Just bought 04 LS and scared!!!!

[wallyj]

Hey everybody I just bought an 04 V6 LS with 54000 miles on it. I love the car but am scared at all the same problems everyone is having. Here is what I am seeing so far.



1. When I step on the gas it feels like it switches gears to quickly or doesn't know what gear it's supposed to be in. It will rev then switch then rev then switch then again. What is it?

2. My ABS and trac control light comes on once and a while but no engine light. What is it?

3. Headliner in making noise when sunroof is open. What is up with this?

I would appreciate any knowledge you guys have and would tell a new Ls owner. Thanks

I love the car Black on black Heated & cooled seats everything but nav. I am working on that and a system.

What are the symptoms when the coils need to be changed and what is this about leaky headlights I have readin other posts.

 

[n8bachelor]

Hey everybody I just bought an 04 V6 LS with 54000 miles on it. I love the car but am scared at all the same problems everyone is having. Here is what I am seeing so far.

Congratulations, I too have an 04 v6. It sounds like yours is more well equiped though. Good buy.

1. When I step on the gas it feels like it switches gears to quickly or doesn't know what gear it's supposed to be in. It will rev then switch then rev then switch then again. What is it?

I recommend disconnecting the - battery terminal for an hour. This will reset the car's learning computer that controls the driver adaptive transmission. The car will then learn your driving habits and adapt the transmission shift points to your style

2. My ABS and trac control light comes on once and a while but no engine light. What is it?

Do you mean while driving? Are the systems being activated (ie are you spinning the wheels or locked in ABS stop)? Do you have aftermarket wheels on the car (and are all 4 the same size)? It could be one of the ABS sensors on the wheel is going out.

3. Headliner in making noise when sunroof is open. What is up with this?

Well I don't have a sunroof but I know there is a known issue of the headliner falling toward the back. This might be your issue too. It just needs more glue or double sided tape.

I would appreciate any knowledge you guys have and would tell a new Ls owner. Thanks

This is a powerfull tool.

I love the car Black on black Heated & cooled seats everything but nav. I am working on that and a system.

What are the symptoms when the coils need to be changed and what is this about leaky headlights I have readin other posts.

Coils are more of a first generation LS problem (00-02) although the 03's have some issues as well. And it is even more rare to have coil problems in a v6. The headlights are similar ... it was only a 1st gen problem.


Oh yeah.... welcome to the forum! There is a wealth of information here.

 

[wallyj]

Congratulations, I too have an 04 v6. It sounds like yours is more well equiped though. Good buy.


I recommend disconnecting the - battery terminal for an hour. This will reset the car's learning computer that controls the driver adaptive transmission. The car will then learn your driving habits and adapt the transmission shift points to your style



Do you mean while driving? Are the systems being activated (ie are you spinning the wheels or locked in ABS stop)? Do you have aftermarket wheels on the car (and are all 4 the same size)? It could be one of the ABS sensors on the wheel is going out.


Well I don't have a sunroof but I know there is a known issue of the headliner falling toward the back. This might be your issue too. It just needs more glue or double sided tape.


This is a powerfull tool.


Coils are more of a first generation LS problem (00-02) although the 03's have some issues as well. And it is even more rare to have coil problems in a v6. The headlights are similar ... it was only a 1st gen problem.


Oh yeah.... welcome to the forum! There is a wealth of information here.

Thanks i'll try those things you have mentioned. I noticed the lights on whe nI was braking one time. Then they stay on until the car is reset (turned off and on) Itried to deactivate the trac control by pressing the button off. The car has a 90 day warranty on it so i will bring to them and repost with what's going on.

 

[ToddG]

On the transmission issue:

Depending on the build date of your car, you may need to have your transmission "reflashed" -- meaning they install upgraded software. The 2003 and some early build 2004 models had older software that resulted in harsh shifts. The dealer should be able to tell you if you have the latest software or not -- but make no mistake, this is a dealer-only task.

 

[n8bachelor]

On the transmission issue:

Depending on the build date of your car, you may need to have your transmission "reflashed" -- meaning they install upgraded software. The 2003 and some early build 2004 models had older software that resulted in harsh shifts. The dealer should be able to tell you if you have the latest software or not -- but make no mistake, this is a dealer-only task.

Ahh Yes. Thanks Todd. I now recall having this done at my local dealer as well (had a harsh 2-3 upshift). At least they told me that is what they did. Aren't they supposed to place a sticker or some sort of indication either under the hood or in the driver's door jam indicating the latest PCM flash code? I have been unable to find one. I would like to go ask the dealer for all records of repairs/service they performed on my car but they recently converted from Lincoln to Suzuki... but that's a different rant for a different day.

