Very stressed LS Owner, Please will someone help???

[Early Bird]

Hi I'm new to this forum, can anyone help a fellow LS owner/lover out?

Presently,...

1. My car is Misfiring both on idle and while driving especially if i'm idling with the air conditioner on.
2. It sounds like I have an exhaust leak, I here rattling in the exhaust as well. Just sounds horrible, like a mo-ped
3. I feel a loss of power totally with the car.
4. My tranny clunks sometimes when shifting, especially when decelerating.
5. All these problems and no CEL. What the hell man?

2004 Lincoln LS V6

 

[LeaSr77]

As for the idling issue it appears to me you might have a or some coils going bad.

 

[Early Bird]

As for the idling issue it appears to me you might have a or some coils going bad.

I've taken the car to Lincoln service for this 3 times in the span of 6 months, I think it's something else cause when they replace the so called bad coils a few weeks ago, as soon as I left the shop, the car was misfiring... It's gotta be something else no?

 

[exceptionaLS]

This sucks man....but contrary to popular belief, the dealer does not know all

 

[Early Bird]

I feel like they know what the problem is, it's just the mechanics are to lazy to actually fix it...It's much easier for them to just change out bad coils, clear a CEL and call it a day, know what I mean? It doesn't phase them that i'll be back next week to diagnose my misfiring... "Hey what do you know? bad coils again! We'll just go right ahead and change those for you no charge..." Bad coils every month? Impossible!!! If anyone knows a good trustworthy mechanic in the NYC or Westchester area, please feel free to PM me.

 

[chocolat1701]

wich dealership do you go in NYC, i go to manhattan auto ford on 55th and 11th ave, when i had bad coils they took care of them but what they dont tell you they can only replace the ones that failed the stress test not all the 6 coils, i went in 3 times with this issue first 2 coils then i did 3 more coils and then the reamaing 3 whent out, but the service tech told me this was going to happen, and ass far as the raddling on the exaust, that means that your cats are going bad as a result of bad goils, oil and gas slip into the cats and kill them, they are covered 80k / 8years so tell them to take care of that. the tranny issue may fix itself after you take care of all the coils issues. if not the silenoid packs are going bad aswell so replace them too
that should cover all the issues.

 

[NYC LS8]

Could be the rubber hose for the PCV giving you fits. Ford sent letters out to the V6 owners that it's covered under a certain program number. I also posted a link to some good info on how to replace it. Do a search in this forum for "threads started by user" and type in my user name. I would have yourself or them check that hose and see if that's it. If not, you're gonna have to ride it out until a check engine light comes on telling them what coil is bad.

 

[Dukester]

that means that your cats are going bad as a result of bad goils, oil and gas slip into the cats and kill them, they are covered 80k / 8years so tell them to take care of that

The catalytic converters are covered for 8yrs / 80K miles?

 

[exceptionaLS]

When dealer mechanics mess with me I stomp my feet and make a big scene. Thats my best idea on how to get a dealership mechanic to do his job.

 

[Early Bird]

I'm going to arrange an appointment with Lincoln service on monday for tuesday. Hopefully they can fix this thing. It's a beautiful car, but I hate the problems it gives me. I would love to spend money on making it look nice then fixing it all the time. I'll keep you guys posted on what happens, wish me luck.

 

[milehighmikey]

Is your car out of warranty, Early?

The catalytic converters are ruined due to rich fuel riding through the engine unburnt due to bad coils, as stated above. The bad coils thing is just a crap shoot. The entire passenger's side of the engine should be changed at once, since they require a sheetload of work to get in and change even one of them. Along with their changing out, they should also change your plugs while they are in there. The transmission should return to normal once they fix the driveability issue from the coils. The exhaust leak noise is probably due to the clogged catalytic converter(s). It may be only on one side. make sure that there is not a huge puddle of oil in the spark plug holes, otherwise, the cycle will quickly repeat itself. The oil in the plug wells is not a common issue on V6 engines, but when I last changed coils on my V6, it did have a small amount of oil down there where the spark plug meets the head.

You are right, though. It would be far better to be dressing up the car instead of having to spend money on fixing it all the time. That would kind of imply that you are well past your 50K mile warranty. Hopefully, you still get the emissions system work done under its extended length of warranty period.

 

[SoonerLS]

The catalytic converters are covered for 8yrs / 80K miles?

There's a Federal 8-year/80,000 mile warranty on emissions systems (actually, there are two--a defects warranty and a performance warranty) that covers quite a few of the car's emissions-related components. You really need to RTFM to see what is covered, but it does include the cats--and the PCM.

 

[decibels5]

bad coils, do it yourself, cheap gas, put premium, if your lucky, just a motor or transmission mount of some sort.

 

[rickztahone]

i'm not sure if anyone mentioned this but what about the VCG? maybe the oil is seeping into the wells and that's causing the coils to fail as well as clogging up the cats which i know someone mentioned. i was just glancing through posts so if they did mention this i'm sorry. but definitely worth a shot, unless the V6's are not prone to bad VCG's.

