Bob's LS Story

Yes Joe I have only one working key now. I figure they would get me for $100 just to get the door code so programming keys and checking codes shouldn't be much more while they are there.
 
I have a new problem as of Friday Joe. My climate control only puts out heated air now. I ran the self test and got the dummy 12 65 code but I also got 27 98. I am not surprised as when I drained the radiator to change out my degas bottle there was considerable grit. No corrosion though. I think that is due to all aluminum system components including the block. Anyway I am guessing this is the dccv located by the radiator on the passenger side. I tapped on the two solenoids pretty good to no avail so I will likely replace it along with the rest of my plastic coolant parts and my a/c dryer at the same time. By the way my 10A fuse in position 1 under the hood was good still.
 
Yes, the DCCV. Coolant has leaked (internally, at least) into at least the driver's side coil and is shorting it out. When the driver's side fails open, it causes heat on both sides because the driver's side core is the bigger of the two. Be sure to get the Motorcraft DCCV. The Murray (life time warranty) one I got lasted just long enough for the Motorcraft one I ordered to come in. (I got the Murray swapped out for another one under warranty, but I would only use it in an emergency. In my case, when the original DCCV failed, it was leaking too much not to change it ASAP.)
Oddly enough, the heater valve on my 2001 ranger just failed. It's at just over 200K miles. It's a vacuum powered one instead of electric. It wasn't leaking from the shaft seal. The plastic was breaking apart.
 
So I went to my Ford dealer today and got a quote of $179.95 for a transmission fluid exchange, $130 for the diagnosis of the engine miss and another $130 to program the keys and get the key-less entry code for the door. I told them I didn't want to pay twice for the diagnosis and keys/code but they said it was two different departments and that was that. They did offer me a 10% discount when I told them I was going to try Witt Lincoln. Anyway, not to terrible but not great for just scanning the cars codes and a fluid exchange. I will try Witt tomorrow and get it done either way. I have read stick with the Lincoln dealership for these cars but I am assuming that was when they were new and unusual. Any thoughts on that or anything else here?
 
unless you happen to find a Lincoln dealer that specialized in LS's, I dont think you'll get much better service than you would from a ford dealer. in my case the local Lincoln dealer has the same little experience with the LS as the ford dealers do and they also charge a bit more for everything. for a more experienced mechanic, you might want to look into a jag dealer.
 
Thanks Loud I will look into that. It doesn't help if they charge less per hour and have no idea what they are doing. I will talk to the Jag dealer tomorrow and let them know my stealth S-Type needs some attention.:cool: Any of them can program my keys, get my door code and swap out my transmission fluid easy enough. The successful troubleshooting of my miss has eluded me so I might need some competent help.
 
An after thought on using a Jag dealer. I can see buying parts their for sure but are the diagnostic tools they use compatible? Lincoln does not have some proprietary system that Jag might conflict with, do they? I know it is the same platform and that it is a Jag engine but the computers and other electronics could vary widely. Any other thoughts on that or am I being paranoid?
 
bobsquatch said:
An after thought on using a Jag dealer. I can see buying parts their for sure but are the diagnostic tools they use compatible? Lincoln does not have some proprietary system that Jag might conflict with, do they? I know it is the same platform and that it is a Jag engine but the computers and other electronics could vary widely. Any other thoughts on that or am I being paranoid?
Click to expand...

You're not. They use a different PCM and their scan tools can probably only get to the most generic stuff. Another thought would be to look for a good local independent shop that specializes in Jaguar, then ask them if they can handle the LS as well. (If they ask, "What's that?", then you already know not to go there.)

Note that I said "probably." It wouldn't hurt to call the Jaguar dealer and ask.
 
Thanks Joe, I will do that. I am going to search here and see if anyone has posted good service results near San Diego. If not I will start a quick thread looking for some input.
 
Hello everyone. I have solved my engine miss! Its been a while but I wanted to report my latest progress. I have received so much information on this site I want to make sure I contribute my fair share. I was planning a 1700 mile trip to Idaho so I wanted to get the LS running right. I had purchased the parts a while ago but just last month replaced the #1 fuel injector. That was it! She purrs like a kitten. I now have 153,427 miles on her of which I have driven less than 10,000 since I bought it. It makes sense I had a leaky #1 injector as that resulted in my lowest compression cylinder from washing the oil away. All I have left is to install the new valve cover gaskets and 1 or 2 more plastic cooling parts and she is done. Just in time for my kids drivers licenses. Also the cheap A/C compressor I installed a while back is still working fine. Keep in mind I barely drive this car.
 
Also, the transmission which had been properly serviced in the beginning of this journey is behaving better too. Just like I was told it would. It was never bad, just never perfect either.
 
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