My 2001 Lincoln LS 3.9L V8 will make you green with envy...

Gearheadloco

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Hi LS fans,

When I was a kid I helped my greatest generation Dad (honorably discharged from the Navy a month before December 7th 1941 and promptly re-enlisted!) who was the best auto mechanic in the world, bar none. Well that's what I thought at age 12. For as long as I could remember we always drove old cars that someone had blown up and traded into Mancini's Chrysler-Plymouth in Mountain View, California, where my dad worked. He would bring them home on a tow-truck hook and in a matter of a few weekends, someone in our family of seven would be driving it.

The Chrysler inline slant 6 engine was my favorite. I think even the radiator was cast iron. It must of weighed more than the car, and I don't think you could kill one with a bomb. My part of the routine was to hold the trouble light, clean parts in something really nasty that would dissolve human teeth and then, as a reward, I got to spray paint the engine. My dad was a stickler - it had to be the color of the engine when new. I'm surprised my kids don't have two heads.

So dad, sorry but this 2001 Lincoln 3.9L V8 is all wrong. This is the color of a mid to late 50's Lincoln cast iron block and head V8. My engine is aluminum and was never meant to be painted, but I don't care I'm painting it anyway because that's something we always used to do.

It's kind of an insane asylum institutional green if you ask me, but it looks good up against the black engine compartment. Anyway, try not to get sick looking at the picture. I think my dad would be proud of the rebuild, but probably not the color choice.

Phil
San Diego

P.S. Don't worry, I'm going to replace the front main seal during assembly. I left the old one in to keep paint off of the mating surface.

ALSO - learned something interesting today. The Jaguar 4.0L V8 uses torque-to-yield (TTY) bolts for the connecting rod caps, which isn't that unusual. Most other important bolts in the bottom end are to be torqued twice and then discarded. Jaguar mechanics are supposed to use a punch to mark any non-TTY bolts not already marked as they reassemble, and discard and replace those fasteners that were marked by a previous mechanic. I'm going to do the same thing with my 3.9L.

IMG_20170810_210711.jpg
 
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Call it Jag Racing Green and you'll get some fans overseas. ;)

I painted my valve covers and intake with the same Olds metalic blue I use on my Cutlass engines. To each their own.
 
Since you have your engine that far apart, I hope you are being smart and changing out all the 2001 timing chain parts to 2002. You wont need to if your car was built post may 2001, but these early chains and tensionors will go.

I have a 2002 oil pump and pickup new in box if you need them.
 
Since you have your engine that far apart, I hope you are being smart and changing out all the 2001 timing chain parts to 2002. You wont need to if your car was built post may 2001, but these early chains and tensionors will go.

I have a 2002 oil pump and pickup new in box if you need them.

Hi,

Do you think the 02 oil pump will work in the older engine? The answer is yes, I'd like to get both of them from you. My engine was manufactured in May of 2000. When I bought the car I assumed it needed the upgraded timing kit so I got that first. When that turned out not to be the failure, the tear-down showed up the bad connecting rod bearings and ruined crankshaft. I have been able to find the crankshaft timing sprockets, but no luck with the camshaft sprockets. The engine was at 90K miles so I hope I will be able to re-use all of the sprockets in the engine as it is.

Can you shoot me an email - not sure how that works on the forum?

Phil
San Diego
 
Phil I am in Glendale so its not so bad for us to meet up if need be.

As far as that goes though, you will have to do some research that I didnt do. My mech and I replaced all the sprockets, used Christophers full chain kit (the 2003 + version) and it all works great. Oh btw the bottom sprocket on 2001 was one piece hella expensive, the later versions 2 piece are cheap and 2 work great instead of the one.

The sad thing when we were investigating the pump part of the change, we found out that the bottom half of the engine (oil pans/covers sorry I am not a mech to know what they are called) are slightly different. They did make a conversion kit of gaskets and such that I imagine was the proper use for warranty exchange on these cars - but finding that out from him we stopped that part of the fix. Mainly because the engine would have had to been pulled to replace all those lower parts.

Now as far as I know, if you get those parts it will all bolt up nicely. since they are all cast pieces, probably can be got cheap from a junk 2002 series block - and just maybe research will show the 2003 and on used the same lowers. I do believe they used the same pump.

Either way, at a minimum you should do like mine the better quality chains sprockets etc. on an original pump. My mech said it was a 'new' (or replaced) pump anyhow. I would really like to track the dealership that did the warranty change and put new bad design parts in instead of the 2002 correct version. <shrugs>

To help:

pump is 2w9z-6600-aa and pick up tube is 2w9z-6622-aa

This style pump had two spigots to squirt on the chain bottom sprocket the first gen didnt.
 
Phil I am in Glendale so its not so bad for us to meet up if need be.

As far as that goes though, you will have to do some research that I didnt do. My mech and I replaced all the sprockets, used Christophers full chain kit (the 2003 + version) and it all works great. Oh btw the bottom sprocket on 2001 was one piece hella expensive, the later versions 2 piece are cheap and 2 work great instead of the one.

