Lincoln LS

mrjjgittes

Wow, 19k? Wonder if that is correct. The best prices I've seen was a huge advertisement in a southern cal. newspaper about two months ago for '04 LS 6 cyl's for $23,999. Dealer advertised something like "15 at this price" over two weekends. So I think it was legit. Anyone else get unbelievable deals lately? I am hoping that the new 300c drives down LS and CTS prices, and vice versa, as I'll be buying something later this year. Fingers crossed.

gunnersmate

turned out to be a typo so says the dealer. Sounds like bait and switch found a patsy named typo.

saz_1

Just wanted to thank everyone for thier feedback on our courtship of the Lincoln LS. We bought the car today and we are happy that we did so. Also, thanks to gunnersmate. I appreciate your honesty. In the end, the Lincoln was the best value for money, and the most fun to drive and own.

rayainsw

Color? Model? Equipment?
Best of luck!
- Ray
'03 LS Sport

gunnersmate

np saz_1,

Despite my disdain for this, or my, car I also love it dearly. I am sure you will find comfort in it even on the bumpiest roads. Please keep us posted and i am sure you know where to come to should your ship run aground.
Travel Well!

gunnersmate

2000 Black/Black LSV6 Manual with approx 30k miles mint condition, was purchased for just under 11k dollars

saz_1

It is a 2001 LS with 37K on the clock. It has the 6 CD changer and not much else in terms of extras. It looks in great shape, and drives pretty good. No defects, except for a little bit of rust on the back of each muffler. I've been told that this is fairly normal, and the integrity of the muffler is still pretty good. It has 9 months or 13K left on the warranty, which was very important to my wife and myself. We paid $16,700, which I understand is not all that good of a price, but it was the best available from any dealer that I spoke to in a 75 mile radius. I bought it from a Ford dealership, and before I bought it, I had them fix a few minor problems that my mechanic found (i.e. missing power lumbar switch and leaky power steering pump). I love the car already and it rides well. I will probably get an extended warranty through my credit union. They offer one through Intercontinental for 7 years or 100,000 for about $1,800. Comments are welcome and appreciated.

gunnersmate

Kewl. edit rides well to travels well, and if you folks plan on drving the car a lot I highly recommend the extended warranty but find out what they don't cover or if they have the info online for review post a link.

Mine proved to be an invaluable investment I paid about the same and had a return of nearly 10k dollars.

saz_1

It is a 2001 LS with 37K on the clock. It has the 6 CD changer and not much else in terms of extras. It looks in great shape, and drives pretty good. No defects, except for a little bit of rust on the back of each muffler. I've been told that this is fairly normal, and the integrity of the muffler is still pretty good. It has 9 months or 13K left on the warranty, which was very important to my wife and myself. We paid $16,700, which I understand is not all that good of a price, but it was the best available from any dealer that I spoke to in a 75 mile radius. I bought it from a Ford dealership, and before I bought it, I had them fix a few minor problems that my mechanic found (i.e. missing power lumbar switch and leaky power steering pump). I love the car already and it rides well. I will probably get an extended warranty through my credit union. They offer one through Intercontinental for 7 years or 100,000 for about $1,800. Comments are welcome and appreciated.

bob550k

I put new wheels and tires on yesterday, 275 / 30 / 19's! Those are some big fat low profile tires! The factory 16's caused terrible understeer and poor traction under hard acceleration. The traction control system was just going nuts with the stock size wheels and tires trying to keep the car stuck to the ground. Also, I put an exhaust on last week, I tossed the mufflers and resonators in the trash and put 2 1/4" pipes back to magna flow mufflers. I don't like the new sound so I will be working with the system. It crackles above 3,000 rpm like a '62 V8 chevy, good on an old chevy but not a LS V8.

nvbanker

I do recommend the extended warranty, but not one from the Credit Union. Those have a tendency to go broke after a while, and leave you unprotected sometimes. I recommend you buy the Ford ESP warranty from your Ford dealer who sold you the car. You might pay a little more, but I doubt it. You definitely will get good coverage, no hassles, no paying up front, and hoping to get reimbursed later, and you can choose how much coverage you want. I would get maximum, but it's up to you.

I don't work for Ford, or even sell cars. But I have some experience with the after market warrantys, have one on my Dodge minivan. It sucks. I have had Ford ESP warranties before, and they've been just as great as the original factory warranty. Worth it to me.

