Well Ive had my LS for a little over a month and I have loved it so far. The only things I have done were KKM Intake, Thrush Mufflers,Denso Iridium Plugs. It has been running well for the time so far but this morning it just wanted to fight with me. Well on my way to work the CEL just started flashing for a little then went away. So now what is my next step? I had let the wife drive the car and she put gas in it for me, if she put in the wrong stuff would that have anything to do with it? Ever since she drove it, it has seemed a little sputtery. I am just kind PO'd because now I have to put work/money into it and havent even had it for more than a month...Well, what do you guys say to do?
Well Count me in with the misfire club
- Thread starter lsondubz
- Start date
kstanley71
LVC Member
Boost it
Go to the autopart store near you and get a bottle of octane boost, at least 4 points or so and put it in the tank that should help. Later, Kevin
Go to the autopart store near you and get a bottle of octane boost, at least 4 points or so and put it in the tank that should help. Later, Kevin
lsondubz said:
The funny thing about it is I bought a bottle of Gumout injector cleaner last night that I was going to run through anyway...The wife insists she put the right gas in but I dunno...I am going to get some octane boost I guess..what should I do like 2 or 3 bottles? Its just about half a tank or so...Should I do octane boost then run the tank down then put some 93 in there and wait to run the injector cleaner?
87 Octane = No
89 Octane = Had a few misfire problems
91 Octane= Recommended
93 Octane= What I run, car runs smooth, hasnt had a problem since.
Here's some things that might have happened from my own experience, I'm sure the pro's will step in if I'm wrong or forgot something.
-Leaking Valve cover gaskets, Blows the high voltage part of the spark plug wire, and ruins the wire. Ruins the spark plug too I believe.
-Just need a new spark plug.
-Or the not so often thought of, but the gas cap. As you did mention, your wife put gas in the car.
I also used Chevron Full System Cleaner, if you decide to use that, depending if it boosts octane or not, probably run it with 91. I'll tell you what though, I'm very glad all that is over. That phase just plain sucks.
Now I'm on the steering column knuckler and ball joint phase. Hopefully it's smooth sailing after that.
Tech Article by LSBIT shows you the oil in the spark plug well with the oil leakage inside. http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/tech/Lincoln-LS/Valve_Cover_Seal_Inspection/Valve-Cover-Seal.htm
Hope that helps, and good luck. I know it's a pain, but after it's all said and done, it's the best feeling in the world. :Beer
Also if you have a warranty, it should be covered under that + a 100 dollar deductible. And from my experience through the dealership, if it happens again, there should be a guarantee and warranty on the parts, so it's free of charge . Make sure they clean out the wells. Took them 3 times to get it right, but only a hundred bucks out of my pocket, for all the coils and plugs replaced. Plus a PCM reflash. Also word of advice with the warranty. If you have any other problems and are covered, do it all at one time. Just so you dont pay each time you go back.
89 Octane = Had a few misfire problems
91 Octane= Recommended
93 Octane= What I run, car runs smooth, hasnt had a problem since.
Here's some things that might have happened from my own experience, I'm sure the pro's will step in if I'm wrong or forgot something.
-Leaking Valve cover gaskets, Blows the high voltage part of the spark plug wire, and ruins the wire. Ruins the spark plug too I believe.
-Just need a new spark plug.
-Or the not so often thought of, but the gas cap. As you did mention, your wife put gas in the car.
I also used Chevron Full System Cleaner, if you decide to use that, depending if it boosts octane or not, probably run it with 91. I'll tell you what though, I'm very glad all that is over. That phase just plain sucks.
Now I'm on the steering column knuckler and ball joint phase. Hopefully it's smooth sailing after that.
Tech Article by LSBIT shows you the oil in the spark plug well with the oil leakage inside. http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/tech/Lincoln-LS/Valve_Cover_Seal_Inspection/Valve-Cover-Seal.htm
Hope that helps, and good luck. I know it's a pain, but after it's all said and done, it's the best feeling in the world. :Beer
Also if you have a warranty, it should be covered under that + a 100 dollar deductible. And from my experience through the dealership, if it happens again, there should be a guarantee and warranty on the parts, so it's free of charge . Make sure they clean out the wells. Took them 3 times to get it right, but only a hundred bucks out of my pocket, for all the coils and plugs replaced. Plus a PCM reflash. Also word of advice with the warranty. If you have any other problems and are covered, do it all at one time. Just so you dont pay each time you go back.
