My 2004 LS has a strong gas odor in the cabin from time-to-time. It does not seem to matter if the tank is full or not. Most often this occurs at start-up, but it has occurred at other times too. The odor seems to come from the air conditioner vents. My Dealer has been unable to find a cause. Does anyone have any ideas?
A reporter would like to talk with owners of vehicles with headlight covers that are becoming cloudy or yellowed. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info, vehicle details and a few words about your experience no later than Thursday, May 11.
question about my 01 ls with the 3.9. Just turned 80,000 miles on this car, bought only a week ago but have put over 1000miles on since. Car overheated yesterday on my wife, looked at the hydraulic pump reservoir and I'm showing some build up around the supply hose.Also on the driver side on top of the air filter housing there are spots of what looks like power steering fluid. Do you think these are related, and do the two use the same pump or are they two different setups with different pumps? Need help with this.
I have a question about the half shaft drone noise. When I get the up to about 60 miles per hour I hear a noise from the rear of the car kindof like a whine noise. If it were the half shafts and I were to take my foot of the accelerator and just coast for a minute would the half shaft noise stay or only be there when my foot is on the peddle. Beacause the noise I have goes away when I coast at high speed dealer says it was the tires but no noise when coasting so it is not the tires.
It's either the half-shafts or the differential. Definitely not the tires or wheel bearings. The half shafts are more of a low pitched drone. The differential would be more of a high pitched whine.
I have a 2000 ls looking for a new set of rims, does anyone have any suggestions of what looks good as well as fits properly. Original wheels are 16 inch but willing to go up to about 17inch.
At 71,000 my LS has been pretty good so far. Only big PIA problem has been my HVAC system and Ford's refusal to admit that 110 degree air out center vent and 60 degree air out side vent is a problem. Overall capabilities of the car have helped me learn to live with that, albeit feeling pretty well messed over by Ford's customer no-service. Over the last 2 weeks though, a few things have happened which have really begun to p me off. 1) I have a clunking sound in the front end. I had a similar sound about 2 years ago. Dealer replaced sway bar links at that time under warrantee. Now of course no warrantee. So my service guy diagnosed the problem this time as worn sway bar bushings. (Not the ones at the links, but the ones at the frame attachment.) OK fine, says I, I'll replace the $12.00 bushings myself. Not so fast says the tech! Ford has put out a TSB on the sway bar and bushings. Don't know the TSB # but what it says (according to the techs at 2 dealers) is that if an LS comes in with worn sway bar bushnigs, a *new design* sway bar and bushings *must* be installed. NO REPLACEMENT BUSHINGS for the OEM sway bar can be sold. Cost of parts: $130 or so. Cost installed? Around $700. Who pays? ME. Can I install the new parts myself? Only if I'm able to 'drop the whole front end to get to the sway bar'. The tech says even with worn bushings this is NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. So WHY won't Ford sell me the bushings??? So, to summarize: Ford sold me a bad design. Ford won't sell replacement parts for the bad design. They will happily charge me $700 to put in a new design. What a deal, huh? (For those who say just go somewhere esle to get them - fine, you tell mne where. I have been unable so far to find a parts store that has even a part number for these things.)
2) At my last dealer service (around 67,000), my tech advised me that it was time for new front and rear brake pads as well as front rotors. So I purchased new rotors (I've had Porterfield pads for a couple years that I bought from another ex-LS-owner) and last Wed jacked up the front end to do the front brakes. First, of course, ya gotta loosen the lug nuts so as to get the wheels off, right? Easier said than done on my Lincoln. Seems that the "chrome" lug nuts that some with the chrome wheels I paid I think $700 extra for when new? are really a lug nut covered with chromy-looking plastic or something. And over time, they round off and you can't get them off EVEN WITH the lug wrench provided with the car. akirby here advised a while back to use a 20mm 6pt socket. I went out and bought one of them and between that and an air wrench and a hammer I was able to get the wheels off in about an hour using elbow grease and cuss words liberally. Oh and trashed 2 of the chromy-plastic covers. Now to me, this is another design problem since WHO THE HECK EXPECTS THEIR WHEEL LUG NUTS TO ROUND OFF in a few years??? What if I found out about this problem out in the boonies some nite? A flat and no way to get the wheel off. Nice. What is Ford's solution? WHy, they'll happily sell me a new set of the same cheap plastic lug nuts for $160. Again I PAY for their BS parts. Here's a case screaming for a TSB to replace the OEM parts with actual METAL lug nuts, but there is none, nor are there any such nuts. Of course the nuts are rather special so parts stores can't seem to help. But I have digressed. So I finally get the wheel nuts loose and jack er up. Before the brakes though, my plan was to change the oil and filter since it's been 4 or 5000 miles and I bought Mobil 1 and a good filter cause I wanna change less often now that regular dealer service is no longer on my menu. So under the car I go with my ratchet and a drain pan at the ready, But wait! I (who've been maintaining cars since the 60s BTW) CAN'T GET THE OIL PAN DRAIN PLUG OFF. It must have been put on by King Kong. (The dealer did the last change) So I get a big 1/2 inch-drive ratchet and try again - same result and now the drain plug is starting to round off. So I get my biggest best vice grips and start yanking on it and - same result and pretty soon I'm so frustrated and the GD drain plug is rounded off. Great. (In 40 years, I've never before rounded off a bolt like this before). I call the dealer and tech agrees to be responsible for getting the drain plug out. SO now I can't change the oil. And now I've been working for like 2 or 3 hours and all I have is a sore back for my efforts.
