New LS Owner - Need Thread Links

Ted Emens

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Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and a new LS owner. I test drove one in 2002 and fell in love, but couldn't afford it at the time. Now, I am the proud owner of a 2002 Lincoln LS with 126,000 miles. From what I can tell it has most of the common LS issues. I have already purchased the clockspring (cruise, horn, and volume do not work), front stabilizer bar bushings and stabilizer bar links, and a set of coils and plugs. I'm also having the "5 chimes from hell" due to a bad airbag indicator lamp (no airbag indicator shows up at all when I start the car).

Can you all please reply to my thread with the most applicable threads relating to repairing these issues? Like I said, I have the parts and tools, and I'm pretty mechanical (hardly every take my vehicles to a shop).

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Just do a search or there is a official owners guide on the forum that tells you most problem areas.
 
I agree the official Owners Guide is where you want to start....this will cover a lot of issues with your 2002 LS
 
top of the main LS page. in the stickies. everything you need to know can be found there.
 
Thanks everybody for directing me to the Owner's Guide. I just got me new clock spring and stabilizer bar bushings from RockAuto. I'll tackle those two issues this weekend.
 
Thanks everybody for directing me to the Owner's Guide. I just got me new clock spring and stabilizer bar bushings from RockAuto. I'll tackle those two issues this weekend.
Let me know how the clock spring replacement goes for you ...I need to replace mine also just keep putting it off...would like to know what the major struggles were...if any...thanks and welcome to the forum Ted
 
Let me know how the clock spring replacement goes for you ...I need to replace mine also just keep putting it off...would like to know what the major struggles were...if any...thanks and welcome to the forum Ted

I'll let you know. If it ends the relentless 5-chimes-of-lunacy it will be well worth the time, effort and $118 dollars I spent.
 
Let me know how the clock spring replacement goes for you ...I need to replace mine also just keep putting it off...would like to know what the major struggles were...if any...thanks and welcome to the forum Ted
I replaced mine and it was pretty much problem free. Went very smooth with really no issues or hang ups. Just wanted to put that out there
 
If you take your instrument cluster out and replace the lightbulb for the airbag light, the dinging should stop. It did for me anyway.
 
If you take your instrument cluster out and replace the lightbulb for the airbag light, the dinging should stop. It did for me anyway.
Yeah thanks for the info...my air bag light is on most of the time but it doesn't ding anymore ...the airbag light just flashes three or four times on initial start up and then stays on steady sometimes it doesn't pop light up at all on initial start up...probably why I never changed it out
 
If you take your instrument cluster out and replace the lightbulb for the airbag light, the dinging should stop. It did for me anyway.
Thanks. I heard this will stop the dinging. I also need to replace the clockspring anyway because i have no horn or steering wheel controls i.e. cruise or volume.

Can you tell me what bulb for the instrument panel airbag indicator? Gray socket or white socket?
 
I honestly cant remember. And I'm ashamed to say that I actually went with the quick fix of exchanging bulbs instead of buying a new one because I live so far from parts store. And it's been awhile. I dont even remember which I switched. Maybe seatbelt or something. Lol. Only thing worth mentioning when removing instrument cluster that I can think of is when putting it back make sure your gauges are at zero. I got it all out together to realize I had 3/4 of a tank with the key off. That was a bummer doing all over. Other than that it was a breeze.
 
You shouldn't have to disassemble the cluster to change the bulb. This is one of those rare cases where I do strongly recommend that you disconnect the negative battery cable before removing and reinstalling the cluster. There's a very small chance that you could upset PATS otherwise.
Bulbs are cheap and it is just enough of a pain removing the cluster that I would probably go ahead and replace all the bulbs.
 
I didn't mean take apart the cluster. But you do have to remove it to replace the bulbs from the back. I very much agree tho. Might as well replace them all when you got it out. I was just working out the possibilities to stop the 5 chimes and even tho I was at the house 20 miles from the parts store I decided, mostly to avoid blowing my brains out due to the 5 chimes, to take cluster out to check the bulb even if it just meant switching one that works to see if it was my solution. And when I switched one and it worked, I picked what seemed the least important at the time because it was such a process to get apart that I didnt want to have to do it again after I went to town. Then stupid me didnt set the gauges back right and of course had to it again anyway. Thank God I didnt cause any problems because i didnt know that I should have disconnected the battery. Hope others that do this take note and DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE (-) BATTERY TERMINAL WHEN CHANGING DASH LIGHT BULBS. Thankfully I got lucky.
 
radio
gen1-radio1.png

gen1-radio2.png
 
Let me know how the clock spring replacement goes for you ...I need to replace mine also just keep putting it off...would like to know what the major struggles were...if any...thanks and welcome to the forum Ted

Just to update you: I changed the clock spring the other day in my 2002 LS. Pretty straight forward job. Not too complicated. I am including some of the info I used. I also pulled my instrument panel at the same time to change out the bulb for my airbag light, so it took a little more effort and time. The clock spring by itself would have taken probably an hour or less. The step by step instructions below were copied from another thread here, I just added photos. I would love to give credit to the person who wrote the steps out, but I can't remember the thread and I didn't bookmark it.

I've attached some resources, two PDFs to this reply.



Also, check the link to the thread on this topic : Clock Spring Replacement
 

Attachments

  • Clock Spring Step-by-Step with Photos.pdf
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  • 2002_LINCOLN_LS_clockspring.pdf
    377.2 KB · Views: 342
If you take your instrument cluster out and replace the lightbulb for the airbag light, the dinging should stop. It did for me anyway.

I did replace the bulb at the same time I replaced the clock spring. Both needed to be done because I think the bulb burned out from being on for a very long period of time. Now I have a working bulb, and working horn and steering wheel controls. Well worth the hour and a half of labor and $120 I spent on parts.
 
Thanks. I heard this will stop the dinging. I also need to replace the clockspring anyway because i have no horn or steering wheel controls i.e. cruise or volume.

Can you tell me what bulb for the instrument panel airbag indicator? Gray socket or white socket?

Gray Socket. I just replaced mine three days ago, as well as the clock spring (2002 LS). Just a heads up: If you want to pull out the instrument cluster to replace the bulb, you should tilt your wheel all the way down and extend it all the way out before disconnecting the battery, It will save you a headache. Also, once you get the cluster out you will have to remove the back white plastic cover, then remove the first circuit board. The bulbs are all on the second layer of circuit board. They just twist out. Takes a small Torx bit to remove the screws on the back of the instrument panel. Pretty simple, just a lot of layers to get to the bulbs.
 
That is definitally a good heads up about the steering wheel. I forgot about that but it was such a headache. Like you said though, really pretty simple and straight forward. Just a lot of layers. And to make it worse I got mine back together and realized my gauges weren't set at the right spot. Like I have 3/4 of a tank with the key off. Needless to say, I had to do it all twice the first time I did it.
 

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