Devin's 06 LS - Round 2

DeviLSh

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Hello everyone, I wanted to introduce myself on here and create a thread to help document and share the ownership of my recently purchased 2006 LS. I have been posting around a bit here and there in the last couple of months, otherwise I was an active member from about 05-07, back when I had my first Lincoln LS. Yes - I am crazy, like many of you, and bought a second LS. Some 7 years later I am back here on LVC, and ready more than ever to get back into one of my favorite cars of all time.

Quick back story: When I was in high school I had done some light research on what my first car would be. I was a huge car guy, always have been and my friends at the time were big into imports, and muscle cars. I wanted something different, and my parents said I could what ever car I wanted to.....Caveat being I had to pay for it myself. I was around a variety of influences but knew my desire to take the less beaten path meant I would need something nobody else had, or would guess that I could own. Enter my early obsession with the LS. After I started researching I realized how underrated the car was. It had this marauder/5series/classy yet aggressive vibe and after test driving my first one, I was hooked. At 17 I got into a 2001 LS V8 Sport, black on black. I kept that car throughout high school and throughout the first year and a half of college. The car made a HUGE impression on me and I have never been able to forget it. It was my first car, so i learned a lot about modifications, upkeep, driving a RWD vehicle, etc. Over the course of ownership my love for the car blossomed and I added a few things. Which made the car a little more respected when friends/outsiders would encounter it. As you all probably know - the car is not a rocket, but it will surprise people from time to time, and its mix of driving feel, timeless looks, and performance make a great overall car. I ended up getting rid of it in the fall of '07 to "save on gas" and sold it to a guy who bought it on the spot. The car was later t-boned and totaled out. (the owner called me 1.5 years later to tell me he loved it up until the day he had to leave it).

The car had an XCAL2 tune, Magnaflow CBE w/ res delete, LSK intake with stock airbox, K&N, custom cold air tube to feed box, 3.58 diff from an '00, Eibachs, gen1 LSE wheels, Tint, Kenwood, gen2 fogs, painted surround, and mclaren grille. Some other small bits here and there. I loved it to death and enjoyed taking it to the strip. Best pass was 14.6 - before the diff and intake changes made. (who knows if that helped or not). My favorite thing to do was chirp the tires b/w 1-2 with the Torrie tune. The car was so unique.

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Shortly after the LS I got into a mk4 jetta 1.8t 5spd. While the LS was "better" that Jetta literally was the gateway to my future. Entering the VW world was a great experience, and I stayed there for a long time, as a matter of fact - I am still in it. My soon to be wife and I currently have a a mk4 GTI and a '10 Vw CC. Both manual, and both great cars. My budget jetta turned into a project car, and really expanded my horizons in the car world. I became a DIY'er, A photographer, and a member of a great community. (I even met my now fiance on the VW forum: vwvortex) After the jetta became more of a weekend warrior I got into a passat when I graduated school, and when it came time to leave the nest, I parted out the Jetta to help fund the next steps of life. Last March (2015) I sold the Passat and got into a brand new 2015 Audi A3 - which just until recently was sold to a family member. If you are curious about these vehicles - search the name "DBVeeDB" on vwvortex.com, where i have some timeline threads there for each car. Why tell you all this? Not sure... but I guess the point I want to get across is I have a respect for all cars. Not just American, german, 4cyl/V8, turbo or NA. I am a true car guy. And through this entire life changing VW process, I never quite lost my love for the Lincoln LS. I always told myself I would get another one someday and "do a better job" of turning it into something great. I hate driving a stock car, but over the last decade my tastes, modding style, and ability have become more seasoned. Either way, I come into LS #2 a bit smarter, and a bit more informed. So I am excited to apply my evolved style and ownership to this next family member.

