Recent content by jasond

Located near Gettysburg PA. 02 Lincoln LS V6 Sport, 85k mi., CLEAN

Now that you mention, our '03 Windstar had a problem where the instrument cluster would go haywire. I finally pulled up the carpet and cleaned the dash grounds -- van was fine after that (we called that van Eeyore.) Glad you reminded me of this.

Hmmm... interesting. Is that a canned procedure of some kind? Can't say that I tried it. Basically, seems like the wipers do not work for 2-3 minutes when I first start the car. When I replaced the clock spring, I did notice an unused male plug hanging, but did not know what it was for. I...

Mine are doing this as well... anyone ever run into this?

Haha. You are in Canada, eh? Those are the guys that make up the band Rush. Not that it has anything to do with Lincolns, mind you.

Thanks man. Tell Geddy, Alex, and Niel that I said hi.

Thanks for everyone's input. After consulting with you guys, I am going to ignore the shops recommendation to rebuild at this time. I just drove it about 35 and it drove beautifully. That said, I still think it makes sense to do some preventative maintenance. I am going to replace the shift...

Thanks. I may consider going this route.. I rebuilt an NP435 (4 spd w/ granny) a few years ago, so doing what you are describing should be doable. I do have ratcheting wrenches... in the Air Force we called them dog bones.

Yeah, he says he is familiar with this trans. He only charged $60 for the diagnostic -- pulled the codes, dropped the pan, refilled the fluid. That is a VERY reasonable price, and one of the upsides to living in bumblef*ck. The downside to living in bumblef*ck is that it is impossible to find...

Yeah, I was kind of thinking that actually. I had our Windstar at Gettysburg trans a few years ago, service was fine, IMO. The one I am looking at is Millers transmissions in Hunterstown. I have been there a few times and I find him to be an honest guy that won't do unneeded work. For $1500...

It's a reputable shop. I live in a very quiet rural area so it is not unusual to find things for very reasonable prices.

02 LS V6, very clean, 76k miles. Throwing a P0745 and a P0795 once the trans heats up. Seems to not want to shift into 4th and/or 5th gear (i think... I do know it's holding a lower gear). Works fine when cold. I was hoping to get away with routine service plus a solenoid pack and a shift...

I used the new nuts that came with the MAS tie rod ends.... they are what came loose.. :-/

Sounds like you and I are in a pretty similar boat. I have been debugging a 2002 LS V6, 76k miles, that I paid a grand for. Put over $1000 into the suspension and brakes alone, although that included a set of Eibach springs I got from Ebay, along with powerstop drilled and slotted rotors...

The DEW98 is a very stiff and still modern platform. Panel gaps would not just appear -- although I suppose that if some of the rubber is shrinking, that could account for a perception of this.