Hi all! So i went out looking for a used car and came across a 2003 lincoln ls 3.9 v8 with 110k and fell in love. Body,interior and engine looked awesome! one week after having the car i went to start it and it went right away into safe mode and had erratic idle.shut it off and started it back up and it started and drove normal but still had the engine light on although it dont blink it just stays on. everybody i bring it to says its something diffrent from coil packs,to valve cover gaskets to throttle body to spark plugs. it seems to only happen when it sits for awhile in the cold but i shut it off for a few minutes and it starts up and runs fine after.took it to autozone and the code came up p2107 throttle body but some people say other things coud throw off the throttle body so im at a loss.problem #2 noticed my rear wheels are slightly inverted. top of tire is leaning in and bottom of tire is leaning out. a mechanic said i may need a camber kit(never heard of that) and someone told me i just need an alignment.problem #3 i have a fuel gauge error that comes up on my cluster where the status messages are. I truly love this car and want to get it back to top form but with so many diffrent opinions from diffrent mechanics i dont want to get ripped off in repairs.I want to keep this car and pass it down to my son when he comes of age because ifeel it can and will last that long...never felt a engine that felt so solid before.with that being said if anyone has had these problems before if you can give me some insight to what i may need to do will be very appreciated.happy to be a lincoln owner and will be even more happy when i get these issues resolved...thanks for your tme!
new here love my Ls but....
- Thread starter roysLS
- Start date
another note...ive tried reading similar threads first but most threads say their rough idle happens while driving or that it turns to normal after they start moving...mine just happens at start up and the eeratic idle and safe mode doesnt go away until i shut off the car and restart it a minute or so later.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
You need to start off by replacing all of the coils (use Motorcraft) and the spark plugs (be sure to set gap to 1.0mm). If you find oil in the plug wells, then you will need to replace the valve cover gaskets. You could search some threads on here to see why. This should fix your ETC problems. The fuel sender problem will still be there, probably. You'll likely have to replace one or the other of the two fuel senders. You'll need a good scan tool to figure out which one it is.
Check the rear sup suspension over really well for wear. I'll bet you need toe links and sway bar end links, but that's not why the tires are leaning in. If nothing else is worn, you may just need an alignment. You may already have the camber kits on there.
You're also probably going to need to replace most of the cooling system...
If you keep playing around with the coils, then you may end up needing new catalytic converters too.
Check the rear sup suspension over really well for wear. I'll bet you need toe links and sway bar end links, but that's not why the tires are leaning in. If nothing else is worn, you may just need an alignment. You may already have the camber kits on there.
You're also probably going to need to replace most of the cooling system...
If you keep playing around with the coils, then you may end up needing new catalytic converters too.
Thanks for the reply!!I checked the coils and they seemed fine.could find my spark plug socket so i wasnt able to check them but the wells seemed dirty and didnt notice any water or oil down in the spark plugs but then again i couldnt see all the way to the bottom of the plugs.. ill be sure to check the plugs...any certain plugs i should get?the car didnt come with a owners manual and the one i downloaded on here i didnt find anything about what type of spark plugs to use. i do think the coil packs are aftermarket ones as well. does local auto stores sell motorcraft coil pack or do i have to get it from the dealer?ill have to check the suspension today..just noticed it a coouple days ago and havent had time and wasnt driving the car so no extra harm was done...lastly what parts of the cooling do you suggest i replace? thanks again for your help and sorry about all the questions i just want to get this awesome car back in good condition is all.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
If you read some of the threads on here, you'll know that you didn't check the coils, because there is no way to check for the internal high voltage breakdown condition without the very expensive equipment needed to do a stress test. NGK plugs are good, and are what some 3.9s came from the factory with. Here are a couple of many places to get the COPs from. They are COPs (Coil On Plug), not coil packs. There is a difference.
http://www.fordpartsgiant.com/
http://www.tascaparts.com/
Recent thread on plugs: http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/fo...dvice-on-Spark-Plug-brand-grade&highlight=NGK
http://www.fordpartsgiant.com/
http://www.tascaparts.com/
Recent thread on plugs: http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/fo...dvice-on-Spark-Plug-brand-grade&highlight=NGK
Yeah. And don't take anything Joe advised lightly. Right now you seem to have misfiring issues. Don't cheap out because you'll regret it very soon. Purchase a whole set of Motorcraft OEM cop's and plugs. It will run you anywhere from $400-$600 depending on how you find your deals etc. This should address your rough idle, shaking, etc alerts and whatnot.
And soon enough you will fall victim of overheating. You then will need to freshen up your entire cooling sstem and it isn't cheap. You need to use OEM parts there too. It will run you $500-$750 or so assuming you do all the labor yourself. These are repairs I can guarantee you will have to make. So if your love is still genuine after the afterthought of $1250 or so in already required maintenance... then welcome to LvC.
And soon enough you will fall victim of overheating. You then will need to freshen up your entire cooling sstem and it isn't cheap. You need to use OEM parts there too. It will run you $500-$750 or so assuming you do all the labor yourself. These are repairs I can guarantee you will have to make. So if your love is still genuine after the afterthought of $1250 or so in already required maintenance... then welcome to LvC.
i did check the coil on plug,im not a mechanic and assumed they were called coil packs. its one bolt for each cylinder and you pull it out. i checked all 8. thought i might have seen oil or water on the coils but found none and i know that doesnt mean there isnt any on the plugs but like i said i could find my plug socket. as far as the car i only paid $2500 for it so if i have to drop another $2500 i think the car is worth it,like i said before it is very clean inside and out. i knew id encounter some repairs but wasnt sure what kind. i guess im finding out.thanks again for the help,this was starting to give me a headache but atleast now im pointed in the right direction. ill post a update soon,gonna get back under the hood in an hour or so.
The LS has a bit of rear negative camber and isn't adjustable; I think it's around 1/2° unless the car is lowered then it's closer to 1°.
You can't tell anything about a coil by looking at it; unless you're Superman and can see the internals.... Just replace all the coils and plugs (I used iridium plugs and am satisfied).
You can't tell anything about a coil by looking at it; unless you're Superman and can see the internals.... Just replace all the coils and plugs (I used iridium plugs and am satisfied).
No oil or deposits on spark plugs.wells were a little messy maybe from previous owner...cleaned them up with a rag the best i could. replaced plugs with ngk iridium gapped to 1.0mm and replaced all cop'swith motorcraft. A friend who work for a auto shop bought them from his shop for me and also reset the engine light. engine light came back on after the third time i started it and rough idle was back...turned off and turned back on and it was normal with the engine light still on. plugs looked a little worn so atleast i eliminated that by replacing the plugs and cop. $500 later and im back at square one.lol My friend from the auto shop cant figure out the problem either. He said maybe it was a vaccum leak or need a new throttle body and or sensor. Bringing it into his shop on monday so he hang hook up some better code scanners to it.Crossing my finger its not a big fix...Thanks for the help though guys. I feel more at ease with people that own or have owned this type of car.
cammerfe
Dedicated LVC Member
Welcome to you. There are many who are willing to offer info. Joegr in particular is a gold mine of information and always willing to help.
Some of us have chosen to 'hot-rod' our cars and look at things from a somewhat different perspective so you'll often be able to get a look from different perspectives.
Good Luck!!
KS
Some of us have chosen to 'hot-rod' our cars and look at things from a somewhat different perspective so you'll often be able to get a look from different perspectives.
Good Luck!!
KS
G-RELL
FULLY DIPPED LS
we went from "they look fine" to "ok I replaced them all" in four hours? or did i miss something...