After some serious thought, I finally decided my next car would be an LS. Why not, I never stopped wanting one so I started looking. I wanted a gen2 LSE or an '06. No exceptions. I am a member of LLSOC as well and on a whim one night I posted there for the first time in years. Turns out a member I met years ago during my gen1 onwership, and while I was vacationing in FL was still around and active on the fourm, and happened to be selling an '06 with 70k on it. And it still had Ford ESP care on it! It had every option less rear heated seats, and was a Florida car, with a "mature" owner. It was the perfect car for me, and priced well. Fast forward to December '15 and the car was purchased and shipped to me here in IL. I had finally gotten the car I had lusted for for 6+ years. Before I knew it I was standing there watching a silver beauty come off this carrier. The nostalgia hit me right away, and my excitement for the car hasnt left me yet!

Enough words - Picture time!

Leaving FL
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Arriving:
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Off the trailer:
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Before I could get the car home (3min from where it was delivered) The bad luck started rolling in. This car left FL in perfect order, Thankfully my dad was able to test drive it for me out there and facilitate the transaction on my behalf, and even see it off. The car was inspected and serviced by the PO's local dealer, driven, looked over, etc. So I felt pretty good but still told myself "its a 10+ year old car, not just that but its a damn LS. It will not be perfect" When she started up on the trailer on that brisk 20 degree night, there was a squeak at idle from the belts. (Its just cold I told myself) So the car warmed up, i put my new plates on and got in to drive her home for the first time. As I drove off in the car it overheated within 1000ft. I shut it off and let it cool. No clouds, no hissing, no apparent leaks. I started it back up, turned the heat on, and putted home where it spent its first night with its hood up.

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I was upset - the car I waited 2 weeks to arrive after buying it already had a problem. Even worse is the typical coolant failure parts were JUST replaced back in FL (everything less degas). Being the forum lurker I am that is where I immediately looked for evidence of a leak. But all was good. I found coolant in three other places:

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Negligence by the previous dealer's coolant overhaul? Plastic didn't like the weather change? Did the carrier let the car overheat at some point during transport? Coincidental and awfully convenient part failure just in time for me? Who knows, but it didn't matter. I needed to get it diagnosed, and fixed so I could start enjoying her!

The car was serviced at a local dealer (still had coverage, so why not!). It was returned to me 7 days later and I finally got to get behind the wheel of an LS. The drive home was amazing... the car was MORE than I remembered, and being the first gen2 I had ever driven, the updates and new motor were a nice change. I got it home and immediately took some pictures to document the first day.

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Saw this and couldn't resist parking next to it. (Same paint code by the way!)
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In the days to follow I finally had some time to spend with the car so I started by removing the dash trim from the PO (it was a black wood adhesive style kit)Little heat, little goo gone, and about 6 hours of my time scraping away I was finally done. MUCH BETTER, And to my surprise only the center-upper dash vent trim was chipped. Rest was in good shape even after the beating i put it through removing the trim.

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Next up was the exterior pinstriping from the original dealer. They were painted on...... Clearcoat and finish weren't too bad underenath to my surprise. I was expecting the worst.

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After: (4.5 hours total time spent)
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Which brings me to today - I have put ONE tank of gas in it since its arrival, and its back at the dealer getting its next repair. Late Monday night (when it was in the negatives) the car started up fine but I noticed a strange noise on cold start (think of a shoe in the dryer thumping around as it rotates). It quickly subsided but as I walked to the front of the car to determine the source of the noise I noticed a puddle underneath the front right corner. ATF (or PS) fluid was dripping, and a decent amount. I got the car home and collected some fresh fluid, and snapped a pic:

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Now let me be clear - I am always willing to get my hands dirty, but if I have the ESP care, might as well use it right? So I took some notes, and off i went to late night drop off. Spoke to the tech today and he thinks its a slow leak that resulted from the cold temps. (remember this car's first 10 years were in sunny FL) I am not convinced yet its just a contraction expansion issue, but am waiting to hear the final diagnosis. That brings me to TODAY. I decided to cure the itch of missing the car already, that I would come on here and spill all my thoughts into Post #1 of this thread. Killing two birds with one stone by introducing myself and getting caught up with my first month of ownership on my second LS.

