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"The primnary fault is the valve cover gaskets. These DOHC motors have a gasket around the edge of the cylinder head and an innter gasket which seals the center part of the valve cover from allowin goil to leak down to the spark plugs. It is the inner gasket which is the culprit. The stock inner gaskete 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 interace due to the valuve cover gasket problem. The real fix here is to do the valve cover gasket job using FELPRO gaskets. The FELPRO kit comes iwth an innter gasket that has multiple sealing ridges to prevent innter 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 b/t poles (any that don't match the others replace), install coils, retorque valve covers, install intake."
However, I took my 2003 Lincoln LS to the dealership I bought my car and that services it for maintenance and it is a dealership that sales and services Lincolns. They did their diagnostics and found the issues that I did from the Actron reading. I showed them the mechanic's response from Edmond's and they agreed that the culprit is the damage spark plugs, coils and gaskets for the reason they saw oil leaked on them which shorted the spark plugs causing my car to misfire just like the mechanic from Edmond's site had said. I asked them to replace all coils, valve cover gaskets, and spark plugs with oil on them as well as those without oil so I don't have to experience the same problem again and have them tear apart the engine again and charge me costly labor. Because there was no oil on the coils, valve cover gaskets, and spark plugs on the drivers side, only on the passenger side, the dealership suggested changing only those on the passenger side because the engine needs to be torn apart to get to them on this side not the driver's side. But, because spark plugs should be changed every 100,000 miles, some say every 50,000 miles, the dealership suggested the spark plugs on driver's side be replaced also. The dealership advised that, if in the future, the coils and valve cover gaskets get oil on them and become ineffective, they can be replaced for little cost since they are on top and no engine needs to be torn apart on the driver's side. It cost me $1,100 to get the #1, #2, #3 ignition coils and both valve cover gaskets on passenger side replaced and all six spark plugs on the passenger and driver's side replaced. Labor in itself for tearing apart the engine on the passenger side cost me $549.68, the rest was for parts. Afterward, I checked with another ford dealership that serviced Lincolns and the cost was about the same, a little less. It took 2 days to replace them and test my car out and the dealership gave me a free rental. So it was worth it.
My car runs like a charm now. The only think that occurred a week after the parts were replaced was that my car powered down while driving it to and from work and the engine light would go on here and there. The mechanic at the dealership told me that the car needs to work it out, that the sensors will be off for a little while but then catch up to the new parts and it did. It only last for a couple of days. I the work done on December 7 and I have had no problems since then, about 3,000 miles since then.
I hope this helps. I have read other's same problems and they tried to save money fixing it themselves or going to car repair shops other than a Lincoln dealership and spent lots of money only to end up going to a Lincoln dealership after the damage was done in their bank account. Just better to go straight to a Lincoln dealership who is aware of the problem with the Lincoln LS. When I came in there with my problem, they immediately knew of these problems with the Lincoln LS. However, I recall that somewhere I had read on Ford website or elsewhere, not sure, that Ford has a recall for the 2004 Lincoln LS on this issue for cars under 75,000 miles. Not sure where I read it or if it was legitimate information. You will want to check it out with Ford.
I go through this every year, especially when I'm unable to pass Emissions in Georgia.
I've had diagnostics run. Could it be anything else? I feel it is a defect in the vehicle itself. The light is always on, ever since I've purchased the vehicle, USED with 70K miles in 2005.
The receipt doesn't show who made it so, I'm looking for the maker or a comparative maker's sticker or emblem to pass the visual. Vehicle has been passing all the tests these past years but now they want to see a lame emblem on the intake.
Any idea ?
Garth Clark (AutumnRed)
there are no approval label or emblem for these intakes.
I have to take mine off every 2 years and put the stock intake/airbox back for the California smog test, because no CRAB Approval Label. The first few years they tested the car with the cold air intake and K&N Filter in place, but stopped doing it 4 years ago. It always past smog with the cold air intake before.
So, if you don't have the stock stuff in California you can't get tested, unless you can find a shop that will look the other way and sign it off. I've been told that there are some around, but I haven't bother to look for one.
YMMV!
The bad news is you will need to procure a stock system (eBay, LKQ, etc.) and swap them out for every smog check. Sorry for the bad news.......
I'm just trying to find a "sticker" which likely, once applied, will pass the B.S. carb malarkey.
Akirby, thank you...interesting there's no manufacture data on the part or the paper work.
The LLSOC intakes were never CARB certified so won't have a sticker. Back then we didn't need a certification.
For example, we're all pumping E10 fuel and it's no cheaper than MTBE gas however, power and gas mileage suffers compared to straight gas. Is that the goal, worse mileage and less power? For the same price?