3) So after being frustrated having rounded off an apparently cheap piece of c drain plug, I return to the front brakes. Amazingly, this job goes fairly routinely, except for another apparently cheap bolt head rounding off as I tried to remove it (one of the caliper bolts.) This was one of those - "ha ha, you can't get a socket on me" - bolt positions. I went straight to the vice grips for this one on the other side. BTW, I learned that my tech once again was straight with me (having gone thru about 10 service advisers at 2 different dealers, this one is the first one who's worth at least what he gets paid (Robert D. at Sunnyvale Lincoln Mercury if anyone cares). The front pads were definitley due and the rotor was at around 28.4mm with 28.0 being drop-dead width. Since it was Sunday though, I couldn't get another caliper bolt (or the 4 caliper anchor bolts which serv manual recommends I replace) so I gotta get them and pull the thing apart again.
4) So today, I was going to do the rear pads, then take the car to the dealer to get the drain plug out, the oil changed and the brake fluid changed too - seems like a good idea at this time - and I can't do it cause you need a Ford diagnostic machine to bleed the brakes. Since no rotors were to be changed this time I figured it'd be fairly quick and easy. Famous last words, eh? Same horrible problem trying to get the wheel lug nuts off. Finally get them loose on one side and jack it up. Off with the wheel and caliper and yeah, these pads are pretty much due as well. So I get out my $17.95 NAPA piston retractor and try and try to turn the piston back (as described in the sertv manu) with no luck. Finally I search here and see a msg from our bud akirby that I must exert extreme force on the piston while turning the retraction tool. (Never done rear disks before). Well, I find that virtually impossible to do. I can't pull the caliper off to put it in a vise because of the bleed problem. I come up with the idea of remounting the caliper after first pulling the anchor and the rotor then remounting the anchor and the caliper and trying to force the piston back that way, but by this point, I'm fed up and besides, the seal on this piston seems to be leaking as the inboard shoe is covered with wet greasy goo and - again, no can bleed the system at home - so I decide the dealer should do the rear brakes and seal and change the fluid and bleed. SO I arrange to do that and put it back together.
Another rant - has anyone else got the Ford service manual DVD? What a POS that is. The pencil drawings are so pathetic that I doubt even the guy that drew them could decipher them at this point. And the step by step instructions omit so much information as to be next to useless.
Oh well. I guess I would still recommend the car - but I would recommend buying an extended warantee (I didn't, figuring the auto tranny was the most troublesome thing on the car and I've got a 5 speed.) Bad idea. Then sell at 100K cause IMHO this car is going to be quite difficult to maintain.
I understand your frustrations...The sway bar bushing fiasco is indeed just that. The TSB does say to replace the bar with an updated one. HOWEVER, have you looked into replacements from Energy Suspension ? I haven't looked at the ones on my car, however I was planning on doing a little preventive work, and greasing them soon. Don't know what they look like, but if you've had the front shield off and have seen them, maybe a universal application will work.
The brakes can be bled in the conventional way, as long as you have a helper, and turn on the ignition when you do the job. If your car has Advance Trac, the ABS solenoids, which control the AT, have to be energized when you push the brake pedal, otherwise you won't get any fluid flow. I know this from personal experience. I flush my brake fluid annually.
The lug nut issue, unfortunately, is well known, and not exclusive to FoMoCo. GM was using "shiny wrapped" lug nuts on it's "rally wheels" back in the 70s. The best way to get around this issue is to use the Chrysler Sebring lug nuts, however they have a different hex size, so you have to carry an extra lug wrench.