I plan on using this thread as means to document my ownership, share the experience, and hopefully, be of inspiration or help to others. I believe in good car communities and am happy to be given a second opportunity to own one of these cars, and share it here on LVC. I have been following a lot of the member's builds here over the years, so forgive me in advance if I come on too strong to some of you.

I want to thank a few on here now for providing me some inspiration and motivation to buy this LS over the years. Mainly - cammerfe, Alax7, Mark, BigRig, g-rell, EZair(mike), dwiggy, and many others. When I was on here last, Rob (ILLS) was pretty active, as was Jason (02LSElhhafdjafdgjfgj.....) but they seem to be long gone. I remember donating my original 3.31 rear-end to Rob for developing Jason's 4.10 swap. Its great to see so many members from back then still here, and hopefully you are all willing to welcome me back. I am also looking forward to getting to know those who were not around when I was and meeting a whole new wave of LS owners.

I wont go into my plans for the car just yet, as I want to get more seat time and take it slowly- enjoy the ride if you will. I have wanted it for so long that I have a lot of ideas, and haste makes waste. So I want to iron out any more issues it has transitioning to me and this climate. And go from there. I will say the the stock exhaust note is lacking, so that needs to be addressed asap. Otherwise, it will remain a daily driver (not off to a good start) until I get married and settle. Then it may go under the knife for something a little different. Until then, feel free to comment or advise me, I certainly do not know it all and wouldn't be on here if I did.

Longest first post ever? Thanks for reading - sorry for the biography. Looking forward to getting reacquainted.

-Devin
 
One final comment - I am aware of the their rarity, but if anyone has a line on a McLaren Grille or a set of Gen2 LSE (all-red) tails - please let me know. I have been on the hunt for quite some time. I would even be willing to trade my current tails plus cash for a set of the LSE's.
 
Looks clean. And nice garage btw!

yea that looks like a power steering hose or reservoir let loose.
 
You're a good writer, I read every bit of that! Good luck with the car.
 
One final comment - I am aware of the their rarity, but if anyone has a line on a McLaren Grille or a set of Gen2 LSE (all-red) tails - please let me know. I have been on the hunt for quite some time. I would even be willing to trade my current tails plus cash for a set of the LSE's.

There's a grille or two that pop up every once in a while on the "Lincoln LS Enthusiasts" Facebook page/group. Usually in the $150 range. Lots of people make claims on them, but people rarely bring the money ("just give me til next month"). You could use cheap red tint to hold you over until you find real LSEs

Anyway, it's cool to see someone come back to the LS and at least have the knowledge to back up their ambition

Clean car. What did you use to remove the painted on pin stripe?

I'm obviously not OP, but if it's any help, I used an "eraser" wheel (it's made out of eraser rubber) on a drill to remove my tape pinstripes. The stripes came off alright, but I probably need a good polishing to get the last of the marks off. The paint was faded around them, so now I have darker black pinstripes instead of gray and silver. The biggest issue, though, is that a significant portion of the car was resprayed at some point and they used the stripes as tape-off lines, so when I removed them, I found I now have a hefty lip where the newer clearcoat stops
 
Looks clean. And nice garage btw!

yea that looks like a power steering hose or reservoir let loose.

Thanks - its a townhome so I have to be smart about storage, but my last place had street parking only so I am loving it. Tech just got back to me today, he is ordering P/S lines that feed the cooler. So it sounds like the cold temps or transition have allowed a small leak.

You're a good writer, I read every bit of that! Good luck with the car.

Thanks! It makes me happy to know you read it. I tend to ramble, and I had a lot in my head I was trying to get out there. haha

Clean car. What did you use to remove the painted on pin stripe?

Goof-off, non aerosol can. After reading countless paint-pin removal threads and consulting a painter I know, I realized this made me the most comfortable. I had also used it before on auto paint so I wasn't scared. The label says you can use for sap and bugs on auto paint. Regardless, I taped off above/below the lines, and used dipped qtips to run over the stripes. I tried to minimize the amount of remover on the oem paint as possible. So far no signs of issues.

