hope that helps.

ls1bmw0

Anyone know how long it would take to drive from SoCal to Dearborn at our typical LS speed? Is two days too optimistic or is it doable? Looks like 2200 miles on the map.

brunobus

Brian - 22 hours should be sufficient. Just drive straight through. Switch off every 6 hours and do it in a day. I know you can do it.

In reality, I drove to LA one time straight through and it was about 1100 miles. It took me 12 1/2 hours (I was going 105-115 the whole way and only stopped for gas), but a normal drive straight to Denver is about 15 or 16 hours (I have family that makes the trip every year). We plan on going straight to Dearborn from here, but on Wednesday, so we have time to recover on Thursday and then plan on leaving Sunday afternoon, drive until we get tired, (am guessing that will be around Des Moines, IA or Lincoln, NE), stop for the night and finish it up on Monday. I would guess that, unless you give yourself a day to recover, you might want to make it a 3 day trip.

Thomas - If you didn't already get it from someone, I am forwarding an email with the TSB info to you.

Bruno

scottc8

I sometimes get a small amount, maybe a couple ounces, in the spare well after washing the car. But ONLY when I wash it in my driveway, which has a pretty steep slope. Water never gets in due to heavy rain, melting snow, nor when I wash it at a coin-op car wash where the car sits level. So the angle at which the car is sitting has something to do with it. There is never any sign of water anywhere else in the trunk, no wet carpet outside the spare tire well, nothing. My guess is that it's coming in somewhere around the latch mechanism and going right down into the spare well withoug getting anything else wet. The dealer has tried to simulate it, even hosed it down heavily at their car wash, running water directly into the spaces around the trunk lid, etc., and couldn't reproduce the leak. So I quit worrying about it, and just check there after I wash it.

Bruno, wow, straight thru to Dearborn? I'll be driving solo, so I figure to stop somewhere short of Chicago the first day, then coast on in to Dearborn the second. Thinking about Lincoln for the stop on the way back, too, mostly because it's my home town, I have family there so I can get a meal and a bed for free.

wheels4me

trying to help a relative. What is the lowest
price a ls 2001 could be purchased for?

netmogul

Take a look over on eBay motors for an idea. They've got a couple 2000 models on the block:

$17,500.00 - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=595479923
$21,859.00 - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=595542790

Autotrader has about 225 2001 models for sale around the U.S. The high is $41,705; low is $27,780. Edmunds TMV pegs a zero-option, average-condition 2000 with a V6 from around $20,000 to $22,000. Extra engine and extra options, of course, mean extra cash.

Happy hunting!

akirby

Autoweek reports the Jag S-type R version will be out next year. 4.2L and 400 hp. Automatic only but they didn't say if it was the standard trans or the MB unit used in the XKR. I had heard the new standard engine would be 4.3L but it's possible they shortened the stroke for the R version.

slunar

Hey, speaking of S-types, we had a discussion here a while back on the merits of hydraulic vs. electric fans. Mark K just posted on the LLSOC web site that the S-type is not affected by the production hold since is uses an electric fan. I wonder if any of the LS engineers are second guessing their hydraulic fan choice right now.

jasco2

For a real shocker go to www.thetimes.co.UK/
It details how the identities of foreign students were stolen after they were murdered. One is in prison for the first WTC attack.

woodbadge

I've got a stupid question, but I can't seem to get the ashtray out of my 2000 LS8 sport. I looked in the owner's manual, but couldn't find anything about how to take the ashtray out.

drolds1

Probably not as many second guessing as the Jaguar engineers were doing when there were 3.0 engine failures, which has not been an LS problem, as far I know

karzz

After your post on electric vs. hydraulic fans I felt compelled to peek under the hood of the S-Type. Having driving it now for almost 6 months I realized I have never heard the fan click on or off, never felt the idle speed change, or even heard air rushing in the grille while standing near the car while it is running. I investigated the system today and found the design to be quite interesting. It is a variable speed system that very slowly spools up and down to different speeds as needed. It always seems to be rotating at least at a very slow speed, then it will slowly speed and down as the A/C compressor cycles, etc. The change from inside or outside the car is imperceptible, no noise, no sudden rush of air, no clicking, no vibrations, etc. If you aren't looking at the fan, you can not detect what it is doing.