 

[nickandersonLS01]

The sunroof is a pressure problem, I have the same thing, I just roll it back like 7/8 of the way and it solves the problem.(or roll down all the windows, mine only is a problem when JUST the sunroof is open)

 

[Jim Henderson]

Hey everybody I just bought an 04 V6 LS with 54000 miles on it. I love the car but am scared at all the same problems everyone is having. Here is what I am seeing so far.



1. When I step on the gas it feels like it switches gears to quickly or doesn't know what gear it's supposed to be in. It will rev then switch then rev then switch then again. What is it?

Yeah the trannies can be quirky. The computer seems easy to fool on shifting and with the throttle by wire, there is some lag between footpedal and what actually happens. Also there are known problems with many of these trannies so a reflash or relearn is a start. My 04 had to have the tranny pulled and a minor rebuild done at 14K miles to resolve a similar issue.

2. My ABS and trac control light comes on once and a while but no engine light. What is it?

If the wheels slip, the traction control light may light up. Usually happens when turning a bit fast around a corner with water on the road. Also if there is a bump in the road during moderate to hard acceleration it can happen. Also sometimes the sensor is flakey and needs to be replaced.

3. Headliner in making noise when sunroof is open. What is up with this?

Yeah the headliner gets loose at the rear and can flop around You can usually see that there is a wide space between the rear high brake light and the head liner. The dealer glues it or velcros it back in place.

I would appreciate any knowledge you guys have and would tell a new Ls owner. Thanks

I love the car Black on black Heated & cooled seats everything but nav. I am working on that and a system.

What are the symptoms when the coils need to be changed and what is this about leaky headlights I have readin other posts.

The coils can either be a very subtle stumble at light acceleration at say 45 to 60mph. Or it can cause the car to stumble hard at any speed. All depends how bad it is. Usual cause is oil leaking past the valve cover seals in the sparkplug hole, this is an expensive fix if you are not under warranty. You can see this if you remove the plastic cover on the top of the valve cover and use a strong light. My 04 did not have oil related coil problems. My problem started when I had to run the engine stuck on a closed freeway on a hot day for 90 minutes with the ac on. The water temp was normal but I think since there was no air flow the coils got really warm and were degraded by the heat.

All of this was fixed under warranty but not confidence inspiring.

Jim Henderson

 

[SoonerLS]

Leaky valve cover gaskets are exceedingly rare in the V6 LS (all years), and are almost unheard of in all '04-'06 LSes--the valve cover gaskets were redesigned in the middle of the '03 MY run. The problems with the coils are also rare, though not unheard of, in the '04-'06 LSes; they are also rare in all years of the V6 LS.

Generally speaking, most of the problems you read about are involving 1st Gen V8 LSes; the 2nd Gen LSes and the V6 LSes have problems that are fewer and farther between.

In short, don't sweat it--the D30 is a relatively bulletproof engine, and is highly likely to give you years of reliable service. Just take care of your car and enjoy your 50/50 front/rear weight balance.

 

[ToddG]

Aren't they supposed to place a sticker or some sort of indication either under the hood or in the driver's door jam indicating the latest PCM flash code?

Yes, under the hood. A blue and white sticker (about 3x5) was placed on the fan shroud when my 2003 LS V6 was reflashed. If you look at the TSB for the reflash, it tells the tech to put the sticker on, but many folks don't have it.

 

[lebowski]

Congratulations, I too have an 04 v6. It sounds like yours is more well equiped though. Good buy.


I recommend disconnecting the - battery terminal for an hour. This will reset the car's learning computer that controls the driver adaptive transmission. The car will then learn your driving habits and adapt the transmission shift points to your style



Do you mean while driving? Are the systems being activated (ie are you spinning the wheels or locked in ABS stop)? Do you have aftermarket wheels on the car (and are all 4 the same size)? It could be one of the ABS sensors on the wheel is going out.


Well I don't have a sunroof but I know there is a known issue of the headliner falling toward the back. This might be your issue too. It just needs more glue or double sided tape.


This is a powerfull tool.


Coils are more of a first generation LS problem (00-02) although the 03's have some issues as well. And it is even more rare to have coil problems in a v6. The headlights are similar ... it was only a 1st gen problem.


Oh yeah.... welcome to the forum! There is a wealth of information here.

I was having a the same issue with slipping to quickly between gears in my preowned 04 but i disconnected the battery as suggested and it WORKED! THANKS!

 

[kwazy]

i have a 04 v6 also and had the same problem when i bought it. its the shift sylinoid (sp) but if that has been replaced then they didnt reset the program you can try to disconect battery that will reset it.