Let's talk V6's!

[Virginia Donkey]

There is info scattered all over this site regarding coils, plugs, plastic cooling parts etc. I know most owners here have the V8, and that seems to be what the info is geared towards. Searching is hit or miss, and the pinned topics don't specify v6 or v8.

So, there are several "common" problems with our cars. Are they common to both the V8 and V6? Let's go down the list

Coils: fail as frequent on the V6 as the V8? I have an Escape with the same 3.0 and 118K miles and haven't had any coils fail

Plugs: I know the rule of thumb here....replace a coil, replace the plug....nothing needed to be added here

Transmission: Same types of issues as the V8?

Plastic cooling parts: Aside from the degas bottle, do the other plastic parts fail the same as the V8?

Are there any issues that are V6 only?

My '02 V6 hasn't turned 30K yet, and I don't have any issues at this time. I just want to see what is in store down the road.


Thank You in advance!

 

[joegr]

...Coils: fail as frequent on the V6 as the V8? I have an Escape with the same 3.0 and 118K miles and haven't had any coils fail...

The marginal coil problem is possibly less frequent on the V6, or maybe there just aren't as many V6 owners reporting in here. I have a coworker with the V6, and he has been through the marginal coil problem at least once. (You won't believe what his "mechanic" thought it was.)
Your escape is not exactly the same V6. It has a different PCM, and possibly different coils.

...Transmission: Same types of issues as the V8?...

It's the same transmission. It's just that the housing is different where it attaches to the engine.

...Plastic cooling parts: Aside from the degas bottle, do the other plastic parts fail the same as the V8?...

The V6 has fewer plastic cooling parts, so the failure rate probably is lower.

...Are there any issues that are V6 only?...

PCV valve and elbow (The V8 has neither.)
O-rings for the runner valves in the intake (The V8 does not have these.)
Maybe ever so slightly higher chance of blown head gaskets / warped heads.
Maybe more oil leaks.
Maybe more PCM failures (but it seems the V8 PCMs are catching up).

 

[LS4me]

My daughter is driving my old 2000 V6 and it has about 190K miles. It needed a new radiator when my mechanic broke the upper neck installing a failed hose, the PCV hose/valve needed replacement and one cleaning, coils and plugs (I think) 3 times, a trans solenoid pack (that was about 100K ago), a DCCV, a cat that was my fault (be careful if you clean the engine!), about 5 sets of tires, shocks, brakes a few times and regular fluid changes.

I think that's about it...... It's been, and continues to be, a reliable vehicle. If it weren't I wouldn't have let my daughter take it to college 350ish miles away.

 

[LSinYourLS]

When I got my 3.0/m221 it was missing terribly & leaking everywhere.

New Plugs, coils, valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, dccv, degas bottle, plastic coolant log, and as of this week a leaking radiator.

 

[Virginia Donkey]

Thanks for the replies, I hope other V6'ers will share their experiences too.

Can the transmission shifting be changed with a SCT tuner? It doesn't have any hard shifts, it just seems to shift at the most inopportune times, and the performance suffers unless I get deep into the throttle, then it will shift better.

Also, on my Escape, the front timing cover is leaking (a known issue on V6 Escapes), does the LS have the same leaking issues with the front timing cover? I don't recall reading about oil leaks on the LS from there.

 

[Pete 2004 LS V-6]

My daughter is driving my old 2000 V6 and it has about 190K miles. It needed a new radiator when my mechanic broke the upper neck installing a failed hose, the PCV hose/valve needed replacement and one cleaning, coils and plugs (I think) 3 times, a trans solenoid pack (that was about 100K ago), a DCCV, a cat that was my fault (be careful if you clean the engine!), about 5 sets of tires, shocks, brakes a few times and regular fluid changes.

I think that's about it...... It's been, and continues to be, a reliable vehicle. If it weren't I wouldn't have let my daughter take it to college 350ish miles away.

You think that's a "reliable" car??

 

[1LoudLS]

You think that's a "reliable" car??

a failed coolant hose, a DCCV, trans solenoid pack , and a few coils, if done himself, that under a couple grand... yeah I would consider any car that require under a couple grand in repair bills to keep it running like new for almost 200k miles is fairly reliable, you dont?

 

[joegr]

You think that's a "reliable" car??

All cars need maintenance. If it's never stranded me anywhere and the maintenance/repairs are done on my schedule, then I consider it reliable.

 

[Pete 2004 LS V-6]

a failed coolant hose, a DCCV, trans solenoid pack , and a few coils, if done himself, that under a couple grand... yeah I would consider any car that require under a couple grand in repair bills to keep it running like new for almost 200k miles is fairly reliable, you dont?

I don't think most people do all that themselves, (I wish I could) at dealer prices that's a big difference. Your logic of a couple grand would skyrocket. Coils and plugs three times he thinks is not a few coils, the way I read it is replacing the set three times. I think that's a lot of problems. I guess everything is relevant.

