Devin's 06 LS - Round 2

When you start it and warm it up this next time I'll bet the upper hose(whole system) has pressure. UNLESS you have a bad cap (even if new it can be bad). The reason it was spongy before is probably because it was allowing the coolant,therefore pressure,to escape thru the cap. If that cap loses pressure,even a 50/50 ratio antifreeze can boil over on you at idle with AC on. I run 60/40 unpressurized in everything I own and that precludes any boiling. don-ohio :)^)
 
Added a bit of coolant to the front fill tonight when cool (a dash before it filled up all the way. Degas remained at the same level sitting all day. Started it up and drove around. I drove lightly, medium, hard. Sat and idled, etc. Checking the tank after each event. All looks good. No leaks, no bad symptoms, no boiling over. Gonna keep an eye on it for now but I think its good. Until next time that is haha.

Also - Plugged in the XCAL and logged IAT. CAI tube might actually be helping, I was seeing 66* on both the car's ext temp and the IAT gauge. WOO!

Once I felt good about the coolant issue I decided to upload Torrie's 93oct tune. Now THIS is how the LS should feel - wonderful. It seems way more eager off the line, and I can actually get a decent tire spin from a dead stop, which rarely happened before on dry pavement. She also barked into second and got a little (smidge) sideways on the 1-2 shift. Throttle response and powerband are definitely improved. Very happy with it! The added gauges in the X4 display are also very nice. I need to get back to the track, or on a dyno to get some numbers documented for it. I am curious.
 
Been busy - couple weeks ago this happened

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And I have been working on my suspension overhaul -

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Car will be receiving:
1 - All new bushings for all 8 control arms
2 - MOOG Front LCA camber kit/cam bolts
3 - Inner and outer Tie Rods (MOOG)
4 - Front and Rear Sway bar bushings (ES and Powerflex, respectively)
5 - Rear Sway Bar links (MOOG)
5 - Front wheel bearings
6 - Front lower Ball joints

** Regarding #1 above, I have confirmed fitment for Powerflex Bushings (Jaguar) on the LS, for everything less sway bar bushings. Full write-up to follow in a few days. Working on editing my write up. But know that the LS now has another option for suspension bushings, instead of Deutsche/RacingGreen/NewOEM arms**
 
Sweet! Looking forward to some details on them Powerflex bushings all around. I need to do my rear LCA's on the 04 LSE
 
Hey Rig, I tried to PM you today and it said your inbox was full.

I will post the thread shortly regarding Powerflex. But I will ask here real quick if anyone knows.

1) What grease should I buy for the Moog RSB links, front ball joints, and outer tie rods?
2) Do I need to grease them before driving or do they come pre-greased?
3) How do I grease the FR ball joints? They did not come with zerks like the other Moog items.

(forgive my ignorance, I have never greased anything with a grease gun, so this is all new to me, but i am glad I finally get to learn)
 
DeviLSh said:
Hey Rig, I tried to PM you today and it said your inbox was full.
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I get a lot of hater mail, it's full, I have to renew my GOLD membership, mail box took a crap when it expired.


Regarding the grease, I'm usually not to picky, grease is grease. If it's blue grease, I always think it must be the best. <shrugs>
I grab a tube here and there from work, it's used all over. Don't have a brand name for you right now. Any automotive grease will do.


You could always run a pilot hole and tap in fittings where feasible.

There are supposedly pre-greased. I've always given it at least a pump or two just to be sure.


Just replaced front ACDELCO ball joints on the 09 Silverado couple weeks back, it got greased up just to be sure.
 
To update my personal timeline, I have installed Powerflex bushings into all 8 control arms on the car. Full write up is here:

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/fo...n-LS-Control-Arms&p=2037406085#post2037406085

In addition to this, I have also performed the Energy Suspension FSB swap. (thanks Deacon!)

IMG_8035_zpsfcrynqdb.jpg


Used 28-30mm locking collars from DSTsuspension.com, worked out perfectly. They are anodized aluminum, so should do a fairly good job of avoiding corrosion.

image_zps6vqckefj.jpg


Thanks
 
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DeviLSh said:
Hey Rig, I tried to PM you today and it said your inbox was full.

I will post the thread shortly regarding Powerflex. But I will ask here real quick if anyone knows.

1) What grease should I buy for the Moog RSB links, front ball joints, and outer tie rods?
2) Do I need to grease them before driving or do they come pre-greased?
3) How do I grease the FR ball joints? They did not come with zerks like the other Moog items.

(forgive my ignorance, I have never greased anything with a grease gun, so this is all new to me, but i am glad I finally get to learn)
Click to expand...

Previous cars I had with zerk fittings on ball joints and steering components, I liked to use waterproof "Green Grease" (greengrease.com). This is a multi-purpose synthetic polymer grease.

http://www.greengrease.net/PDF/GreenGease.pdf
 
Good luck with the Moog stuff, before I sold my LS I tried to find a comprehensive list of alternate part #'s without getting hosed by the Dealer and didn't get far, unfortunately.

Worth mentioning that some lubricants aren't compatible with certain elastomers (or eachother for that matter).
 
Diagnosing engine noises -

In this week of whats wrong with the LS - I try to locate some noises in the engine bay that have been noticeable the past few weeks.

Noise 1: (Throughout video, audible around 0:05 sec and at end during small revs)
- A groan/howl from the front engine area.
- Makes noise regardless of hot/cold, Park/Drive, steering, etc. It is only RPM dependent
- Has been on and off the last few days, recently more consistent in occurrence
- Alternator going out?
- Slight plastic/electric smell is noticeable when standing over the engine bay to listen. Not sure if related.

