13 years and still my daily driver.
- Thread starter tireman
- Start date
G-RELL
FULLY DIPPED LS
Congrats!!! very cool!
Ahhhhhh..... But I'll bet it's been less than a car payment!!
chocolat1701
Dedicated LVC Member
my 04 had 150k when it got totaled, the 02 just died with 250k, and my aunt is a cab driver and she owns 3 towncars 1 with 480k and 2 well over 250k so those towncars run for ever.
Im wondering what a regular rebuild of the existing engine will cost..I'm trying to prepare in advance even though things are smooth now. I've never driven a car with so many miles on it and not seen catastrophic problems..so I am always paranoid of a breakdown. Hope the Mobil 1 does it's job...what do you guys think about Seafoam..?? Thanks in advance for you input.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
I don't think that anyone rebuilds the lower part of the engine. The parts just don't seem to be available.
If you have a gen I (2002 maybe excepted) you can expect that you may have to replace the timing chains, guides, and tensioners some day. If you are lucky, you won't have to replace valves at the same time.
I think that instead of having your engine rebuilt, it is more common on the LS to replace your engine with a less experienced one from a junkyard.
However, I haven't really heard of someone wearing out an engine, so much as unexpected sudden failure (usually related to timing tensioners).
Although unverified by anyone on here that I've seen, there is a pretty good theory that the Jaguar 4.0/4.2 V8 bottom end bearings work in the 3.9. Whether a rotating assembly and bores are salvageable enough to warrant a rebuild is another matter altogether. I'm curious if the Jag 4.0 pistons and rings would work. I know the rods/crank and different strokes.
The Jag uses Nikasil "liners" while the LS uses cast iron; which as I understand it is the .1 difference in displacement. Should that be the case, the pistons and rings probably won't work. The other parts may......
tireman
Dedicated LVC Member
Gotta love the big boat towncars, it's like floating on air. After 13 years the LS is showing the rubber issues. The rubber around the windows is breaking down, you get the black smearing. The foam rubber around the doors is great. Interior plastic great. The leather seats are great, some sun damage to exposed horizontal material (southern sun is HOT). Still need some new rear stabilizer links, as the rubber boots are shredded. Maybe this spring?
I solo hate the dealerships..just called the service department to check on price to do the usual timing chain/tensioner replacement..and the lady tells me that the LS never needs the timing chain replaced..."that is the purpose of it being a chain..it doesn't break"...how wrong can this lady be..this is the biggest problem with the 1st Gen LS isn't it...??!! wow. Rather get advice and input off of LVC than them.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
She's correct. Timing chain replacement is not a scheduled maintenance item like timing belts are. Timing chains are only replaced when there is a problem.
Are you having a problem with yours? Are you hearing a noise at startup? If so, you may have failing timing chain tensioners. If so, I would replace the tensioners and guides. It's a good idea to replace the involved chains at the same time. (There are four timing chains.)
I don't think that you can fault her for not knowing about the specific exception of the gen I LS V8 to the general rule about timing chain reliability.
I imagine that this repair is done at very few dealerships. I doubt that they ever fail during the warranty period, and dealerships charge too much for this kind of repair for hardly anyone to go there for this if paying themselves.
No..mine is absolutely quiet (except for the CAI and exhaust) I was just assuming that because I was approaching 200K that the chains were about to break..lol. She traced the service back until 2002 and it has never been a issue..plus she is quoting me $4100 to go in and replacement what we are discussing..for all that I can get a new engine...smh.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
If you have a 2002, you may have the improved tensioners and may not have anything to worry about.
No, you can't get a new 3.9L V8 for $4100. A used replacement, yes. New is $7K, not installed.