It's entirely possible that it was just bad gas; I had that happen to me once in my T-Bird. Until I drove out the bad gas, it ran OK most of the time, but incredibly poorly (sputtering, loss of power, etc) at other times.lsondubz said:
You could always siphon out the existing gas and replace it with good gas (hey, the Briggs engine in the lawnmower won't care about bad gas). I'm hesitant to pour chemicals into the gas tank, so I'd either siphon or just drive conservatively (it is a Lincoln, after all
) until the gas is gone.Really, though, you need to get the code read to see what the PCM is seeing that's causing it to throw the error. Without the code, you're just guessing.
Well when I changed the plugs about 850 miles ago to the Iridiums Plugs I didnt see Any oil in the wells and the coil boots were completely dry not a spot of oil in site...Well I put in the 93 octane and gumout system cleaner and it has been running good so far..Took it out last night and drove it in the county got 27mpg and ran great...hopefully thats all it was...thanks
mharrison
Dedicated LVC Member
Well, I'm on my second tank of 87 octane with no problems that I've noticed. Car idles great, accelerates great, and holds a constant speed fine. I have to say that with gas prices, I'm pretty pleased by this!
Update: Well the car has been stuttering here and there, not too bad but yesterday the CEL came on, so I grabbed my little pocketscan and pulled the code...P0301 Missfire on Cyl 1...So, what do you think I should do? Should I swap out the coil on cyl 1 and see how it goes or just see if it gets worse/comes back...I have to take the car in to get the exhaust manifold gasket replaced because the local muffler shop doesnt want to mess with it...
lsondubz said:
I would swap it to #2 and see if the error moves, if you don't have a new coil to swap out with. I would at least do that. If the error comes back again as a P0301, then you know you have an injector or other problem with cylinder #1.
Well I was thinking either do the swap or just get a new coil to put in because the idle is still rough a little and the code did come back again today...I erased it again with the pocketscan so I dont know if I even want to mess with the swapping or just replace the coil...How much for a new coil?
Dartastic
Dedicated LVC Member
lsondubz said:
Kids.... Swap the coil and the spark plug.... and even the spark plug wire! Why take a chance. And any sputtering is bad period. It will only get worse with time. Small problem not fixed turns into a big problem. BTW I might have missed it but I dont see what year and engine you have.
I have an 00 V8...Already swapped the plugs with Iridiums as listed above...how would you recommend replacing a spark plug wire if they dont exist on this car? I am going to buy 2 coils I think just to have a spare around in case of future failure since it is known to happen and replace the #1 right away...Who to buy from? There is some floating on ebay OEM Replacements for 40 a piece with 10 for shipping...anyone here sell em for a better deal?Dartastic said:
Dartastic
Dedicated LVC Member
lsondubz said:
LOL!! Sorry... Im an old fashioned V8 guy. Had my LS 6 months and only lifted the hood once. Good luck.
Well i am just trying to find out where to buy the coils...I looked at Checker and they had this:
Niehoff Ignition FF187 : 49.99
GP Sorensen GC448 $50.99
GP Sorensen GC456
Supercedes GC448; $63.99
Dont know Sh*t about these brands so should I just get OEM or has anyone found any better ones?
Niehoff Ignition FF187 : 49.99
GP Sorensen GC448 $50.99
GP Sorensen GC456
Supercedes GC448; $63.99
Dont know Sh*t about these brands so should I just get OEM or has anyone found any better ones?
JES_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
mharrison said:
I guess your are lucky (either that or you don't ever really push your LS)
My wife got confused at a local station where they don't speak english and she forgot that 93 octane premium was silver, gold was 89. She only got a couple of gallons in a mostly empty tank.
The car ran like it had crap for about a week, hesitating like mad and generally dragging its wheels.
I filled it up with 93 octane, intending to add injector cleaner when I got home, but with in about two miles it was running great again.
My wife was terribly embarassed because I asked her what gas she bought again and again, before she realized it and felt guilty. After having the supercoupe motor blow head gaskets from the wrong gas, she does know better.
lsondubz said:
When in doubt, get OEM. You should be able to talk them into a discount, or order from one of the online Ford stores. I spent $38.00 or so from Advanced auto and Oreily's. I think one of mine was GP.
Dartastic:You'll find that these cars are different from about any other car in almost every way. Cooling system, ignition, electronics, to even ball joints. Nothing about this car is old school. But...then again, I don't miss tuning carbs either.
2001LS8Sport
Dedicated LVC Member
lsondubz said:
Did you clear the codes first? Or is it your old code still popping up?
BTW...
Niehoff Ignition is a pretty decent company...but I would shy away if I could.
GP Sorensen is Standard Motor Products and is the leading aftermarket ignition supplier in the world. They have an excellent quality reputation and it's not unheard of to get factory Motorcraft parts in their boxes. They outsource them if they haven't tooled up their manufacturing yet. But if you can get Motorcraft for cheaper, why look elsewhere?