There's a grille or two that pop up every once in a while on the "Lincoln LS Enthusiasts" Facebook page/group. Usually in the $150 range. Lots of people make claims on them, but people rarely bring the money ("just give me til next month"). You could use cheap red tint to hold you over until you find real LSEs

Anyway, it's cool to see someone come back to the LS and at least have the knowledge to back up their ambition

Thanks, I signed up and will keep an eye out there, maybe throw a WTB up on there. I will say it here "cash in hand" haha. And I have seen the film and the spray for the tails, but I am fine with waiting for the real thing to come along. Thanks for the kind words, looking forward to the next few months as I progress with the car. Its a busy time at work for me right now, but come spring I should have some decent updates.
 
Got the car back yesterday. The leak was from where the PS line(s) meets the cooler. The tech replaced the ear-style clamps and the leak has minimized. Parts are on order from Ford, but nowhere to exist it seems. So I have the car for the time being, until the new pre-bent hoses turn up. I have not noticed any drops where I parked the last 24 hours. Perhaps this is a temperature dependent issue.

In the meantime, I did some interior detailing this weekend. Cleaned/conditioned the leather, hours of vacuuming, and I ditched the label on the KKM filter adapter as it was bubbling/Faded. Cleaned up some other engine bay areas and replaced the vac line kit at the front of the manifold. One line was cracked - so that's fixed now.

I purchased a 3M headlight resto kit as well, will probably get to that next. Looking to debage the rear emblems, and eventually convert the chrome portion of the upper grill to black in order to match the bottom. (unless I find that unicorn Mclaren first!)

Left is before treatment, right is after
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(I know I am missing a louver on the upper/center right vent, its on order)
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Old and new Lines: (old set was very very brittle)

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Brakes are squeaking a bit when I first get on them, then they stop after a few seconds. Will have to take a look. I believe the rotors have been turned by the PO, but never replaced. I am sure when the wheel comes off I will see some more things to replace.

Few questions I would like to ask:
1) I will be ordering a cabin air and fuel filter soon. Looking to buy motorcraft. Any reason I should avoid that brand? Or is there an LVC favorite brand out there for each?
2) Does anyone offer door seal replacements? (see pic)

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3) Has anyone successfully re-wrapped or reupholstered the LS seats? Wondering if the perforation adds complication or feasibility here.
4) I need to reread M4rk's thread, but I want to do an LED interior conversion. Looking for a full list of whats needed for every bulb. I will keep searching for this! If someone has a link handy, I would appreciate it.
 
Any brand you can find for the cabin air filter should be fine. The last time I checked (years ago), the Motorcraft filter was overpriced.
 
I was secretly hoping you would chime in, Joegr. Thanks! I am coming from the VW/AUDI world, so while MC stuff is pricey, i am somewhat desensitized haha. (not bragging, in reality it is sad)
 
If you paint the grille chrome, please make it body color. Black grilles on non-black LSes look like dog noses

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The LEDs shouldn't really be hard at all. I think Gen 2s use 6x 168 bulbs in the roof and I'm guessing two more in the foot well (we have lights there, right?). You can get cheap but probably unreliable LEDs on eBay, compare reviews on Amazon or superbrightleds, or go a little pricier and look at VLEDs or The Retrofit Source. I haven't seen the faint glow yet since I still have some regular bulbs, but I think the solution was to just use a ~4k Ohm 1/2W resistor in parallel with one of the bulbs. Just a small resistor from Radioshack (if they're still in your area) or on eBay for a couple bucks
 
Only four lights in the roof (not counting the tiny bulbs in the vanity mirrors). These work really well in the map lights: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HE6DRJE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
I think they would be too bright for the foot wells, but they will fit there. There is an ever so faint glow from my foot well lights, but it works out to be just enough to see the white parts of my dog laying on the floor on the passenger side.
 
Frank, I would only do the vertical bars, but the oem grille's border is silver, so That will stay silver. The pic you posted is indeed - a little distasteful IMO. I like the paint matched border so that will stay. I just don't care for the vertical chrome bars. Both on silver, and on the 06, there isn't much else on the car for that to match to.