The sad thing when we were investigating the pump part of the change, we found out that the bottom half of the engine (oil pans/covers sorry I am not a mech to know what they are called) are slightly different. They did make a conversion kit of gaskets and such that I imagine was the proper use for warranty exchange on these cars - but finding that out from him we stopped that part of the fix. Mainly because the engine would have had to been pulled to replace all those lower parts.

Now as far as I know, if you get those parts it will all bolt up nicely. since they are all cast pieces, probably can be got cheap from a junk 2002 series block - and just maybe research will show the 2003 and on used the same lowers. I do believe they used the same pump.

Either way, at a minimum you should do like mine the better quality chains sprockets etc. on an original pump. My mech said it was a 'new' (or replaced) pump anyhow. I would really like to track the dealership that did the warranty change and put new bad design parts in instead of the 2002 correct version. <shrugs>

To help:

pump is 2w9z-6600-aa and pick up tube is 2w9z-6622-aa

This style pump had two spigots to squirt on the chain bottom sprocket the first gen didnt.

Thanks!

Let me do some more research - working on these engines is like a mystery novel. The weird thing is that even though my engine is May 2000, it has the two individual crankshaft timing chain sprockets. But it had the original all-phenolic (or whatever it is) secondary timing chain tensioners that disintegrate. So upgraded crankshaft sprockets but original timing chain components.

I'm confused. My machinist buddy tested my existing oil pump and said it was OK, but I would like to replace it if yours is a direct fit? Maybe we can meet and compare pumps or exchange photos on the forum?

When looking for gasket sets for the engine there are several different supplier options (mine is FelPro), but every one mentions that their set doesn't include a gasket for the 1st generation oil pump, which I'm guessing is what I have. The photos of the gasket set shows something like (but not identical) to the gasket I took out of my engine (and saved) but I have had no luck finding a replacement. I suppose a liquid gasket is all I'll be able to do our re-use the gasket I have. So that's confusing also. Could I have a later oil pump in an older block?

Further mystery is that it looks like my transmission is a Ford rebuild (it literally has a sticker on it indicating that) so I'm guessing some serious work was done on this car in the past.

Phil
San Diego
 
Easiest way to tell the dif between the two is the two spigots out of the front of the later model. twisted/contorted tubes to point out directly at the double sprockets/chain. now as for the top sprockets, do they have a huge heavy chunk of metal attached (basically becoming part of the camshaft) that I would best describe as a balance? if not, then you do have the 2002 version top sprockets. 2003 and on got the VVT so I really doubt you have that.

If you have all those sprockets your golden for the high quality chain upgrade. If you post pics, I can verify on sight.

Your going down the right path at least on gaskets. Thats what I found out too. I think it was a fel pro full kit that had the pump gasket for the 2002 version. But, as I eluded too, its not quite a direct bolt up. The oil pans/bottom engine covers are different. The tube passes thru differently and the bottom bolts might be positioned slightly different. The rest of the pump to the main block part is the same though.

Search on those two part numbers and I think you might find enough pics to clue in. Either way though, find out about the lower parts of the engine block that I didnt know about until too late.
 
Oh and as far as the reman, I bet like most all others someone had valve body and/or solenoid issues on the 5r55n and got hosed by some stealership or AAMCO with a total replace instead of fix. Either way you got a tranny with less miles on it than Odometer says :)
 
Another thought. I really doubt you would ever find a 2000 2001 style pump new now due to the known issue and the inline change made in may of 2001 to the 2w9z style pump.
 
GrizzlyLS, thanks for all the great info, I really appreciate it. I'm not with the car today, but I will take some pictures of the camshafts, the oil pump and the block and post Sunday or Monday. I ordered connecting rod cap bolts from Terrys Jaguar and they've ordered them from Jaguar, so as soon as they come in I can begin to put my engine back together. Going to take pictures as I go - it's pretty cool to share with you guys and get pointers on what's unique about this engine.

From the way you describe it, I have the old camshafts and sprockets since there definitely is a gigantic "balance weight" or something on the intake camshaft on the passenger side (if memory serves).

My timing kit did not include sprockets, and I have I guess the older top sprockets and the two-piece crankshaft sprockets for timing. Am I going to regret not replacing them (can't find the camshaft sprockets) with the new timing kit?

I'll take some pictures of my oil pump. The car is in our school shop in Temecula (Riverside County) if you ever get down that way. You are more than welcome to stop by whenever.

Phil
San Diego
 
Regret? Not really I would think. If you are putting in all new then its going to last awhile. If you can upgrade though its well worth it, as from what I have seen the engines will last 200k miles plus easy if maintained. In comparison, I did mine at 100k, which was the SECOND time (Original owner did it once unknown when). It seems you may already have my regrets beat - paying for the labor.

I will answer more with your next post.
 

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