Contratulations on the purchase. YOu have a hellova car there for the money, and I think your price was very fair.

gunnersmate

can the fluid change be done via the tranny fluid cooling lines?

rayainsw

What brand tires?
What rev per mile compared to stock?
Have you posted pictures someplace?
Sounds interesting . . .
- Ray
Had Magnaflows on my 00 LS8 Sport - no crackle w/stock cats and resonators . . .

akirby

Yes - that is the preferred method, and the only way to get the majority of the fluid out of the tranny and torque converter. No need to drop the pan. If there's enough junk in there to mess up the filter then it's time for a new tranny anyway.

gunnersmate

thanks for the response I sincerely appreciate your feedback. I am having the fluid replaced one more time before I try the solenoid pack repair at another dealers shop. I am having it replaced at my neighbors shop and he said that that is their prefered method and iirc the service CD recommends going in through the pan.

gunnersmate

vs a solenoid pack replacement for 900 and some change. You know I'd really consider doing the conversion to a manual tranny if i knew it could be done. I will never buy another auto again. NEVER

gunnersmate

I found a window regulator but these are the only numbers the guy could give me. It is a left rear and would like to know if someone can ID these numbers and confirm if this is the newer, gen 3, type.

TIA

101323-100 774.60022.06 0807020

There are also a few numbers on the regulator arm (the black part) 993830 100

desertguy

Ray:

Ditto with my 2000. The Magnaflows sounded great. The key IMO was that I left the resonators in place. Perhaps he should pull them out of the junk pile. :-)

gunnersmate

Well it seems that they cannot get the tool to aid them in doing the tranny flush and lincoln dealer wont sell them the tool. Does anybody know of a service center that is a chain that can do it.

gunnersmate

Well it appears that I may have to replace my A/C compressor clutch coil going by what I have learned from the service cd and alldatapro.com. I still need to get to the coil to check the R to know for sure but from 5000 ft this is what it appears to be.

At any rate from the service cd it sounds like I can remove the compressor in either of the two scenarios:
If Rotunda A/C Flusher 014-00991 or equivalent is available, carry out the Flushing general procedure.
If Rotunda A/C Flusher 014-00991 or equivalent is not available, carry out the Refrigerant System Filtering After A/C Component Replacement general procedure. See: Service and Repair\A/C Component Replacement Requirements\Refrigerant System Filtering After A/C Component Replacement

I would like to know if perform this following the second if it would release any gases during the removal of the compressor. I know this one is way out there but I am going to do it. I plan to document the process just in case someone else ends up in the same hot boat I am in now.

the_necroscope

There should be two valves on the compressor. If you close them before cracking the fittings, it'll minimize the amount of lost refrigerant to whatever was in the compressor. Keep your hands/body clear as the system vents; you don't want to get frostbite. The LS uses R-134a which isn't as bad environmentally as the older systems were. If the valves aren't there (I've never looked), the responsible thing to do is to take to a service center and have them recover the refridgerant. The not-so-responsible-but-faster-and-cheaper method is to simply vent to the atmosphere. Publicly, I can't take a stand either way.

gunnersmate

i'll take it by neighbors shop and have them vac the system. In the meantime they checked the ac sys out and recommended that i just bump up to a 15a fuse and said more than likely the coil is on its way out so I can either use it now till it completely goes or just replace it now and go back to 10 amp fuses.

badazzls6

I was wondering if my 00'LS with stock 16x7 wheels would fit 255x55 16 tires front and rear without scrubbing or hitting anything while turning and/or going up and down driveways.

akirby

NEVER increase the amp rating for a fuse unless it's an emergency. The wiring and everything else on a 10A circuit is designed for 10A, not 15A. You could fry the wiring or other components. Fix the problem.

gunnersmate

Yeah i didn't consider the loading on the wiring harness. Well I'll keep the AC off until I can get under the car to replace the coil.

badazzls6

Hello,
would anyone know if 255 x 55 16" tires would work at all 4 corners without scrubbin or hittin anything over bumps? I am in the process of getting new tires for the stock 16 x 7 wheels for my LS V6 and would like to get something a little wider than the stock 215 x 60 width while at the same time keeping the original diameter of the tire to not mess the speedo up. I want to go for a little bigger in diameter tire instead of going to a smaller overall diameter tire e.g. 225 x 55 16=25.74" OD,stock 215 x 60 16=26.15" OD,255 x 55 16=27.04" OD(Overall Diameter). I would like any input on this desision making if possible in which path I should take in tire size.