Noise 2: (0:15-0:18 sec in video)
- High pitched whine
- Similar to a whistle
- Also changed by RPM, most audible at idle and less than 1,000rpm
- Suspect: Vac Leak? IM gasket? FPR and EGR lines are all new, so I do not suspect those. Noises seem to be around top of motor near manifold. Hard to pinpoint.

https://youtu.be/37F9MLNTf0o


Let me know if anyone has had these noises, or has some advice on how to further diagnose. Can I pull belt and safely start car without the accessories to see if I can rule out the Alternator/rotating parts?

Gonna poke around a bit more with the stethoscope.
 
I once had an alternator dying on me (In an Explorer, not an LS) that sounded just like that first howling around 5 seconds into the video. Mine was ungodly loud though, was embarrassing to drive.

I would assume it wouldn't hurt to start it for a short period. Ive done it a few times on other vehicles, and wouldn't hesitate to try it on my LS.
 
Yes, the alternator on my 06 sounded a little like that off and on for a week or three before it failed. The day it failed, it got really loud.
It was more difficult than it should have been to remove/replace.
 
My LS has had that idle whistle for the entire time I've owned it. Mostly only audible with the hood up, especially without the engine cover.

I think the consensus on here was that it is a small manifold leak somewhere... AKA not worth it.
 
Devin, return PM re: RR LCA

... I'm heading out for another week this evening. Want to settle up. If not then next Monday.
 
joegr said:
Yes, the alternator on my 06 sounded a little like that off and on for a week or three before it failed. The day it failed, it got really loud.
It was more difficult than it should have been to remove/replace.
Click to expand...

Swapped out the alternator with a RockAuto sourced Motorcraft unit yesterday. Definitely harder than it needed to be. I was annoyed with the lower (long bolt) as It would not back out all the way because it was hitting the sway bar. So I had to unbolt the right hand bushing bracket and raise the motor with a jack slightly to get the shoulder of the bolt to clear. Upon install, I switched the orientation of the bolt so this wouldn't need to be done in the future. The second hardest part was getting the old unit out and the new one on. Not from the car, but from the wedged style bracket with the minimal room. 4 hours or so, including jacking up the car and removing the trim total time. Not terrible without a lift I suppose.

Happy to report the noise is gone. But I do still have a seemingly burning smell coming from the car's engine bay. It smells like burning electronics/plastic, the smell was present before this install as well. I assumed it was the old alternator.

Is there something I should look into that might be causing the Alternator to overheat? IIRC from my genI, the LS has some sort of ECU management function of the charging system. Want to make sure I dont ruin this brand new unit if that is the case. No codes or warning messages in the cluster, yet. Or any other strange signs of electronic issues. Might be completely unrelated to the alternator.
 
DeviLSh said:
... But I do still have a seemingly burning smell coming from the car's engine bay. It smells like burning electronics/plastic, the smell was present before this install as well. I assumed it was the old alternator....Might be completely unrelated to the alternator.
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Probably a slight oil leak.
 
joegr said:
Probably a slight oil leak.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I dont think so. I have owned enough VW's to know the smell of burning oil. Also, no smoke, or visible external leaks. It smells like a warmer version of how the new alternator smelled as soon as I opened the box.
 
U already changed out the VCT seals IIRC ?
 
RR LCA arrived, thank you so much, like new condition :p
Great LVC'er, resolves all shipping issues, would buy from again :)
 
joegr said:
Probably a slight oil leak.
Click to expand...

The all-knowing, intuitive, Joegr strikes again.... While not the cause of my smell, I did have an oil leak on the LS. I took the car in last weekend to have the cooling system bled, oil change, and charging system checked. I wanted to confirm my new alternator was working properly, and that my starter and battery were ready for winter. Found some lingering trapped air in the system so they did a full flush with fresh MC coolant, and replaced my oil filter adapter housing, which came with new psi/temp sensors, and gaskets. Tech told me there was a hairline crack in the housing causing slow drips that were hitting the splash trays. Got it back Monday morning and all looks good. Also told me my rear tires are looking a bit bald, wonder why :p. Really need to get something new for winter.

This weekend, while rocking the 2.3ecoboost MKC loaner I managed to find a spare rear cradle from a certain gen2 that once roamed these chicago streets.... A part of his LS will now live on in mine. :) Thanks to a fellow LVC/r we got this thing out on saturday morning, breaking one bolt only. This is a winter project, but let the 8.8" swap plans begin. If anyone has any ideas/resources for custom diff/subframe mounts, please let me know. The diff bushings have some slight cracks, and I am wondering if these are used on other chassis. They look very similar to my friend's MK4 R32 diff mounts. (which upgrades do exist for)

Also, has anyone found weak points of these? I am debating doing some reinforcing when I get the new diff tabs welded on. Since I have a spare to work on, I have time on my side.

IMG_9263_zpstfmhixta.jpg


Going back to the track tonight. Mods since last visit are my cold air inlet tube, X4, and bushing swap. Hopefully some better times ahead.

30088318176_121b04653c_c.jpg
 
Posted this in the 1/4mi ET database, but will update my thread as well. Pretty happy with where the car ended up after the X4.

Approx. - 65 degrees
1/2 tank

Capture_zpst7ojbryu.jpg


[video=youtube_share;HRUbPO3_y9A]https://youtu.be/HRUbPO3_y9A[/video]

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Over winter I would like to get the LSD w/ gears sorted out, and maybe build a more proper exhaust setup.
 
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