 

[LS4me]

I don't think most people do all that themselves, (I wish I could) at dealer prices that's a big difference. Your logic of a couple grand would skyrocket. Coils and plugs three times he thinks is not a few coils, the way I read it is replacing the set three times. I think that's a lot of problems. I guess everything is relevant.

At almost 200K miles?? I'm old enough to remember changing plugs every 12K-15K miles, points, condenser, plug wires about every 30K miles...... So yes, this car has been reliable. ALL those items are wear items. One set of coils and plugs, along with the cat, was my fault.

It's called maintenance; and EVERY car needs it!

The only time the car left me stranded was when I blew a radiator hose.

 

[1LoudLS]

I would think that most of the people on on this site do stuff themselves, that is why they are here, to get guidance on how to fix what ever because they don't want to take it to the dealer pan pay extra for.

otherwise, they would just have a problem and take their car into the dealer and have it fixed. and I'm pretty sure most of that Lincoln buying crowd doesn't even know how to turn on the internet...





all basic maintenance jobs anyone should be able to complete themselves fairly easily (aside for the trans solenoid, that one is probably not beginner level)

 

[Pete 2004 LS V-6]

At almost 200K miles?? I'm old enough to remember changing plugs every 12K-15K miles, points, condenser, plug wires about every 30K miles...... So yes, this car has been reliable. ALL those items are wear items. One set of coils and plugs, along with the cat, was my fault.

It's called maintenance; and EVERY car needs it!

We can agree to disagree, I wish I could do all the work myself. The best car I have ever owned was an early 90s Mercury Cougar, I put 160,000 miles on it and other than maintenance (I do all maintenance religiously) all I had to do was a serpentine belt for $79. Now that was a reliable car.

The only time the car left me stranded was when I blew a radiator hose.

We can agree to disagree. I wish I could do all the work myself. The best car I have ever owned was an early 90s Mercury Cougar, I put 160,000 miles on it and other than maintenance (I do all maintenance religiously) all I had to do was replace the serpentine belt for $79. Now that was a reliable car.

 

[Pete 2004 LS V-6]

I would think that most of the people on on this site do stuff themselves, that is why they are here, to get guidance on how to fix what ever because they don't want to take it to the dealer pan pay extra for.

otherwise, they would just have a problem and take their car into the dealer and have it fixed. and I'm pretty sure most of that Lincoln buying crowd doesn't even know how to turn on the internet...





all basic maintenance jobs anyone should be able to complete themselves fairly easily (aside for the trans solenoid, that one is probably not beginner level)

I agree that a lot of the guys here may do the work themselves, they are car enthusiast, I am a car enthusiast and like to learn and keep my vehicles maintained and running good. Everyone here is knowledgeable and eager to help, so I learn but I don't do most of the work myself. I belong to an RV forum as well as Harley Davidson and boating. I do the maintenance on the RV, Harley and boat, they are easy to get under or on to do the work and I enjoy it.

 

[LS4me]

We can agree to disagree. I wish I could do all the work myself. The best car I have ever owned was an early 90s Mercury Cougar, I put 160,000 miles on it and other than maintenance (I do all maintenance religiously) all I had to do was replace the serpentine belt for $79. Now that was a reliable car.

Just because you didn't replace the parts doesn't mean they weren't worn (out). There's no way shocks, especially those from the 90's, lasted 160K miles. I replaced most of those items before they could be a problem. Learned about preventative maintenance years ago!

 

[Darrell85]

Correct it is best to replace the shocks or struts every 50,000 miles or 5 years
this insures the best ride possible

 

[Pete 2004 LS V-6]

Just because you didn't replace the parts doesn't mean they weren't worn (out). There's no way shocks, especially those from the 90's, lasted 160K miles. I replaced most of those items before they could be a problem. Learned about preventative maintenance years ago!

Shocks are a normal ware item, they were replaced as breaks, tires, plugs ect. The belt was replaced at around 90,000. This was my wife's car and I and I would not let her drive around with bad shocks. The reason I called out the belt is it showed no cracks at all but broke.

 

[1LoudLS]

is it the "most reliable car"? no probably not, yes there are probable some cars out there that are a little better... but that doesn't take away from what has been a pretty reliable car for him...


now on the other side of that, your comparing a (non luxury) car from a decade earlier... with a much more advanced car with about ten times the systems in it... of course the older, simpler car is going to have less stuff that can break over time... by that logic, a simple push rod motor car from the 60s would be even more reliable (out side of its required standard maintenance) or hell even compared to a fixed gear bicycle.

 

[Pete 2004 LS V-6]

is it the "most reliable car"? no probably not, yes there are probable some cars out there that are a little better... but that doesn't take away from what has been a pretty reliable car for him...


now on the other side of that, your comparing a (non luxury) car from a decade earlier... with a much more advanced car with about ten times the systems in it... of course the older, simpler car is going to have less stuff that can break over time... by that logic, a simple push rod motor car from the 60s would be even more reliable (out side of its required standard maintenance) or hell even compared to a fixed gear bicycle.

Actually todays hi tec cars are vastly superior to yesteryears lo tec cars, this includes reliability and longevity.