Thanks,
Mike

akirby

I believe folks have successfully run 255/45/17s so do the match and see how it compares.

the_necroscope

I know a 245-45/R17 will fit with no issues. 255's also fit. I don't know about 16", though. I guess if the offset is the same it should work.

brooster54

Folks: This handy little tire size vs. circumference calculator will answer all your questions. Just use the link and follow the instructions. Great tool!

You will find that your preference will cause the speedo to read 3.4% slow. You will have to go down in profile, or width, to get a match. 235/55 or 255/50 are real close. The next limitation is size availability in the brand/type/performance level you are considering.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Have fun!!

kysideman

I am a recent purchaser of an LS and would like to share a positive experience. My decision was based, in part, upon the comments over time by people on this site. My last car was a Honda Accord and we still own an Odyssey. I have found the repairs expensive, and, since I put at least 130,000 miles on a vehicle, depreciation differences between them and american cars is negligible. I still own a Plymouth Voyager 94 with 203,000 miles. I opted for the
$24,995 base special offer but did not like the color of the one vehicle left on the lot. The dealer happily agreed to search out another, and I gave some color options, including silver which was found at a dealer 100 miles away. When i agreed and the car arrived it turned out to have additional equipment, the optional wheels and the safety package. Without any haggling the dealer delivered the better car for the same price we had agreed upon.They also gave me $1000 more for my Accord than the best trade in offer of the Honda dealer. There were no defects in the car and I have now enjoyed my first 1500 miles in it. It pleases me as a very good value and the six cylinder has all the power I would ever need.

nvbanker

That's a great dealer! They should get some publicity for that. And you got a great car there.

kysideman

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to give the dealer's name on this site.It was Kerry Lincoln Mercury in Florence Kentucky.

rayainsw

Best of luck!
Report back in 130,000 miles?
- Ray
Bought 2 - only have 4,500 miles on current . . .

gunnersmate

Super.

cdnpinhead

I'm about half-way to 130K on my '00 V6, and hope to get there as well. Most of the problems I've had with my car have been small, and the bulk of those have been addressed with succeeding model year changes. Besides which, I paid about $7K more for my car than you did yours, and all I got was a couple of audio system options and the manual transmission/sports package.

I'm pretty confident you'll get what you want from your new LS, and possibly a few good things you weren't expecting. Report back from time to time. Since you actually bought your car & plan to keep it a good long time, it won't bother you so much that by this time next year it'll be worth roughly $1.85.

Anyway, congratulations! Enjoy.

badgerfan

I have seen several weeks running now local (Milwaukee area) ads for new 2004 V-6 LS's for just under $23k. I am sure these are the base models, but still seems like a tremendous value.

gunnersmate

I just got the word from my local frod dealer that they cannot perform the fluid flush via transmission cooler. Has anyone found a dealer or 3rd party that has performed the fluid exchange using this method.

on another note I had them diagnose the AC problem I am having and they report that it is the compressor; that it is generating too much pressure or words to that effect. Is anyone familiar with this?

the_necroscope

...could mean the charge (amount of "freon" in the system) is too great. Could also mean there is a restriction somewhere in the liquid (high pressure) side of the system. Somehow both of these things seem bogus. Maybe a high pressure cut-off swith went bad...

I'm just guessing here. I don't have any real experience with automotive A/C...just residential/commercial.

gunnersmate

do you think i would benefit from having the system vaccumed? i am guessing at the term vaccum but I recall there is a process where they suck the system out or flush it or something. Does that sound right?

Thanks for the info!

leadfoot4

...At 25,000 miles. According to my L-M dealer, the machine that they use taps into the cooling lines, and is the only practical way to do the job.

I consider myself the connsumate "maintenance freak", however when I read the procedure for changing the tranny fluid in the "traditional" way, I just took it to the dealer and paid the money! When you think about it, $125 isn't too expensive, when you consider that 13 quarts of synthetic fluid is around $100 by itself.

gunnersmate

Yeah these were ford folks and they acted as if they had been thrown a curve ball when I engaged them on the phone about the specifics. So I found a LM dealer nearby and i am going to have them do it. They assured me that they are more than capable of performing the ritual and at 132 bux I consider it a bargin.

