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Advice for 2000 Lincoln LS Owner ?

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Posted by: PaulJK

Two days ago I went to a dealer to look at a 97 Jaguar XJ6 and bought a 2000 Lincoln LS (V8 / 5 speed auto) instead.

The car looks like new with no signs that anyone even sat in the back seat. I'm the 2nd owner and found the original manuals in the factory leather case in the glovebox. All the messages are clear and it looks like all the current maintenance has been done. It has about 106k miles, but runs like a charm and gave me 26.7 mpg on the 49 mile ride back home (cruise control set at 70 mph).

Only 1 thing gives me concern - it sounds like something is bumping in the front when I run over a bump / speed bump. Perhaps a wheel bearing or steering bushing ? The car tracks like an arrow and has absolutley no vibration or loose-ness (?) of any kind; just the occassional noise.

Are there any problem areas I should look out for ? This car appears to be extremely well cared for, which gave me enough confidence to buy it with over 100k miles. I see recommendations in these threads recommending warranties, but I could only get a max of 1 year which would have been $1500

. The car is tight, everything works and I'm VERY happy so far.

If I keep the car properly maintained, what kind of miles can I expect to put on it before I need major engine or trans work ?

Thank You in advance.

Posted by: mholhut

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulJK

Two days ago I went to a dealer to look at a 97 Jaguar XJ6 and bought a 2000 Lincoln LS (V8 / 5 speed auto) instead.

That's decent mileage, but 49 miles is not really enough distance to get a true average MPG reading. It should fair pretty well although.

Quote:

Only 1 thing gives me concern - it sounds like something is bumping in the front when I run over a bump / speed bump. Perhaps a wheel bearing or steering bushing ? The car tracks like an arrow and has absolutley no vibration or loose-ness (?) of any kind; just the occassional noise.

My guess: swaybar busings or a swaybar link. The links shouldn't be a problem, but the swaybar bushings are very hard to access.

Quote:

Are there any problem areas I should look out for ? This car appears to be extremely well cared for, which gave me enough confidence to buy it with over 100k miles. I see recommendations in these threads recommending warranties, but I could only get a max of 1 year which would have been $1500

. The car is tight, everything works and I'm VERY happy so far.

With early model LS's you could hear a tick from the motor on cold starups... this is associated with exhaust manifolds that have a leak. There are also issues with the valve cover gaskets leaking oil into the spark plug wells. The coil-on-plug (COP) ignition units are crap and are prone to failure, causing misfires too. Just drop by and search the forums or ask any of us if you have a particular problem. But, like with every car, you'll get used to the small peculiarities of the LS.

Quote:

If I keep the car properly maintained, what kind of miles can I expect to put on it before I need major engine or trans work ?

I've owned my 2000 for almost 5 years now and just cracked 120,000 miles. I'm not sure what the highest mileage LS is out there, but with good care, she should last you for several years and many miles. Scheduled and preventative maintenance are key.

Posted by: bill5

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulJK

T
Only 1 thing gives me concern - it sounds like something is bumping in the front when I run over a bump / speed bump. Perhaps a wheel bearing or steering bushing ? The car tracks like an arrow and has absolutley no vibration or loose-ness (?) of any kind; just the occassional noise.

Pretty common issue with 2000's. I had mine fixed under warranty. Can't recall the exact part that they replaced. Perhaps someone here can give more detail.

Posted by: steagle

with the auto LS, definitely pay attention to your transmission, as the valve cover gasket leak which is common with 2000-2002 LS's will cause misfires eventually. the overall quality of the transmission is questionable, so i've learned the key is babying it strategically... like you're on 22"s haha... try not to gun it all the time (though it's an addictive temptation) and enjoy the luxury ride. i want to extend the life of my LS as long as possible too, so like others said, routine maintenance and a constant "sense" of the car's health is essential. the observant driver will do well in a car like this.

by the way there are many LS owners here who have done the switch from luxury to performance-oriented rides, which is a nice option on this car. ride in style or take it to the race track. the suspension and aerodynamics are all quite out of line for Ford sedans. truly more of a "european" handling and in my opinion the first legitimate Lincoln in years.

welcome to the club and don't be afraid to ask questions here, there is much knowledge going around.

Posted by: lseguy

Good choice on cars.

Most common issues have most likely already been addressed by the previous owners. Rear window regulators most likely have already failed and been replaced.

If you notice slight smoke coming from the windshield wiper area once your engine gets warmed up, it's oil leaking past the valve cover gaskets. If you have any engine misfire or stuttering, most likely cause is the Coil Packs failed, due most likely to the oil leaking past the valve cover gaskets. If you have none of this? Good chance it's failed, and been addressed.

If not? Nothing life shattering, as all are repairable, with how to's on this very site somewhere.

The transmission isn't the smoothest or most responsive in the world, but in general, it's maintenance free and sturdy. Not many failed tranny's that I've heard of.

The 3.9 liter V8 is stout. Strong block and head.

With proper maintenance, these cars are seeing over 150k miles easily..and then some.

Posted by: pbslmo

Congrats on your purchase. I have a 2000 V6 with only 80000. I havn't had much problems with the car but I have with the Stealership. Don't let them tell you - you have to live with squeaky brakes. I was gotten for over $800.00 to stop my squeaky, and i'm fighting them to get some money back.

I too have the clunky sound up front over bumps, will have that taken care of after the fight over the brakes. But the window regulator was only $100.00 because of the warrenty, (free rental of a 07 towncar too)

Good luck

Posted by: PaulJK

Thanks everyone. I was almost wishing I had bought a lower mileage car, but after thinking about it, I'm glad with what I have. Since this was a 1 owner car, I'm thinking that all the issues you guys have mentioned have been fixed

.

I did a little homework and found that the car only had one recall. It was 00V359001 put out on 11-24-00 and affected cars built between 08-18-98 and 09-29-00.

Summary: Dealers will inspect the torque on the 2 ball joint attaching nuts. Vehicles with loose ball joint attaching nuts will either have the fasteners tightened to spec, or if necessary, the ball joints will be replaced.

Hummmm, I wonder if my car ever had the recall done ?

Otherwise, the only thing I noticed is that sometimes the trans indicator lights by the shifter don't come on at night. Is there an easy fix for this ?

I think I may upgrade the stereo but it really isn't too bad as-is. Chrome wheels would be nnice but I don't wanna mess up my gas mileage; it's settling in to around 22 mpg.