Lincoln LS random misfire

ynkntx

I have a 2000 Lincoln LS with random misfire problems at low idle. I have reviewed the postings in the read only section related to this issue, and it seems exactly like what I am experiencing. Problem is all of the recommendations have been tried. Car is better but still misfiring.

Main problem is that I cannot get the computer to register an misfire codes and it is clearly misfiring. Any thoughts or suggestions?

darkazureeyes

I hope someone reads this message. The problem thread has been made into a read only thread.

OK here is what happened:

I was driving down the road- around 55 mph. The ABS light came on, then my radio stopped working, I tried to roll my window up and guess what? You've got it, the window wouldn't go up, the speed odometer wasn't working. The whole control panel was off.

The next thing I know is... I'm giving the car gas and I can tell its not running.. it kept cutting in and out.. eventually it just died.. with me driving down the road. I had to coast into a gas station! And then while at the gas station, the security system kept randomly going off and wouldn't stop!

Does anyone have ANY idea what could be wrong? A friend tried jumping the car off, thinking maybe it was the battery, but that didn't help.

I've had so many problems with this car.. blah, I could just cry.. its so expensive to get this thing fixed.

Connie

explorerx4

i would have the battery tested, or just buy a new one.

akirby

Sounds like bad coils - either wait for a code or have them tested.

akirby

Sounds like a dead battery, loose ground or a PCM or other module. Probably not a DIY diagnosis or fix.

ynkntx

Have replaced the coils already. It is possible that I have defective replacement coils, but not likely. Also, if it were the coils, why only misfire at low idle and not while car is driving? And why no fault codes? This is very frustrating.

lamar

You can have a misfire that is not above the threshold to damage the catalytic converter. However, it will usually set a pending code that can be read by a scanner even though the MIL is not on.

ynkntx

Thanks for the reply. I ultimately had to suck it up and take it to the dealer. They found a constant fault on #2 and random faults on 1 & 3. Had them change the contacts on all 3 and change all the plugs. Everything seems to be great with the car now, but it wasn't a cheap fix thanks to having to remove the intake manifold to get to cylinders 1 - 3. Thanks Ford.

jazelade

I feel everyone's pain. My misfires started in Aug. First cylinder #2 and #8 were reading as bad. The spark plugs were changed and were covered in oil. Everything was fine for 1 week then the engine light came on again. This time #8 was bad so the coil pack was replaced. (Very little oil on #8 plug this time) 2 Weeks later, cylinders # 3, 4, and 7 are misfiring and the car is idling as if I was sitting on a rickety washing machine. My buddy said that there could be gasket leak that’s allowing the oil to misfire the plugs. Any word on that from anyone?

I made an appointment with the dealer today. Monday is the earliest date they have but I don't even think the damn car will make it until then. Today, it was hesitating and stalling so badly, cars were going around me. It was so shameful. It smells of rotten eggs, shaking so badly, and barely moves when I give it gas, until it has revved up to about 3000 rpms. The engine was squeaking and sound like an old beat up pick up truck. All this, from a Lincoln? I am too through! I had to leave the thing at work. Couldn't even make it home....

akirby

When you found the coils covered in oil, did it ever occur to you to fix the leaky valve cover gaskets that caused the problem in the first place? If you had done that and replaced the damaged coils you'd be fine now.

jazelade

It didn't occur to me that that was the problem because everyone was saying the coils and plugs were the problem. I assumed because the plugs were old that they were suppose to look like that. I am not a mechanic and was probably a little naive about the whole thing. All I knew was that it was hestating and that the things that I was told was wrong with it, I fixed. So sorry for me, huh?

heyjewel

Sorry for your problems. My LS at 80,000 runs like new. I love it. Knock wud.

How many miles on yours? How long have u had it? What year? Maintained well? Who swapped the plugs etc? Dealer or shade tree mechanic? If dealer and they didnt mention possible oil leak being the problem, you should push back hard. OTOH, if you're having Joe Palooka work on it, well, ...

akirby

I didn't mean to come across that way, I just hate to see people complain about a problem that should have been easily fixed the first time around. Oil doesn't just leak out of an engine for no reason and whoever fixed it should have realized that. Live and learn. Blame the car for having bad valve cover gaskets that ruined the coils but not for the repeat repairs.

jazelade

Yeah, I hear you. Thanks.

craigmase

There are speculations all over the internet on what this problem is and I have done almost all of them and I finally have found out EXACTLY what the problem is. A few things: it is NOT the coil packs from oil leaking from the gaskets. It is NOT the O2 sensors. It is most certainly NOT the fuel pump, so do not replace that.

The problem is the PCV lines become old and damaged causing a vacuum leak and that is why the car idles rough and dies.
It should cost a total of $500 dollars at a lincoln dealer and here are the part numbers and descriptions:

3w4z-6767-ca connector
f8cz-9e499-ba connector
xw4z-9h486-ac gasket
xw4z-9439-ad gasket

akirby

Not if your spark plug wells are full of oil. That's a leaky valve cover gasket for sure.

Rough idle without the oil leak or bad coils could be a vacuum leak.

jetstang

:mad: I have owned my 01 LS V8 for 6 months, 60K miles. I had to replace the heater control valve, $250 from dealer. I am having the same problem with misfires. I work on it myself, and have fixed the problem. It is from a valve cover leak, which oil contamination destroys the COPS-Coil Over Plugs. The valve cover kit has an improved design not to allow the oil into the plug wells. It is hard and long to get the valve covers off, 7 hours the second time. Then, get a scan tool, or scan at autozone, it will tell you which cylinder is misfiring, change the COP and plug. I found the COP on Ebay for $18 each, good deal. They also have a COP stress test at the dealer, good investment or JUST REPLACE ALL THE COPS AND BE DONE WITH IT FOR 60K, maybe longer if oil leak is actually fixed. I had my car running great, now with no leak, good COP and new Plug cylinder 3 has misfire, WTF??? I think a stick of dynamite would fix this car and I would love to slap the POS that came up with this stupid engine!!! Lincoln should be ashamed of this car and should be taking steps to fix it, :lemon: which they are not.

jetstang

This could be the problem, how did you come to that? My car gives codes for misfire, COPS and Plugs fix it, then car runs great. No idle problems. I will look into the PCV, but for now I think my harness has a problem, have you heard anything about that?

mookie3

I have a Linclon Ls 2000 V8 and my 3rd cylinder is misffiring. I wanted to know if would be hard to change it myself and what parts I would need to do so. Also my climate control keeps blowing on high even if I try to turn it down. I wanted to know if It would be hard to fix this problem as well; if not how much it would cost on average to fix these problems. Thanks.

stets2

:confuse: 2000 Lincoln LS, fully loaded V8, 97K miles, in the 2 1/2 yrs I've owned the car the so called "random misfires" keep popping up. I'm not even sure if you call these problems random misfires. I would call them more of the car confusing itself as to what gear it's in. When the car is in reverse and it's backing up, without accelerating, it will skid to a stop like it's confused as to what gear it's in and then it releases itself and it's fine. Also, sometimes when I'm accelerating between 40-45 mph the car will grab itself like something is pulling it back and then again release itself and be fine. I've taken it in to the dealer several times and they've tried to replace things they think it could be but nothing has cured it. I just had the 7th cylinder replaced because it showed up as a misfire on the computer at the dealers. The 7th cylinder being bad was the only time the engine light came on. All the plugs and boots were just replaced and the problem is worse than ever. The dealer continues to tell me that "unless they can duplicate the problem then there's nothing they can do." I know nothing about engines and it seems that neither do these car dealer mechanics. They charge me $100 just to hook the car up to the computer and unless the problems happens while it's hooked up they don't know what it is. I've read all the responses and the PCV lines maybe what I try next. Can anyone help?

akirby

The misfire is probably the COPs (Coil on Plug). Is that what they replaced or just the spark plugs and boots? Not sure about the tranny problem - have you had the fluid replaced?

stets2

Coil was replaced too. I would hope the dealership would think of replacing the fluid if that was possibly causing the problem but who knows. I've taken the car in at least five times in the last year for the same problem and they haven't figured out the problem yet. I'm going to try a small town mechanic that's a friend of the family. I guess at least he could tell me if the dealership is hosing me or not.

christo1

The primary fault is the valve cover gaskets. These DOHC motors have a gasket around the edge of the cylinder head, and an inner gasket which seals the center part of the valve cover from allowing oil to leak down to the spark plugs. It is the inner gasket which is the culprit.