 

[Virginia Donkey]

"My '02 V6 hasn't turned 30K yet, and I don't have any issues at this time."

Famous last words.......I think I just jinxed myself. I think my DCCV may be starting to go on the fritz. If I set both sides of the climate control to the same temp.....let's say 70 for discussions sake. The driver side will be cold, while the passenger side is probably 5-10 deg warmer.

Would that be a telltale sign that the DCCV is failing on that side?

 

[jrand]

as an owner of an 05v6 i say: if you really want an LS get an 03-06 v8. the gas mileage/efficiency in the v6 model is the same as the v8 modelno matter what any official number says bc they have the same tranny.. you might as well have the extra power of the v8 available.. not to mention the upper intake on the v6 is in the way of everything, especially the coils. on the flip side, if you can steal a v6 for next to nothin as a daily beater and dont mind learning the models intracacies when it comes to self maintenance, you will be satisfied.

 

[GoFar]

I have a V6 with over 210k on the clock.

First things first: EGR. The engineers at Ford thought it would be a great idea to send the exhaust gas through a U-Shaped passageway on the intake manifold. Turns out it builds up with carbon! This will cause high NOx reading on the emissions. You'll get an EGR-related code. Spray carb cleaner into the passage and rinse. Don't let some mechanic tell you that you need an EGR Valve, a DPFE Sensor, and other things.

There are minimal plastic throughout the radiator hoses. Watch out for the hose that connects the water pump and the engine together. It's an curved elbow shape, and the high pressure rips the curved portion. DO NOT replace with some rigged hose from Autozone, buy directly from the dealer. If angled incorrectly from said rigged hose, the serpentine belt will shred the hose, and you're back at square one.

Sometimes unsecured nylon vacuum lines below the EGR valve will be shredded by the serpentine belt.

You can use Jaguar 3.0 S-Type/ XJ (although no 3.0 XJ was sold in the US) torque converters and it will fit perfectly. That being said, I'll be needing another torque converter (OEM > Jaguar Replacement > Another replacement that I'm not going to replace since I'm junking this one anyways).

Timing chain tensioner failure will be followed by diesel sounds at idle in drive, thanks to plastic usage. You will know when this breaks for sure. Go for the aftermarket metal ones if these fail. I'd highly recommend finding the broken plastic pieces before the oil pump sucks it up.

IAC Valve failure is accompanied with very low idle RPM (haven't had mine fail!) To test a failure, simply unplug it and see if there is a dramatic change in RPM. If there is not a change, it needs to be replaced.

OEM recommends 5W-20. I use 5W-30 simply because of the high performance nature of the engine.

85 and 91 are a worlds apart in terms of overall performance. It's only a few dollars more if you're filling it up, just fill it with 91.

When you do need to pull out the engine, it's incredibly easy. 2 hours of leisurely work and it's out. You'll need to pull it out if your oil pan is cracked (and the pan is around $300 by the way, but is a single piece, unlike the V8 which has TWO pans).

The PCV Valve is located underneath the fuel rail. You'll have to remove the intake manifold and the fuel rail to get to it (unlike a Saturn which is right there when you open the hood). Pretty easy process, just lots of unscrewing.

Changing the COP's require you to remove the intake manifold. Suddenly a 20 minute job became an hour or two job.

Let's say you decided to run water through the system and it froze overnight. Your freeze plugs will pop out to prevent block crack, but that's not true. There is a.. I guess you can say a 'screw on freeze plug' located above the starter. Around here is where the block will crack. Don't be cheap, run antifreeze.

Coils aren't much of a problem on my V6. Had mine in for 75,000 miles and replaced them just because.

 

[Pete 2004 LS V-6]

Okay I got the coils yesterday. As far as plugs I assume replace with OEM that came in it, is this correct?
Thanks

 

[FDR]

Timing chain tensioner failure will be followed by diesel sounds at idle in drive, thanks to plastic usage. You will know when this breaks for sure. Go for the aftermarket metal ones if these fail. I'd highly recommend finding the broken plastic pieces before the oil pump sucks it up.

I thought the V6 didn't having tensioner problems? If you meant the V8, they're not aftermarket, they're upgraded (just to clarify). 00-most 02s have plastic. Late 02s and all Gen2 V8s came with the metal-bodied tensioners

 

[GoFar]

Yeah I discovered them completely worn after I had installed my engine back and ready to put on the valve cover back on (this was about 8 months ago). It's been like this for longer, but hasn't caused any serious problems (other than the occasional stalling and lean condition). If I had to be honest, my V6 is the worst running V6 out there, but it keeps running and I literally have no idea how.

 

[Telco]

Okay I got the coils yesterday. As far as plugs I assume replace with OEM that came in it, is this correct?
Thanks

NGKs platinum tips are good, or you can use Motorcraft platinum tips. I would stay away from any of the gimmick plugs with the multiple ground leads, rings, ect. Don't use the spark plug gap measuring tool to adjust as this will damage the platinum tip. They make a gapping tool for this job.