Good to know on the interior bulbs, i figured they were wedge bulbs. Thanks for the heads up on the resistor.

What about License plate, puddle light, trunk and.... glovebox?
 
Only four lights in the roof (not counting the tiny bulbs in the vanity mirrors).

Oh, I thought all 4 grab handles had lights. Only the rears? I'm not sure why I thought I saw those lights up front. So are the fronts pretty much the same as Gen 1s, just a stationary leather wrapped metal handle?

Frank, I would only do the vertical bars, but the oem grille's border is silver, so That will stay silver.

Completely forgot it's an 06/LSE grille. Nevermind haha. In that case, I'd say go for plastidip because if the time ever comes, you can get a nice chunk of change for the LSE grille ($100+). But this is coming from someone who has ruined two grilles (so far) and is looking for a 3rd
 
Oh, I thought all 4 grab handles had lights. Only the rears? I'm not sure why I thought I saw those lights up front. So are the fronts pretty much the same as Gen 1s, just a stationary leather wrapped metal handle?...

Well, without walking out to look at it... I am pretty sure there are only three grab handles (none for the driver), and only the two rear ones have lights. They are folding with a neat damped response when you let go of them.
 
I am pretty sure there are only three grab handles (none for the driver),

I found one of the 500 Gen 2 changes that wasn't an upgrade! It was actually a surprise to find the driver had a handle. My dad's Explorer doesn't even given the drive a handle on the A-pillar like the passenger side. I guess they're asking you to yank on the steering wheel getting in
 
On the filters, IMO Wix oil and fuel filters are the best on the market today. Air filters, doesn't really matter. Wix are made by Dana Corp in the US, and on the oil filters they are made with metal end caps instead of cardboard like the crap filters.
 
I wanted to share with you guys a video of my cold start noise I am having. By cold start, I mean cold motor/car, but also, cold outdoor/ambient. The car will only make this noise when it is 20*F or below out, and for the first few seconds on its first startup in those conditions. Even if I start the car 5sec after the first start, it does not return again until it has rested for a while. After the 5-10 seconds, the noise subsides and all is normal. Every other morning in my garage (45-50*) it is fine and silent.

The belt is brand new, and you can see me feel the heater valve in the video. I can confirm I feel no vibration on that unit that correlates to the noise. However, I did visually observe what appears to be the belt shifting with the noise, but I didn't move my camera in enough time to capture it at the end of the video(where I pan towards the belts). Let me know if you guys have any thoughts as I continue my diagnosis. I will try to get a new video up of just the crank pulley/tensioner area as this is my next best guess.

VIDEO
 
What if you unplug the DCCV before startup? No noise then?
 
Hey DeviLSh, I am having the EXACT same noise on very cold starts on my 04 LSE as well.
I was under the impression it's the A/C compressor clutch or a pulley somewhere.

Same symptoms, only when really cold, goes away within 10 seconds.

Please keep me posted, I haven't had enough time to get right into it but want it resolved.



What if you unplug the DCCV before startup? No noise then?
Rather then pulling the connector off the DCCV, would pulling Fuse #1 underhood not yield same results?

Fuse #1 = DCCV (Although listed as A/C Clutch)
 
His video sounds pretty much like my DCCV did when it was in distress.
 
Odd I could have sworn the sound was coming from the right front area. Like I said, I have yet to still dig deep into this so I'm talking out my ear again here.

Now that this is on the go, I'd like to follow along and resolve my noise as well.
 
Thanks guys.

I will try the unplug method on the DCCV to confirm. But with my head very close to it, and my hand touching it I do not think it is the source. Noises bounce around though, so I will definitely confirm. The DCCV on this car is not original, so that also leads me to believe I *should* have some more time left on it. I will report back soon.

The noise makes me cringe :(
 
Yeah this noise started for me after or near when I had changed my coils and plugs, though I had a plug too long hitting the top of the piston. LOL

I'm going to have a look at it closer as well. I suspect the A/C compressor clutch off the belt system.
 

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