The stock inner gasket will fail and allow oil to leak down to the spark plug tops, which causes the coils to discharge voltage not only to the spark plugs but to the cylinder head (through an oil to ground short). Voltage will be lost at the plugs as a result of this short, and the check engine light can be intermittently tripped. This situation can also cause the coils to fail (on the diag).

Dealers will want to replace the 'faulty' coils and plugs, make quick easy bucks and wait for the whole shebang to fail again, due to the real problem of oil pooling at the plug/coil interface due to the valve cover gasket problem.

The real fix here is to do the valve cover gasket job using FELPRO (problem solver) gaskets. The felpro kit comes with an inner gasket that has multiple sealing ridges to prevent inner gasket failure. The stock inner cover gaskets don't have this feature.

So: remove air intake plenum, remove valve covers/coils/plugs, replace with new plugs, install new felpro gasket set/covers and tighten, check coils OHM reading between poles (any that don't match the others replace), installl coils, retorque valve covers, install intake.

This should do it. Works fine on my 2000 LS V6 Sport.

FELPRO gaskets are by far the best on the market for any engine. Buy them and have the dealer do it if you don't want to tackle this project. This should/will 'permanently' solve the problem.

frank_1

Hi Christo1.

My dad has the same 2000 LS V6. I just verified the oil fouled plug wells in the two rear cylinders (#5, #6) just like the P-Codes indicated. I am about to purchase the fel-pro gasket on-line, but did not know if they come as a pair or just one gasket (also getting new Motorcraft plugs). They seem very expensive. Could you please help me with a part number and where to get them for the best price? Finally, do you recommend keeping the same coils (no oil contamination) or getting new ones? I am not sure on what the typical life-span for coils are. I do not want to got through the trouble of messing with the intake plenum again! Thanks!

genetky

I have a 2000 LS V8. I had the hesitation and stalling. I took it to my neighborhood mechanic, he told me that he thought it was the oil leaking down on the spark plugs and coils. He put new plugs in it. Said that everytime he cleaned it up and retested it it would give him a different cylinder misfiring. Took it to the dealer (sigh), they told me they thought it was the valve cover gasket oil leaking down and that it would need replaced. Plus the boots on the coils would also need replaced. $634.00. Then they called and said it was still not working right, that one of the coils needed replaced and the local mechanic put in Autolite plugs not Motorcraft, so they needed replaced. Now the bill is up to $942.00 Was happy it was over, I do like the car. I went to pick it , drove off, before I got back to work, check engine light, and it is running rough. They told me to bring it back in tomorrow they would look at. Would like to go in and tell them what to do, it is very apparent they have no idea what it is. Oh, I just went over 70K miles.

akirby

Make sure the valve cover gaskets got replaced, then replace all the COPs. They'll just fail one by one over the next few months to a couple of years anyway.

genetky

Yes, gaskets were changed. Atleast I paid for them to be changed. They changed 1 COP. The problem seems to be intermitint. I Tried to show it to a co-worker and it ran great, just the check engine light.

akirby

Replace the COPs now or you'll be replacing them one at a time for the next 2 years.

genetky

Replaced the COP's. Runs great. Like a new car now.

nowhere77

Christo1,
2000 Lincoln LS V8 Sport
Thank you for the information. The Cadillac shop replaced coil 2 last week. I dropped my car off again yesterday. (Today after some pleding to fix my car right, they told me they really cant service Lincolns that well) Yesterday I was told I had to replace the remaining 7 coils to solve the problem. I read your information and called them this morning..I even faxed them the text you wrote. I told them I wanted them to locate the leak. Well, at 4pm I called them and they said the car was ready. They only changed the coil. I asked if there was oil and they said there was oil all over the place. I told them "it wasn't ready if the issue with the leak and gaskets were not resolved" along with a few more choice words. The manager called a FORD rep and there is a recall on the Tbird for the exact same problem. No recall for Lincoln. And there is a tech at Ford that knowns how to repair the issue. I'll be taking my car with that tech along with the word FELPRO. It's a great car just having a bad patch! Thanks again I know you saved me much time and money. (Pending Ford tech doing the job right. :confuse:

cali_dave02

Hey Christo1

Do you know if they make a FELPRO gasket for a V8 LS? Im having the same problem with my car, I pulled the plugs out and they were drenched in oil. Dealer wants 80 bucks for each gasket which i think is a rip off.