 

[LongIslandLSE]

i replaced the vcg's myself, worked like a charm

 

[n8bachelor]

I would not suspect the coils as the problem, no matter what the dealer tells you. While it is possible it is almost unheard of on the gen2 v6 engine. My suggestion would be to follow NYC LS8's advice and get that pcv hose checked. I own the same car as you and did indeed receive an extended warranty couverage letter from Ford. This could definately cause your idle problem and possibly the exhaust noise as well if excess unburned gas is entering the exhaust system. For your other problems I'll have to ask you a couple questions:
1. How long have you had your LS? The transmission in this car is fairly unique in its behavior. It takes some getting used to. Try unplugging the neg terminal on the battery for about 10 minutes. Once you have it unplugged depress the brake peddle a couple of times. When the battery is disconnected the car's "learning" function on the tranny will be reset and it will re-learn your style of driving.
2. How many miles on your LS? Has it ever had the transmission fluid chnaged or solinoid replaced? The fluid change interval is a highly debated topic on this site but for me 50k was time to have it flushed and replaced. The solinoid is a fairly common piece to replace on these cars as well. Mine was replaced at 20k miles (before I owned the car).
3. Do you run only premium gas (91+)? If you run regular the engine will not behave as designed. Use only what is recommended for fuel. As a personal preferance I avoid ethanol blends (10%) if possible.

One problem I experienced with my LS was the vaccum hose on top of the intake was lose. It would pop off at one end a couple oftimes and the car would miss and eventually die. This lose hose also caused a small amount of oil to drip down onto the exhaust manifold ... I could smell that through the ventilation system since it was right there next to the cabin filter. That does not sound like your problem but it is always good to check the hoses.

Welcome to LVC! I hope we can help.

Nate
04 LS v6 - "Black Beauty"

 

[Early Bird]

Is your car out of warranty, Early?.

Yes I'm out of warranty, my car is at 60K right now.

The catalytic converters are ruined due to rich fuel riding through the engine unburnt due to bad coils, as stated above.

I have a feeling this is correct. I'll be dropping the car off today at the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury Service center today in jamaica queens, NY. I'll speak to the service manager and actually show him this thread! Maybe he can talk one of the mechanics into actually fixing the real problem even if it's gonna take real work. I'm really appreciateing all the help you guys are giving me. Thanks alot. Like i said before, i'll keep you guys posted on what they tell me.

 

[Early Bird]

Post Lincoln

So I brought it to Lincoln Service in Jamaica Queens today Here's where I stand...

1. Coil #3 is bad and has to be changed... Told me it's not covered from the last ones they changed, he said i'm looking at 375 dollars for parts and work performed.

2. My telescoping steering wheel goes up and in, but not down and out. They told me they have to rebuild or install a whole new driving shaft/steering column. Told me i'm looking at around 1100 dollars for parts and work.

3. My Catalytic converters ARE bad, they said they're ordering new ones for it, and they'll call me when they come in. (Highly doubt they'll call or even order).

4. They told me I have a power steering leak in one of the lines, told me I'm looking at 1,200 dollars for parts and work. I looked at my power steering fluid level, it's fine and my steering feels fine.

Any comments are welcome.

 

[Early Bird]

PCV Hose

I forgot to tell you guys, i checked the last time I took the car to lincoln, they did replace the PCV Hose, but my car still misfires...

 

[Early Bird]

Okay, I just fixed my car my self, I orderd the Coil over plugs on ebay (6) for 136 dollars with shipping included, only bad thing was that 2 of them were the wrong ones but still saved alot of money. Ford wanted 100 dollars for each one...They (ford) replaced my whole exhaust system from the catalytic converters all the way to the exhaust tips (warranty covered). I replaced the cop's as well as changed the spark plugs to bosch platinums...So far, no more misfireing... Hopefully this thread will help someone in the future.

 

[rashard357]

had the same problem

Hi I'm new to this forum, can anyone help a fellow LS owner/lover out?

Presently,...

1. My car is Misfiring both on idle and while driving especially if i'm idling with the air conditioner on.
2. It sounds like I have an exhaust leak, I here rattling in the exhaust as well. Just sounds horrible, like a mo-ped
3. I feel a loss of power totally with the car.
4. My tranny clunks sometimes when shifting, especially when decelerating.
5. All these problems and no CEL. What the hell man?

2004 Lincoln LS V6

Last week my 2002 ls idle like that so i did a tune up still idle the same so while the engine was idling i started hereing this hissing like a very large vacuum leak turns out on the throttle body their's a vacuum hose that runs over to the back side of the engine for the emission system were i got a can of starter fluid and started to spray it in that area the engine tune change that's how i found that leak then i capped the hose off on the throttle boby the car ran perfect so i'm thinking i got a canister leak hope this info help

 

[Rewster]

I am a mechanic and have fixed dozens of fords every make and model when they have saperate coils its always the problem which deters me from buying motorcraft coils to replace them i bought a set of 8 for 150 on ebay changed them all its been fine now for 8 months also i agree check those valve cover gaskets while u r in there.