I'm dissappointed that L-M decided to cancel the car, as service issues with the dealers have been an issue in general, and will probably only worsen now that the car is an "orphan". While my LS is now 6 years old, I don't have a lot of miles on it (44K), so it will probably either "rust out", or "problem out" long before it wears out. BUT, it's a hoot while it lasts.
I used to buy parts for my LS from a place in St Augustine, FL called the Ford Parts Network. I tried my link and it doesn't work anymore. Have they gone out of business or do they have a new link? Is anyone buying from a new discount place? Thx.
I'm so glad I found this website. I have a 2001 Lincoln LS. I bought it in 2005 and it was still under warranty. I've had several problems with it and its really getting on my nerves.
When I was 2K miles away from my warrenty going out, I took it to the Lincoln dealership here and asked them to check the car over and told them I heard a weird noise on 2 of my windows when I would open and close them. Well, they supposedly checked my car, told me everything was fine- something minor was replaced.
The very next week, I had my drivers side window down and bam! it wouldn't come back up and it sounded like my window had broken inside the door. Back to the dealership I went and they told me they'd had a lot of problems with the window's on the LS's. It costs me 395 bucks to get it fixed..AND 2 of my other windows make that same noise, so I'm afraid to use them!
Then my brakes needed fixed, they were making that horrible noise that brakes make.
Then, the stupid door handle broke on the driver's side door, I have to roll the window down to open the freaking door and grrr, of course if I use the window enough its eventually going to fall down into the door frame and it will costs me MORE money.
WHAT can I do? I love and hate this car all at the same time. I had a Mustang for almost 7 years and NEVER had one problem with it.. this is driving me nuts!
The brakes are probably ok - they all get noisy from time to time.
The good news on the window regulators is that the rears almost always fail before the driver's window so chances are the rears have already been replaced, and if they were done right they should be ok. They don't usually make a noise before they fail so that may be something else. If they do fail, you can get the regulator without the motor for about $30 and it only takes 1-2 hours to replace one if you have a good mechanic or handyman. One thing you can do to prevent failure is to use the rear windows often. What happens is the glass seals to rubber weatherstripping, putting a strain on the regulator when you let the window down. Rolling it down often prevents the glass from sticking thus reducing the strain and preventing failure.
Once the door handle is replaced it should be ok - common problem fixed with a redesigned, stronger part.
The rest of the car is pretty solid - it's not going to fall apart if that's what you're worried about. Most of the early problems were already fixed for the 2001 models.
i have a 2000 v6. it has 87000 miles, for awhile now it pauses then slams into reverse and/or drive. also the transmission slips in the first 2-3 gears. i've had every regular service the manual recommends. this problem has really not got that much worse in the past at least 15k to 20k miles. does anyone know what could be the problem, or any temporary fixes so i can trade it it. any help is appreciated. thanks
here is the answer. there is a problem with the hydraulic fan motor. what i did was i converted it to an electic fan motor because its cheaper that way. if u do that make sure you use a 16'fan! anything smaller than that will still cause it to overheat. with the hydraulic pump just attatch the two pipes and let the fluid circulate. hope this helps
I hope you understand that the entire reason they went with the hydraulic fan in the first place is there wasn't enough DC current left to power an electric fan safely and reliably.
Not saying it won't work, but I'd be careful not to overload it.
what if you just put a new hydraulic pump on it? will that fix the immediate problem, or the problem for good. have they redesigned the original pumps so the are more reliable.
I have a 2000 LS V6, seems like I have the same problem like alot of other people.I watched the fan spin at idle and then at full rev and there was no difference in the speed, it just spun at a very slow speed. I removed the fan, cowling and pump yesterday, I tested the pressure out of the pump, and doesn't seem to be much at all. I am seriously thinking about converting it to electric as well..Tell me what you think..
I am working on a 02 LS, The hydrolic pump is making a loud whinning noise, I changed the pump cause it was leaking out of the front seal, I bleed the system according to alldata several times and I still can't get it to quiet down. Has any body out there run into a simular problem and if they/you have can you help me
I have an 00' LS V8,and i recently came across a pair headlights on eBay.. there from a 05' LS and there the HID ones.. i was wondering if you guys know if they will work for my car.. i called the dealer and they werent sure.. all they told me was that they are different part #'s so theres no way they can check. :confuse:
On a trip last week in my 2004 LS V8 a sharp banging sound appeared under hood, speed 75 to 85 mph continuous. Slowing down, noise disappeared. After stopping to check for something loose it turned out to be that the plastic plugs that hold down the black plastic cover on the top of the motor came a bit loose allowing the cover to bounce around. At my next scheduled maintenance I will ask that the plugs be replaced with whatever the newest mod is.
Hi, I am new on the site, but think excellent way to exchange views. I have 2000 LS V6, with overheating problem. I checked the pressure from the hydraulic pump and believe pump is faulty. I have bought a Jaguar electric fan and shroud which are direct fit. I am going to fit fan switch to cooling system, the temp setting is 200 degrees on 190f off.My concern is how to connect up the A/C? do i take power from the compressor, and is the signal to the compressor ground or power? The original signal to the pump was something of a variable ground from the computor. Need Help. Thanks
You'd be well advised to seek help elsewhere -- think Google.
The people who wrote most of the postings on this board: 1) leased & may or may not know how to find the oil dipstick, 2) spent a week or three on here to learn what they could, 3) moved elsewhere to an enthusiast board where questions like yours are addressed, or 4) took the gas pipe after they saw how the LS turned out relative to how it was introduced in 1999.
That said, the people who end up with used LS's (like yourself) appear to be willing to do things that no one who's posted here more than twice have ever thought of, let alone actually executed.
I don't remember seeing that question on the enthusiast sites, either. I can tell you that the LS is ground switched in most cases meaning the switch is on the ground side instead of the hot side. Hope that helps.
See post in main Linc LS board. I've seen it all: bad trans, lug nuts, headlamps, windows, front susp. Might have new issue not posted yet: "remove upper and lower intake manifold and replace PCV and PCV tube, harness update, and decarbon top of engine". Any tho'ts or ideas on this? Car has cost me thousands in repairs but biggest issue I have is w/ Ford and their "so what" in regards lug nuts. MY WIFE WAS LEFT STRANDED AT NIGHT 50 MILES FROM HOME W/ A FLAT BECAUSE LUG WRENCH DID NOT FIT!! Did Ford know of problem? YES! Was recall issued? NO! Ford care? NO!
if you have not taken the car to lincoln or a repair shop for the front end noise go buy 3 inches of aluminum about 1/16 thick and cut it in half, loosen the 2 bolts closest to you on the sway bar bushing brackets about 2/3 ( do not remove the bolt) pry open the bushing backets with a flat head screw drive and drive the aluminum piece under the bushing and retightened the 2 bolts, I had this idea, I could not bring myself to spend $750.00 just because Ford wants to make money on something as simple as bushings when these bushings should last the life of the car. I have not had a problem since.
Is it a moaning type whine? My car has been making a noise that I liken to a whale in heat mating call. It sounds like a stressed hydraulic moan. How can you tell if the pump is your cause. I have been taking it to the dealer for 70,000 miles and they still can't find the problem.
We are close to buying a V6 LS with 96K miles. It appears to be in very good shape. It has had two owners, each owning it for about 3 years. I have several questions;
What type of 3.0L V-6 is in the LS? Is it the Duratec that was used in Taurus ( turned the right way in engine bay?!) Does have timing belt or chain? My guess is that it uses a belt. Is this interferance type engine? if the belt goes, so do the valves, pistons.... or is it free spinning type?
What weight oil is the best? How easy is it to get to spark plugs? It has the 235-50/17 tires. What is the best brand tires that lasts and is quiet? Right now it has the Firehawks on it that are kind of noisy. How is this car on snow and ice?
I am so surprize as how little storage is in this car. I don't understand why they put the CD magazine in glove box. The center console is the smallest of any car I have ever seen.
and finally ....What is the best website to get OEM spare parts?
The V6 is a Duratec 3.0L DOHC but it's very different from the other applications. For one it's mounted longitudinally because the LS is RWD. I'm pretty sure it still uses a timing chain - no belt to change.
The car came with 5W30 oil but Ford later switched to 5W20 for better gas mileage. Motorcraft 5W20 is a semi-synthetic and is fine although just about any oil is ok if you change it every 5K. Mobil1 5W30 would also work if you want full synthetic.
The spark plugs aren't too bad to get to but they're not a piece of cake, either.
For tires you have several choices. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is a great tire but expensive. For a cheaper but almost as good alternative look at Avon Tech. Go to tirerack.com and do a size search and you'll find lots of choices. Be sure to check the tire surveys if you're looking at something other than the ones above. Some are ok and some are really bad.
The car is fine on snow and ice if you have winter tires. You can get a set of tires and 16" wheels from tirerack.com (you don't need to use 17" wheels and tires - 16" is just as good and far cheaper with more choices). The non sport LS came with 16" wheels - tell it you have a base model V6 LS and it should give you the right size. The outside diameters are all the same.
If you can find a used 2003 model you'll get more power (they added VCT to both the V6 and V8), more storage (totally redesigned center console and in dash cd changer) and a whole bunch of other improvements including an electric parking brake that works great. And it shouldn't be that much more money.
For OEM parts I use Bill Jenkins at Team Ford in Las Vegas. Bill.Jenkins@teamfordlv.com . Great service and prices.
The spark plugs are a bugger. I've done it 3 times and my best time is about 3 hours, start to finish. It's not that it's hard, just a lot of stuff has to be removed and put back. The intake plenum hangs over the right side of the engine which means it has to be removed. Along with the shock tower brace and all the stuff attached to the plenum.
The engine uses a chain (you can see it if you remove the oil fill cap and look forward), but I don't know if the Duratec is an interference engine or not. It is a variation of the Taurus/Sable Duratec.
I've been using 5W-20 Mobil1, changing the filter every 5K and the oil every 10K.
I'm currently running General Exclaim UHPs, size 245/40/18. I don't think they come in the stock size, but 245/45/17 is a Lincoln approved substitute.
I'm with Allen. I don't know what they are asking for the V6, but check ebay and see what what the going rate is on the '03 and later LSes.
Guys, thank you for your response. I did get the car. It has 97K miles, and is in excellent shape. I already changed the oil/filter and the cabin filter. The spark plugs on one side is beyond my league. It appears while, they are at, I need to have them change the duel PVC valves. In the old days, it was a single $2.99 valve. This engine uses duel PVC valves pressed onto two nylon hoses with a tee. The part looks expensive. Anymore, they make cars for ease of manufacturing and not service.
For tires, while I only need two, I am going with 235/50-17 Kumho ECSTA ASX. The Tire Rack write up is very good. Four tires, balanced, ready to go at $505. I live only 45 minutes from Tire Rack. I could not see spending $350 for two Firehawk LHs that don't have as high as a rating.
The LS at some 3640 Ibs.feels heavy. It drives fine on Highway, but steering/front end acts rough in slight bumps. I also have a 2001 E430 with 74K miles. The MB feels lighter at 3750Ibs. The MB with 245/45-17 tires rides soft without being floaty. The LS drives heavy and stiff. In LS, Is 17 wheel/tire a part of sport package or sport package was a separate option all together?
Is there anyway to bypass the driver seat power slide back when the key is removed? It puts unnecessary wear and tear on seat motor as it has started to get noisy.
For oil weight, owner's manual says use 5W20 or 10W30. Under the hood sticker says use 5W30. I will go with 5W30 with 3K change interval. I don't get the hydraulic radiator fan. Electric fan is much simpler and lighter.
LS is a good looking car. I like the wiper defrost strip. They do wonder in ice and snow. We had it in our Dodge Caravan.
I am sue I will have more questions as time goes by.
The sport package gives you the 17" tires/wheels plus stiffer shocks, monochrome bumpers and SelectShift (automanual). The biggest difference in ride quality is due to the tires - the 16" tires are much more compliant and they're interchangeable because the outside diameter is the same (or close enough).
5W30 is what the car came with originally. Ford changed to 5W20 later and updated the OMs but I continued to use 5W30 in my 2000 LS until I sold it. 3K is great but you can easily go 5K between changes with no problems.
The reason for the hydraulic fan is there was not enough juice left to run an electric fan (reliably). That was fixed for the 2003 models. One benefit is it's very quiet when it's working properly.
I need help to know how to replace high mount brake light and one of the license plate light bulbs.
For license plate bulb, do I need to pull back the liner in trunk lid? If so, I don't understand why they did not use reusable plastic push pins instead of the ones they have used.
The owner's manual says to see a dealer for replacing several different bulbs, but it does show how to replace cabin filter. I have ordered the service manual.
Has anyone had problems with the seatbacks in the LS? I have a 2004 with 18,000 miles. Both backs on the driver's seat and the front passenger seat fell down! As luck would have it the "authorized dealer" where I leased the car, and who has done all the service, has gone out of business. I was redirected to another Ford dealer who reports it is not under warranty as it must have been caused by incorrect repair done by the first dealer! I don't know if any work was done that involved taking the seat-backs off, although the car was in for repair four times in the first year. Both Ford service and the rep at the Lincoln 800 phone number refuse to consider it may be a faulty part. Just wondering if any others have had similar problems? Thank you.
That's BS - find another Lincoln dealer. I did have the back come loose one time on the passenger seat but I just popped it back into place and it never reoccurred.
If you're using a Ford dealer instead of a Lincoln dealer that may be part of the problem. Try to find another Lincoln dealer. I'm sure they'll fix it for you.
I agree with akirby. First, it's total BS that it's not under warrantee for any reason. Especially that another dealer screwed it up.
Did the Lincoln 800 number folks blow you off? Not that it would surprise me, but this car has 32000 miles and 2 years left on it's warrantte and MUST be fixed.
Second, they should both just 'pop' back on. If they don't, something is missing or broken. Still, the operative word is warrantee.
I own a 2000 LS v-6 purchased new. In 2003 and again in 2004 the air bag light appeared and was corrected by replacing the wiring harness. All work was covered by warranty. Well, the light is flashing again. I have not been to the dealer yet but this apparently is a recurring problem caused by the seat moving back and forth with each engine start and stop. I am beyond warranty and past the dealers one year guarantee. This is obviously an inherent design fault, but what can I do to avoid $1,000 (from recent post) bill. thanks for any advice.
Yes, the driver's side seatback on my 2003 LS fell off last year. Our dealership in GA fixed it no questions asked. At the time, I thought it might be due to an overloaded seatback pocket, or perhaps someone in the back seat pulling on the pocket when they got in to or out of the car. However, the passenger side seatback just fell of last week with the exact same failure of the two retaining clips on the top. Since we haven't had any backseat passengers in over a year, and nothing is in the seatback pocket, I'm starting to think that this is a design problem. We're now in NC, and unfortunately, the local dealership is giving us a hassle over this despite the fact that the car is still under warranty. The dealership claims that there's no record of other similar complaints in OASIS, and there are no TSBs on this issue.
Anyone know of a way to bring this to the attention of Ford's upstream service folks so they could investigate service records to determine if this is happening at an abnormal rate?
Comments
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
Need help with this.
1) I have a clunking sound in the front end. I had a similar sound about 2 years ago. Dealer replaced sway bar links at that time under warrantee. Now of course no warrantee. So my service guy diagnosed the problem this time as worn sway bar bushings. (Not the ones at the links, but the ones at the frame attachment.) OK fine, says I, I'll replace the $12.00 bushings myself. Not so fast says the tech! Ford has put out a TSB on the sway bar and bushings. Don't know the TSB # but what it says (according to the techs at 2 dealers) is that if an LS comes in with worn sway bar bushnigs, a *new design* sway bar and bushings *must* be installed. NO REPLACEMENT BUSHINGS for the OEM sway bar can be sold. Cost of parts: $130 or so. Cost installed? Around $700. Who pays? ME. Can I install the new parts myself? Only if I'm able to 'drop the whole front end to get to the sway bar'. The tech says even with worn bushings this is NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. So WHY won't Ford sell me the bushings??? So, to summarize: Ford sold me a bad design. Ford won't sell replacement parts for the bad design. They will happily charge me $700 to put in a new design. What a deal, huh? (For those who say just go somewhere esle to get them - fine, you tell mne where. I have been unable so far to find a parts store that has even a part number for these things.)
To be Continued ...
To be continued ...
4) So today, I was going to do the rear pads, then take the car to the dealer to get the drain plug out, the oil changed and the brake fluid changed too - seems like a good idea at this time - and I can't do it cause you need a Ford diagnostic machine to bleed the brakes. Since no rotors were to be changed this time I figured it'd be fairly quick and easy. Famous last words, eh? Same horrible problem trying to get the wheel lug nuts off. Finally get them loose on one side and jack it up. Off with the wheel and caliper and yeah, these pads are pretty much due as well. So I get out my $17.95 NAPA piston retractor and try and try to turn the piston back (as described in the sertv manu) with no luck. Finally I search here and see a msg from our bud akirby that I must exert extreme force on the piston while turning the retraction tool. (Never done rear disks before). Well, I find that virtually impossible to do. I can't pull the caliper off to put it in a vise because of the bleed problem. I come up with the idea of remounting the caliper after first pulling the anchor and the rotor then remounting the anchor and the caliper and trying to force the piston back that way, but by this point, I'm fed up and besides, the seal on this piston seems to be leaking as the inboard shoe is covered with wet greasy goo and - again, no can bleed the system at home - so I decide the dealer should do the rear brakes and seal and change the fluid and bleed. SO I arrange to do that and put it back together.
Another rant - has anyone else got the Ford service manual DVD? What a POS that is. The pencil drawings are so pathetic that I doubt even the guy that drew them could decipher them at this point. And the step by step instructions omit so much information as to be next to useless.
Oh well. I guess I would still recommend the car - but I would recommend buying an extended warantee (I didn't, figuring the auto tranny was the most troublesome thing on the car and I've got a 5 speed.) Bad idea. Then sell at 100K cause IMHO this car is going to be quite difficult to maintain.
The brakes can be bled in the conventional way, as long as you have a helper, and turn on the ignition when you do the job. If your car has Advance Trac, the ABS solenoids, which control the AT, have to be energized when you push the brake pedal, otherwise you won't get any fluid flow. I know this from personal experience. I flush my brake fluid annually.
The lug nut issue, unfortunately, is well known, and not exclusive to FoMoCo. GM was using "shiny wrapped" lug nuts on it's "rally wheels" back in the 70s. The best way to get around this issue is to use the Chrysler Sebring lug nuts, however they have a different hex size, so you have to carry an extra lug wrench.
I'm dissappointed that L-M decided to cancel the car, as service issues with the dealers have been an issue in general, and will probably only worsen now that the car is an "orphan". While my LS is now 6 years old, I don't have a lot of miles on it (44K), so it will probably either "rust out", or "problem out" long before it wears out. BUT, it's a hoot while it lasts.
I've had several problems with it and its really getting on my nerves.
When I was 2K miles away from my warrenty going out, I took it to the Lincoln dealership here and asked them to check the car over and told them I heard a weird noise on 2 of my windows when I would open and close them. Well, they supposedly checked my car, told me everything was fine- something minor was replaced.
The very next week, I had my drivers side window down and bam! it wouldn't come back up and it sounded like my window had broken inside the door. Back to the dealership I went and they told me they'd had a lot of problems with the window's on the LS's. It costs me 395 bucks to get it fixed..AND 2 of my other windows make that same noise, so I'm afraid to use them!
Then my brakes needed fixed, they were making that horrible noise that brakes make.
Then, the stupid door handle broke on the driver's side door, I have to roll the window down to open the freaking door and grrr, of course if I use the window enough its eventually going to fall down into the door frame and it will costs me MORE money.
WHAT can I do? I love and hate this car all at the same time. I had a Mustang for almost 7 years and NEVER had one problem with it.. this is driving me nuts!
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Connie
The good news on the window regulators is that the rears almost always fail before the driver's window so chances are the rears have already been replaced, and if they were done right they should be ok. They don't usually make a noise before they fail so that may be something else. If they do fail, you can get the regulator without the motor for about $30 and it only takes 1-2 hours to replace one if you have a good mechanic or handyman. One thing you can do to prevent failure is to use the rear windows often. What happens is the glass seals to rubber weatherstripping, putting a strain on the regulator when you let the window down. Rolling it down often prevents the glass from sticking thus reducing the strain and preventing failure.
Once the door handle is replaced it should be ok - common problem fixed with a redesigned, stronger part.
The rest of the car is pretty solid - it's not going to fall apart if that's what you're worried about. Most of the early problems were already fixed for the 2001 models.
Not saying it won't work, but I'd be careful not to overload it.
I am new on the site, but think excellent way to exchange views. I have 2000 LS V6, with overheating problem. I checked the pressure from the hydraulic pump and believe pump is faulty. I have bought a Jaguar electric fan and shroud which are direct fit. I am going to fit fan switch to cooling system, the temp setting is 200 degrees on 190f off.My concern is how to connect up the A/C? do i take power from the compressor, and is the signal to the compressor ground or power? The original signal to the pump was something of a variable ground from the computor.
Need Help.
Thanks
The people who wrote most of the postings on this board: 1) leased & may or may not know how to find the oil dipstick, 2) spent a week or three on here to learn what they could, 3) moved elsewhere to an enthusiast board where questions like yours are addressed, or 4) took the gas pipe after they saw how the LS turned out relative to how it was introduced in 1999.
That said, the people who end up with used LS's (like yourself) appear to be willing to do things that no one who's posted here more than twice have ever thought of, let alone actually executed.
Good luck.
Good Luck.
What type of 3.0L V-6 is in the LS? Is it the Duratec that was used in Taurus ( turned the right way in engine bay?!) Does have timing belt or chain? My guess is that it uses a belt. Is this interferance type engine? if the belt goes, so do the valves, pistons.... or is it free spinning type?
What weight oil is the best? How easy is it to get to spark plugs? It has the 235-50/17 tires. What is the best brand tires that lasts and is quiet? Right now it has the Firehawks on it that are kind of noisy. How is this car on snow and ice?
I am so surprize as how little storage is in this car. I don't understand why they put the CD magazine in glove box. The center console is the smallest of any car I have ever seen.
and finally ....What is the best website to get OEM spare parts?
Thanks.
Joe
The V6 is a Duratec 3.0L DOHC but it's very different from the other applications. For one it's mounted longitudinally because the LS is RWD. I'm pretty sure it still uses a timing chain - no belt to change.