gwennie68

I have my 2002 LS vs in shop now and my valve cover gasket is bad on drivers side. They told me not to use the FELPRO on this car to use the FORD gasket. My mechanic said that he uses FELPRO 90% of the time but in this case to use FORD.

pepsitec1

i have a 2001 ls v8 i am looking foe the FELPRO v cover gasket but cant find them any help will be fine thanks

jcorwin1

I need some help with my 2000 LS V8 3.9L. I never had a big problem with my car yet luckly!(only thing was replacing the coils), until now. My car now has 95,000 miles on it and my engine is acting up. It has a rough idle and when accelerating it goes up and down while speeding up. I had a code of P0171 (bank 1). I found oil in my spark plug well driver side. I replace valve cover gasket and replaced all spark plugs and coils (No more leaks). Problem still occurs with the idle and hesitations on acceleration. I cleaned out my MAS and still has the same problem. I have a new EGR valve but did not replace it yet. If the new EGR valve doesnt work..then I am stumped on what it could be. Again this is the first real problem that I have faced with my LS so far. If there is anyone out there that might know what can be the problem I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

mosler7

did you replace the seals at the top and bottom of your spark plug tube? oil can leak into the tube and cause a oil to ground short. sounds like a lean miss (lack of enough fuel in the cylinder) if plugs are shorting and not firing the computer can read this as that. check all plugs for oil on bank 1 side.

mzbatts

I HAVE A 2001 LS, AND I JUST TODAY HAD TO GET THE 2ND COIL REPLACED, AND NOW HE IS SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT ME NEEDING SOMETHING CALLED A VALVE COVER GASKET, WHATS UP WITH THAT AND WHAT'S THE PRICE. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. :sick:

akirby

Calm down - no need to shout!

The valve cover gasket is leaking oil which gets into the spark plug wells and that contributes to the COP failures (but isn't necessarily the primary cause). It does need to be replaced and yes, it's common but once repaired should not happen again. I'd have all the coils replaced while they're in there.

richman1

I am having a problem of what I thought was random misfiring. I had the cop's replaced with a complete tune up (154000mi). I still had the problem when I left the dealership. I took it back and they found that the fuel pump could not produce enough pressure at the higher RPM's. The cost to repair is $640.00. The car runs great unless I kick it into a lower gear and accelerate. So, I decided not to repair. I am going to replace the car in April. Probably with another LS.

natesr70

I replaced the coils and the spark plugs and valve covers but it's still misfiring. What should I do? I put autolite spark plugs in it instead of motorcraft will that make a difference.

martin57

MY 02, 3.0 SIX CYLINDER, LINCOLN LS, HAD A RARE RANDOM MISFIRE, FOUND OIL ON LEFT AND RIGHT REAR PLUGS CAUSING A SHORT, I ORDERED NEW VALVE COVER GASKETS FROM AUTO ZONE, WILL THESE WORK OR SHOULD I RETURN THEM AND GET FELPRO GASKETS? I ALSO HAVE NEW NGK PLUGS IM INSTALLING, WILL THESE WORK OR SHOULD I PUT IN MOTOR CRAFT, IM ALSO INSTALLING ALL NEW COILS, I DONT WANT THE PROBLEM TO HAPPEN AGAIN.

ONLY OTHER PROBLEM WITH CAR IS SOMETIMES MY STEERING MAKES A HUM OR SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN STEERING AT LOW SPEEDS OR JUST TURNING THE WHEEL, I PUT IT ON MY CAR LIFT TO TRY TO FIND THE PROBLEM BUT IT NEVER DOES IT WHEN ITS IN THE AIR, IT DONT DO IT ALL THE TIME, JUST WHEN MY GIRL FRIEND IS WITH ME IT SEEMS LIKE! I THINK IT DOES IT ON REAL COLD DAYS WORSE THAN WARMER DAYS, ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATE..

akirby

Replacing the valve cover gaskets, COPS and plugs should fix it. I'd stick with the OEM plugs, not sure about the gaskets.

The steering noise sounds like the power steering pump. Check the fluid level and if it's low look for leaks around the hoses.

martin57

OK, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE HELP!!

