HawleyTronics
May 12th, 2011, 02:42 PM
I have been reading this forum for a while now, but finally joined today.
I have a 2000 Lincoln LS 3.9L V8 with around 150k miles on it.
It has been in the shop a little over a year ago for timing chain tensioners. The mechanic was a friend and wasn't a certified Ford/Lincoln mechanic, but he said he could do the repair. Before I brought it to him, the car was experiencing a very rough idle, engine shaking, and what sounded like lifters tapping (top end).
After 20+ hours of labor and $1,800 later, he said he replaced the timing chain tensioners. The car was running much better, but not perfect. It still had a slightly rough idle and I was told it could be coils and/or plugs.
I have dealt with the slightly rough idle for about a year but now it seems to be running terrible again, worse even, than before I brought it to the mechanic last year.
I can't understand how a timing chain tensioner could go bad after a year, unless he didn't really change ALL of them like he said. Now the engine is idling very rough and shaking and the "lifter noise" sounds loud and terrible!
The funny thing is, the car runs smooth and fine when I drive it, the lifter noise quieting down a bit while driving, but when I stop it is loud again and car shakes a bit with the rough idle.
What the hell is going on? This is really upsetting me because I keep asking myself why I love this car and why I am almost willing to drop some more $ into it to fix it yet again.
I am planning on pulling the valve covers this weekend to see if I can shed some light on the issue. Will I be able to tell if the timing chains are loose by pulling just the valve covers? I am assuming it may be a tensioner gone bad (or one that was never replaced when I was told it was).
It figures, I just completed a website job and scored around $850 but I paid some bills and upgraded my cell phone (to HTC Evo 4g) but if I knew this baby was gonna get very "sick" again, I would have saved the cash to put into it.
Frustrating!! I need to figure this out and hopefully not cost me another arm and leg. :mad:
I have a 2000 Lincoln LS 3.9L V8 with around 150k miles on it.
It has been in the shop a little over a year ago for timing chain tensioners. The mechanic was a friend and wasn't a certified Ford/Lincoln mechanic, but he said he could do the repair. Before I brought it to him, the car was experiencing a very rough idle, engine shaking, and what sounded like lifters tapping (top end).
After 20+ hours of labor and $1,800 later, he said he replaced the timing chain tensioners. The car was running much better, but not perfect. It still had a slightly rough idle and I was told it could be coils and/or plugs.
I have dealt with the slightly rough idle for about a year but now it seems to be running terrible again, worse even, than before I brought it to the mechanic last year.
I can't understand how a timing chain tensioner could go bad after a year, unless he didn't really change ALL of them like he said. Now the engine is idling very rough and shaking and the "lifter noise" sounds loud and terrible!
The funny thing is, the car runs smooth and fine when I drive it, the lifter noise quieting down a bit while driving, but when I stop it is loud again and car shakes a bit with the rough idle.
What the hell is going on? This is really upsetting me because I keep asking myself why I love this car and why I am almost willing to drop some more $ into it to fix it yet again.
I am planning on pulling the valve covers this weekend to see if I can shed some light on the issue. Will I be able to tell if the timing chains are loose by pulling just the valve covers? I am assuming it may be a tensioner gone bad (or one that was never replaced when I was told it was).
It figures, I just completed a website job and scored around $850 but I paid some bills and upgraded my cell phone (to HTC Evo 4g) but if I knew this baby was gonna get very "sick" again, I would have saved the cash to put into it.
Frustrating!! I need to figure this out and hopefully not cost me another arm and leg. :mad: