2003 LS V8 Shudder/miss?

[JMT03LSV8]

This may take a little while to explain, but I'll try to give as much info as I can as to what happened.

Driving home Tuesday evening, about 1/2 mile from the house, cruising at 40/45, car just kind of shudders like it's missing. Lasted about 5 seconds or so and then it's fine. No CEL. Drive to work Wednesday, about an 11 mile drive, every once in a while it acts like it's missing off and on and about half way to work the CEL comes on. I figure it's about 300 or 400 miles til it's due for oil change so I call dealership I've been going to for a couple years and make appointment for oil change, tire rotation, few other small things. They get me a loaner set up and I take the service writer out to ask a couple questions, pop the hood and my cone filter has partially slid off the KKM unit. I ask the guy "Could that be the problem?", he says it could be but they'll check it out. I just did the front brakes on Sunday so I know the filter was OK then.

Dealership calls me today and asks me if I have a dollar amount that they want me to stop at because they have 2 hours doing diagnostics and can't find why it's running rough. I asked him what codes it has and he can't remember what the mechanic told him. Then he starts asking about the KKM. When did I put it on, did I make sure to have the computer re-programmed when I added it. I said it's been on for a little over 2 months and no, I didn't have anything re-programmed. He tells me that I should have had the computer re-programmed or it won't run right and even though it's been on there a couple months that it may have just started acting up. I'm not an expert but I'm feeling a little "B.S.'d" at this time.

And a little more background info, EGR was replaced earlier this year and 4 COP's and all plugs replaced about a year ago.

So, do I press him for codes, go get the car and take it some place else? Or, do any of you guys have an idea if he's right and I'm wrong?

Thanx guys

 

[Telco]

I would insist on the codes.

So far as the air intake, there's no need to get the computer programmed for one. They really don't do that much, and the computer can compensate. About the only way it would need to be reprogrammed is if it came with a larger MAF.

How many miles on the car? There is a warranty on the COPs (coils) up to 100K miles. If you have fewer than 100K, the dealer may be trying to blame the air filter to keep from making a warranty repair. If the dealer insists that the air filter is the problem, ask him to prove it as the Moss Magnusen Act requires the dealer to prove that an aftermarket mod is causing a problem. They can't just say the aftermarket part is causing the problem to avoid a warranty claim.

I wouldn't rule out the COPs either, the COPs on these cars are so weak that the first step for changing a flat tire is to change all COPs and plugs. Even though some were changed, they may have failed again.

 

[JMT03LSV8]

Sorry Telco, I forgot to say, just under 84k miles. According to the dealer, the 100k/10year warranty doesn't apply this time as it did before because he said they go by 10 years from the build date. I thought it was 10 years from in-service date but that's probably a mute issue, build date was February of 2003 I believe.

 

[Telco]

Oh well... still, get the codes.

 

[1LoudLS]

without knowing the codes, figuring out what is wrong is gonna be way f'n harder.


plenty of places read codes for free, if you paid them ANY money for diagnostic work, then I would expect them at a bare minimum.



however we are talking about an LS, so all new coils and plugs is step one in tracking down a rough running car...

 

[T-Money]

Sorry Telco, I forgot to say, just under 84k miles. According to the dealer, the 100k/10year warranty doesn't apply this time as it did before because he said they go by 10 years from the build date. I thought it was 10 years from in-service date but that's probably a mute issue, build date was February of 2003 I believe.

Sounds like your dealer is feeding you a line of BS. Our 04 is going in for coil warranty next Monday. We first asked when the service start date on the car was and they said February of 2004, so as long as we got it to them before (10 years later) February of 2015 they could fulfill the warranty and replace the failing coils.

 

[JMT03LSV8]

So, I call the dealer this morning and talk to a different service writer. Tell him I spoke to the other guy yesterday and I'd be interested in knowing what codes came up. Oh, they figured it out, there was dirt on the maf sensor. They cleaned it and it's running much better. Now, when they called me yesterday around noon, they already had about 2 hours of diagnostics (@ $95/hr) in it and didn't know how much longer it was going to take. So Im wondering, how much does it take to MAYBE check the sensor first, knowing that when the car came in that the air filter came off? And to have 2 hours in it and the technician is struggling to find the problem.

So, we'll see what things look like come Monday. They are also working on an issue with my memory buttons on the door that don't work and my outside keypad doesn't work. I was in 2 seperate accidents a couple months apart. First accident, they replaced the drivers door, buttons never worked after that. Second accident, they replaced the drivers seat. Come to find out, replacement door had different computer in it and they didn't use the one from my original door and something about the new seat has a different module in it.

But, even with the problems, I got a Fusion as a loaner and I must say I miss driving the LS!