ON THE STEERING PROBLEM, THE FLUID LEVEL IS RIGHT ON THE MARK, IT HAS NEVER GONE DOWN OR BEEN ADDED TO THAT I KNOW OF, I DID RECALL THAT IT DOES IT ON DAMP OR RAINY DAYS MAINLY, WHEN ITS DRY OR SUNNY OUT, IT DONT DO IT, I DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO TAKE THE CAR TO A DEALER, I ALWAYS SEEM TO GET BURNT BY THEM, I GOT A NICE SHOP WITH A LIFT BUT IT NEVER DOES THE PROBLEM ON THE LIFT OR WHEN IM READY TO CHECK IT OUT, COULD IT BE A BALL JOINT OR TIE ROD ETC, IM HOPPING ITS NOT THE PUMP! HAS ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND KNOW WHAT IT WAS, ITS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH OUT SHOWING YOU THE CAR OF COURSE.. BUT MAYBE NOT... IM JUST TRY TO SAVE A LITTLE MONEY I GUESS..

BY THE WAY, I CAN ONLY GET 19-21.5 MPG HIGHWAY OUT OF THE LS, IS THIS NORM OR DO YA THINK THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM. IT GOT THE 6 CYLINDER IN IT, WHEN PURCHASED, DEALER SAID IT WOULD GET 26MPG HIGHWAY NO PROBLEM. THANKS AGAIN.

akirby

I used to get 26 in my V8 LS. Make sure you reset the mpg calculation after you get up to highway speed if you want to check it.

martin57

WOW, I WAS NEVER GOING BY THE CALCULATOR, ID CHECK IT WHEN I WENT ON A TRIP BY FILLING UP AND THEN CALCULATE BY HOW MANY MILES I WENT.

BY THE WAY, THOSE AUTO ZONE GASKETS WERE THE FELPRO BRAND, I COULD HARDLY BELIEVE IT, I WAS JUST EXPECTING SOME CHEAP OLD GASKETS, THESE LOOK REALLY GOOD, THANKS AGAIN.

dsapern

I have a 2000 Lincoln LS that I'm replacing the valve cover gaskets. I've replaced the passenger side already, but I need to see if I need to take loosen the wiring harness to help clear the back of the valve cover. If I do need to loosen the wiring harness do I need to take the wiper mechanism out? Also do I need to take the oil dipstick tube out in order to remove the valve cover? If so what else besides taking the nut off (on the stud of the valve cover) do I do in order to get the tube out?

tenistony

Hello,
I have a 2000 ls and at idle it has an occasional miss, It runs great, but if I keep it in park and rev to 3000 rpm it totally misses, BAD. it drive fine on the road, and never notice it on the freeway.
What could this be?
Thanks
Tony

brucelinc

Tony, your LS is designed to miss at 3000 RPM in park or neutral. That is prevent hooligans from revving the engine sky high and dropping into gear.

As for the intermittent miss at idle, my guess is that you have a coil going bad. If so, it will get worse. Your dealer can do a stress test on the coils and determine it that is the problem. Another problem could be a dirty injector.

Best to you!

tenistony

bruce,
thank you for the insight. I am looking to my this used and I noticed the very slight miss on the test drive, so I pulled over and revd the engive only to notice the bigger miss. I just dont' want to buy something that is going to be a lemon, it has 82,000 miles and is in great condition along with service at the dealership religiously, When I asked the sales person, he just looked at me like I was crazy. Is there anything that you would suggest to really take notice of?
Thank You,
Tony

brucelinc

If you noticed an occasional misfire during the test drive and you have not bought the car yet, I strongly suggest you insist that they fix it before you buy. The coils on these cars are notorious for failing. It is a coil on plug system so you have 8 of them, assuming it is the V8. You would be looking at around $1,000 if you paid a dealer to replace all of them.

It may be something simpler but why buy a car and then have to begin diagnosing a problem? The salesman probably wouldn't know a misfire from a can of beans. If you can get the service manager to confirm the miss, you could make an offer subject to it being corrected. A good dealer doesn't want to sell you a car with a problem.

tenistony

Bruce,
Thank you for the valuable advice.
Tony

jay456

i have a 2000 ls v8 i have a misfire i scanned it and it said misfire #4 and 7 i replace the coils and plugs and still said same i swapped it with known good ones from another cylinder and said the same i have no oil in the cylinders i tested to see if they fire and they do, checked injector with a injector teter and they work as well, it hesitates at ilde and it driving me crazy, is it possible i have a bad computer??? ive tried everything what else could it be. :confuse: