Newbie with terrible misfires and hard starting

[Trackfactory]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum. Just purchased a 2000 LS V8 for my son in college. Car ran very strong. I insisted he take the car for an oil change as soon as possible. A day after the oil change the car suddenly was very hard to start, and when it did, it idled extremely rough and would shut off if I gave it gas or tried to put it in drive.

I have been reading up on the threads about the coil packs, spark plugs, rings and valve cover gasket. We got a three month warranty on the engine and trans so I figure we will take it to the local mechanic.

My question is, how hard is it to get to the plugs and the coils, and how difficult is it to change the valve cover gasket. I saw some here saying the passenger side is more difficult than the driver side. I am a DYI handyman with cars. I've changed the plugs on my old Infiniti Q45 and my 98 Audi A8, so I think I can tackle the job. is there any instructions available that I can follow?

Thanks so much in advance. I'm sure I will be utilizing this forum often now that my son is driving the LS. He loves it (for the short time it ran).

 

[stugots]

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/tech/Lincoln-LS/IgnitionCoilV8/
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/tech/Lincoln-LS/SparkPlugV8/
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/tech/Lincoln-LS/Valve_Cover_Seal_Inspection/Valve-Cover-Seal.htm

 

[jjcool00]

It is not difficult to change the coils, there are several write up's. You can go to google.com and type in site:lincolnvscadillac.com Lincoln ls change coils and im sure it will yield plenty of results.

Here's one link I found - http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/tech/Lincoln-LS/Coil-Replacement/

 

[stugots]

I'm sure your coils are bad, but it's probably only part of the problem.. Sounds like something else.

 

[joegr]

I'm sure your coils are bad, but it's probably only part of the problem.. Sounds like something else.

I agree. Check all the vacuum and intake plumbing as well.

 

[98cobraLSC]

When u do the coils.. Do them all and put all new plugs... Dont change one or 2... Check the connections on the pcm... Make sure they are tight and no corrosion... Change fuel filter too.... Wouldnt hurt to do a seafoam treatment either... Take a deep breath... You can do it... We are all here to help you...

 

[RigsLS]

... insisted he take the car for an oil change as soon as possible. A day after the oil change the car suddenly ...

And this is why one should avoid them jiffy quicky lubby places, someone probably leaned on something and broke some plastics.
Worse case scenario they topped up the Engine Coolant hydraulic fan reservoir with actual coolant.


Like Joegr said, check the entire intake system, I would add to check the Mass Airflow sensor connection as well.
Problem described doesn't sounds Coils specific. Possible bad air to fuel mixture. Checked CEL codes with a reader if any ?
Verify the air box got locked down correctly, they probably had it open to check (upsell?) the air filter.

It's sucking too much air! (IMO)

 

[Trackfactory]

Thanks everyone for the valuable info.

I pulled the plugs on the driver side and noted no oil on the plugs, but several of the plugs were black. The valve cover gaskets look tight and free of oil as well. Now I'm a bit worried about a deeper problem with this engine. Got new plugs and coils that I will install, but thinking I may need to take the car in for a compression test.

 

[joegr]

Yes, you may have a jumped chain.