slunar

karzz - Being an EE the S-type electric fan is exactly what I would envision if I was the design eng. assigned to it.

drolds1 - If I remember right the S-type 3.0 failures had to do with main bearings. It's unlikely that the S-types electric fan had anything to do with those failures.

babicka

The (LS8 auto-tranny)) ash tray is a poor eng. design. After I got the car I could not get the tray out while the tranny was in park. I never had a car (over $30K)where the only way to empty/remove the tray is to move the shift selector out of park. Here is how you do it. Step 1 - move shifter out of park. Step 2 push on ash tray so that it opens up. Step 3 hold sides of that fake wood face plate of the tray and push-up while moving the tray plate towards the console. My guess why it is missing from the manual - it is embarassing to have a luxury car with this type of tray design. I hope they can fix it for 2003 model year! I do not smoke but maybe J. Nasser should take up smoking - that could help in re-design.

karzz

The rumor of some kind of S-Type engine problem was an unfounded rumor from Blue Oval...just like the recent rumor of some kind of trunk-mounted battery problem in the 2002 T-Bird...the 2002 T-Bird does NOT even have a battery mounted in the trunk! Blue Oval news is the National Enquirer of automotive information.

ezaircon4jc

On a whim I shot some Valvoline synthetic lube on the left seat back hinge (taking your advice from a different angle). The creak is now a thing of the past. I know have a quiet (well, sort of with the Borla :-)) LS. Thanks for the heads-up on where to look!

scottc8

When you really like a car, the little annoyances stand out. I am a smoker, and the LS ashtray is it's most glaring defect, as stupid as that sounds. Besides the removal process, it is narrow, invisible at night, and so flimsy it must be a leftover Pinto part. Till I got used to it, I hated to push the lighter in without bracing the whole assembly from behind, for fear of breaking the plastic. Smokers being a minority, it would be understandable if they left it out altogether, but if you're going to put in an ashtray, c'mon, guys.

spamt

I just bought my 2001 LS, V6 manual, fully loaded with 10K miles for $23,500 (even though I had to drive four hours to get it). Now the reason I got such a good deal is that 1.) the dealer couldn't sell the manual and it was sitting on the lot for a while and 2.) the car was originally a Canadian car and the dealer said he was able to buy it for a lower price because of the good exchange rate between Canadian and US dollars. Either way I don't care Take your time and you'll find a good deal.

spamt

Ok, guys I have to ask what other differences are there between a Canadian LS and an American spec LS. I recently bought my used 2001 LS (V6 M) and it was a Canadian model which I got for a good deal. The only differences that I notice are 1.) it has daytime running lights and 2.) I'm guessing it has a block heater. I found a long cord in the trunk and a plug for the cord near the front of the car, hidden where the tow hook is. Anyone else seen this or have any other info on Canadian LS's. Thanks.

akirby

The T-bird battery is not in the trunk??

ls1bmw0

is in the trunk, same as the LS.

carjim

As I understand it, the 2003 will have a facelift or redesign. Has anyone seen any spy photos? In theory we are about 12 months away from seeing official pics in the car mags so it must be on a test run somewhere in Nevada about now.

txlaker

It's time to change - or at least that's what it says each time I turn the car on. It shows ~22K
miles, it was inadvertently reset by the dealer once way back. Where is the best place to buy one and anyone have instructions on replacing?
00-Silver, LS8 Sport, still love the car - except for the noisy brakes (RR) that the dealer still has not been able to fix (he keeps trying!!).

al

brunobus

Ford Parts Network has good prices and delivers them quickly. LLSOC.com has the install instructions and links to FPN. Also, the instructions will come with the new filter, or at least mine did.

thomas_l

#4969 of 4969 brunobus & stanny1 by thomas_l Sep 21, 2001 (06:45 am)

Thanks guys.

cdnpinhead

The old hands on this board may recall that I asked over a year ago why Canadian LS's equipped identically to those from the U.S. were thousands of dollars less expensive, given the exchange rates. I got one response referring to "what the market will bear," but nothing else.

In addition, the Canadian LS's can be equipped differently than those in the U.S., driving the price down even further. For example, leather is an option in Canada. As I recall, the option was ~$1500 Cdn, which is roughly $1000 in Yankee money. As far as I know, cloth upholstery is only available in Canada (and possibly in the handful of other countries in which the LS is available).

The analysis I did at the time (May '00) indicated that I could have bought my exact car for roughly $2500 U.S. less than I paid, and that included the 15% Canadian tax load in the analysis. Used cars would tend to drop the tax issue, which would have made the difference more like $5500.

Still haven't heard the real reason for the different pricing policies, but it would appear that two cases we know of have resulted in the lower-priced Canadian used cars being "dumped" in the U.S. No offense, by the way. Being a Canadian, if I'd known before I ordered my car in Phoenix, I'd probably have figured out a way to buy mine through friends in Canada.

woodbadge

Thanks for the help. I don't smoke either, but had a smoker in my car recently and hadn't been able to figure out how to get the ashtray out. I was afraid that I was going to break it trying to get it out. I followed your instructions and have successfully removed it. Hmmmm, they really need to put instructions in the manual on how to do this or have the dealership show you when you buy it; because it is certainly not intuitive!! Thanks again!!!

omega8

I'm really interested in the Borla exhaust for my 2000 V8 sport but I'm afraid of what the exhaust sound will be. I want the same stock sound but with the additional horses of the Borla. Help?

ezaircon4jc

You definitely AIN'T gonna get the stock sound! What you WILL get is a very nice purrr.

ls1bmw0

Here is what the Borla sounds like being revved.

http://www.llsoc.com/holdingpen/Borlasound.wav

There is no free lunches unfortunately. The more free-flowing an exhaust the less noise attenuation you get.

scottc8

One word of caution: Be gentle pushing down the little buttons on the cowl fasteners. You can use a small screwdriver tip, but take it easy. I learned the easy way, the How-to on the LLSOC site, authored by our Fearless Leader, who learned the hard way.

karzz

Per a correction posted on BON.......

"The original article failed to point out that the Thunderbird's battery is in the tire well and is not totally exposed as the above original paragraph made it seem."

thomas_l

Before you assume that GST is the only difference you ought to check customs to find out the import duty/taxes. I don't know about Canada -> US but my sister in law took her car to her new husband's home in Edmonton. Since she will have dual citizenship, the duty is waived except for a $100CDN A/C impact fee. She will however pay 15% GST on the assessed value, install a metric odometer and DRL kit, and all that before the AB registrar and safety inspection.

spamt

Are you sure that a metric odometer is needed, my Canadian LS has MPH as the main indicator (large numbers) and KPH as the smaller numbers. Just like the US LS's I have seen.

drolds1

Slunar-I didn't mean to imply that the alleged engine failures were related in any way to cooling fan modules. In an (obviously) feeble attempt at humor, I was trying to make a sort of "which would you rather have?" kind of comparison. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Karzz-We're completely on the same page with respect to BON credibility. I've expressed my opinions on this subject both here & at LLSOC in the past.

akirby

I wasn't trying to stick up for BON. I don't know if the fire story is true or not. But you said that the article was incorrect because the TBird's battery was not in the trunk. The spare tire wheel well is part of the trunk. BON was implying that cargo in the trunk could shift around dislodging the battery terminal protector leading to a short. Obviously that's not possible since the battery is in the wheel well.

karzz

BON's article stated that the battery is located "virtually unprotected in the trunk" where it is vulnerable to shifting cargo and "golf clubs". How you would store golf clubs in the tire well I don't know. The BON article also makes a clear distinction between the battery being in the 'trunk' vs. in the 'tire well'..."trunk mounted batteries (even those in a spare tire well) ....."

I think anyone who was not familiar with the LS/TBird design would be severely misinformed if they relied on BONs description of the battery being in the "trunk".

quote from BON..... "By placing the battery virtually unprotected in the trunk, Ford has left the battery and the electrical system vulnerable, especially when long metal objects such as golf clubs are stored. "