The ford folks didn't even know about the bottom fill procedure. So lesson for me and all who attended thia seminar is DO NOT GO TO FORD unless you are trading your car for an 05 mustang.

the_necroscope

If the charge is too high, you would only have to vent some off. No vacuum would be necessary in that case. If you pull the compressor, they will need to vacuum the system to clear any contaminants such as air and water. Somehow, though, the idea that the charge is too great seems unlikely. Has the car always been blowing fuses? Does it blow cold air? Was the A/C system worked on sometime prior to the trouble?

v8lincolnguy

I think my A/C system may be a little low on refrigerant. Now that we are seeing some warm days, I've been running the A/C. It cools, but it seems to take a while bring the car down to temperature if it has been sitting in the sun for a while. Seems I remember it cooling things down quicker last fall when I bought it. I also notice that the compressor cycles on and off quite a bit. And it does this even when the car's interior temp is still pretty warm. Since I'm still under warranty, I plan to take it in really soon before the really hot weather gets here. My question is, how long do you think it will take them to check and charge the system up? I plan to be there when they open so hopefully near the front of the line so to speak. I'm really busy with work right now so I don't have alot of time to spend at the dealer so I was wondering if I should try to schedule a loaner or if this should be a fairly quick job. Me thinks it would be pretty quick, but what I think and what happens at car dealerships is sometimes two different things:)

gunnersmate

no work has ever been performed on the AC and worked perfectly up till last weekend. I shut the car off came inside my home went back out 30 minutes l8r and started the car turned on the ac and it never got cold.

The air does get cold if I place a higher amp fuse in the junction box but know I shouldn't run it under those conditions.

I believe the ford folks didnt even troubleshoot the system. I spoke with a loncoln sa explained what they said and he cant possibly see how they came to that conclusion since the compressor isnt directly power by electricity

gunnersmate

considering the volume of work I would schedule a loaner. chances are you may be first in in the morning but yesterdays work will still be on the lot getting finished up.

gunnersmate

well its not exactally waldo i am looking for. I have the v6 and would like to know where the ac compressor is. I cannot seem to find a good illistration of its location if anyone knows I would greatly appreciate the exchange of knowledge.

vhkat1

ky: Bought my 00 V8 Sport there two dealer owners ago (LM of Florence). Have nothing but good to say about the service I've received. No hassles including original price under X Plan. Take in every 5K miles.

My name doesn't include "kat1" for nothing!

gunnersmate

Well had the fluid exchange performed today at a nearby Lincoln dealer and it did not remidiate the kicking when shifted in reverse. On top of that I have been made aware of an oil leak on top of the AC problem which appears to be the clutch coil.

I have absolutely no faith in Fords ability to service or troubleshoot Lincoln cars and highly suggest that if you are considering allowing a Ford shop to look at your car that you reconsider.

I am convinced that I have the only Lincoln SVT, special victims team, LS. You couldn't find a more caring and adoring owner than me but I have endured nothing but heart ache and financial loss in regards to owning this vehicle.

This is going to cost me whether I stay with it and have it all fixed or if I try to trade out of it and get another car. I love this car and it would kill me to get rid of it. I want to keep it really.

If anyone from the Lincoln monitors this forum please answer this question: Can the LS V6 w/ auto SST be converted to a manual?

The SA couldn't speculate about the source of the oil leak just said that getting to the source of it would require some rather intrusive troubleshooting.

I just can't see how a car treated so well and driven 80 to 90 percent of the time on the intersate can get so messed up. Well for those who have traveled well I hope you continue to experience fair winds and follwing seas.

taps taps lights out.

kysideman

vhkat 1: Thanks for the information on their service department.I hope that they continue this level of performance for me in the future.kysideman

nvbanker

You're not having enough trouble, you want to "convert" the car now to a manual???? That's asking for major trouble, and the conversion would cost you much more than you'll ever spend to fix an occasional oil leak. They're very complex machines, and probably the best one engineered on the road for the money, IMO. I'd forget about the conversion, and just fix the car and enjoy it.