The car came with 5W30 oil but Ford later switched to 5W20 for better gas mileage. Motorcraft 5W20 is a semi-synthetic and is fine although just about any oil is ok if you change it every 5K. Mobil1 5W30 would also work if you want full synthetic.
The spark plugs aren't too bad to get to but they're not a piece of cake, either.
For tires you have several choices. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is a great tire but expensive. For a cheaper but almost as good alternative look at Avon Tech. Go to tirerack.com and do a size search and you'll find lots of choices. Be sure to check the tire surveys if you're looking at something other than the ones above. Some are ok and some are really bad.
The car is fine on snow and ice if you have winter tires. You can get a set of tires and 16" wheels from tirerack.com (you don't need to use 17" wheels and tires - 16" is just as good and far cheaper with more choices). The non sport LS came with 16" wheels - tell it you have a base model V6 LS and it should give you the right size. The outside diameters are all the same.
If you can find a used 2003 model you'll get more power (they added VCT to both the V6 and V8), more storage (totally redesigned center console and in dash cd changer) and a whole bunch of other improvements including an electric parking brake that works great. And it shouldn't be that much more money.
For OEM parts I use Bill Jenkins at Team Ford in Las Vegas. Bill.Jenkins@teamfordlv.com . Great service and prices.
The spark plugs are a bugger. I've done it 3 times and my best time is about 3 hours, start to finish. It's not that it's hard, just a lot of stuff has to be removed and put back. The intake plenum hangs over the right side of the engine which means it has to be removed. Along with the shock tower brace and all the stuff attached to the plenum.
The engine uses a chain (you can see it if you remove the oil fill cap and look forward), but I don't know if the Duratec is an interference engine or not. It is a variation of the Taurus/Sable Duratec.
I've been using 5W-20 Mobil1, changing the filter every 5K and the oil every 10K.
I'm currently running General Exclaim UHPs, size 245/40/18. I don't think they come in the stock size, but 245/45/17 is a Lincoln approved substitute.
I'm with Allen. I don't know what they are asking for the V6, but check ebay and see what what the going rate is on the '03 and later LSes.
For tires, while I only need two, I am going with 235/50-17 Kumho ECSTA ASX. The Tire Rack write up is very good. Four tires, balanced, ready to go at $505. I live only 45 minutes from Tire Rack. I could not see spending $350 for two Firehawk LHs that don't have as high as a rating.
The LS at some 3640 Ibs.feels heavy. It drives fine on Highway, but steering/front end acts rough in slight bumps. I also have a 2001 E430 with 74K miles. The MB feels lighter at 3750Ibs. The MB with 245/45-17 tires rides soft without being floaty. The LS drives heavy and stiff. In LS, Is 17 wheel/tire a part of sport package or sport package was a separate option all together?
Is there anyway to bypass the driver seat power slide back when the key is removed? It puts unnecessary wear and tear on seat motor as it has started to get noisy.
For oil weight, owner's manual says use 5W20 or 10W30. Under the hood sticker says use 5W30. I will go with 5W30 with 3K change interval. I don't get the hydraulic radiator fan. Electric fan is much simpler and lighter.
LS is a good looking car. I like the wiper defrost strip. They do wonder in ice and snow. We had it in our Dodge Caravan.
I am sue I will have more questions as time goes by.
Joe
5W30 is what the car came with originally. Ford changed to 5W20 later and updated the OMs but I continued to use 5W30 in my 2000 LS until I sold it. 3K is great but you can easily go 5K between changes with no problems.
The reason for the hydraulic fan is there was not enough juice left to run an electric fan (reliably). That was fixed for the 2003 models. One benefit is it's very quiet when it's working properly.
For license plate bulb, do I need to pull back the liner in trunk lid? If so, I don't understand why they did not use reusable plastic push pins instead of the ones they have used.
The owner's manual says to see a dealer for replacing several different bulbs, but it does show how to replace cabin filter. I have ordered the service manual.
Thanks,
Joe
If you're using a Ford dealer instead of a Lincoln dealer that may be part of the problem. Try to find another Lincoln dealer. I'm sure they'll fix it for you.
Did the Lincoln 800 number folks blow you off? Not that it would surprise me, but this car has 32000 miles and 2 years left on it's warrantte and MUST be fixed.
Second, they should both just 'pop' back on. If they don't, something is missing or broken. Still, the operative word is warrantee.
Anyone know of a way to bring this to the attention of Ford's upstream service folks so they could investigate service records to determine if this is happening at an abnormal rate?