Makin' it last forever

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sexyLS

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Though we all love our LS's, we also know that they do break and need repair over time. I am a new owner at 127K but was wondering what were some things that I could do to make her last a while. Unlike most newbs I read the REAL OFFICIAL LINCOLN LS OWNERS GUIDEand I know that these cars eat coil packs but besides that is there anything we can do to prevent things from going wrong? What are some things that I need to be on the lookout for at this stage? :confused:
 
sexyLS said:
Sorry! I guess I should have put that huh! :rolleyes:

2004 Lincoln LS
3.9 V8 @ 127,000 miles
5-Speed auto (Not sure which one)
Sport package
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Miles are a littleeee bit high for the year. Do you have all the service records from the previous owner(s) to know how it was maintained? If it was properly maintained the Gen. 2 (2003-2006) is a good car and there are a ton of Gen. 2 owners on here.

The key to making it last is constantly keeping it maintained and don't cut corners. These cars are also notorious for their cooling systems taking a sh*t, so if the previous owner didn't replace it, start collecting the parts ASAP because it'll cost about (if not more) than $1,000 JUST in parts when it comes time to replace the cooling system.

Also, ALWAYS use premium gas. Don't get cheap. Cross your fingers and hope the previous owners used premium as well. It'll save you big $$$ in repairs down the road.

And components such as: tie rods, ball joints, control arms, hub assembly. Seem to be something that everyone has to replace once or twice in their time of owning an LS. I specifically had to change mine 3 times.

With that said, I am no longer an LS owner, but I know some of these guys are running their LS' with over 200k miles because they did a stellar job of maintaining them at all times. Looking forward to pictures!
 
The previous owner did a good job keeping up the service records. He showed me everything he has done. I feel confident in him and don't believe he was trying to get over on me or anything.

What things typically go wrong with the cooling system? What parts should I be saving up for?
 
sexyLS said:
What things typically go wrong with the cooling system? What parts should I be saving up for?
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Everything. When one thing goes wrong with it, it'll be one thing after another until you end up replacing the whole thing anyway and you don't want it to end up causing more problems for you.

Same goes with coils and plugs, when you change one of them, change ALL 8 coils and plugs.
 
dunndarryn said:
Everything. When one thing goes wrong with it, it'll be one thing after another until you end up replacing the whole thing anyway and you don't want it to end up causing more problems for you.
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Eh, not necessarily. The most common cooling system components to fail are the degas bottle and thermostat housing it seems.

Off the top of my head run a high quality synthetic oil, get the tranny fluid changed if it hasnt been yet, and make sure when you do decide to do coils you get good quality OEM ones (Motorcraft or Visteon) and replace the spark plugs with the coils (make sure they're gapped to spec).
 
Shredicus said:
Eh, not necessarily. The most common cooling system components to fail are the degas bottle and thermostat housing it seems.

Off the top of my head run a high quality synthetic oil, get the tranny fluid changed if it hasnt been yet, and make sure when you do decide to do coils you get good quality OEM ones (Motorcraft or Visteon) and replace the spark plugs with the coils (make sure they're gapped to spec).
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Thanks! ;)
I plan on getting the tranny done as well. Look at my other post here and please comment. Tranny

I plan on doing the coils and plugs in the spring.
 
Shredicus said:
Eh, not necessarily. The most common cooling system components to fail are the degas bottle and thermostat housing it seems.
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I've come across very very few people with high mileage LS' that didn't have to change pretty much all components of the cooling system. But I guess we all have our own experiences.
 
dunndarryn said:
I've come across very very few people with high mileage LS' that didn't have to change pretty much all components of the cooling system. But I guess we all have our own experiences.
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The water pumps and the radiators seem to last pretty well.
 
dunndarryn said:
Miles are a littleeee bit high for the year.
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Really? My '06 has aver 105K and the only thing I have replaced (other than fluid, coils & plugs and brakes) is the DCCV, upper radiator hose and the tensioner pulley. Original degas bottle, thermostat & housing and all other cooling system parts.

Now if I can only fix that high pitched tone.......
 
LS4me said:
Really? My '06 has aver 105K and the only thing I have replaced (other than fluid, coils & plugs and brakes) is the DCCV, upper radiator hose and the tensioner pulley. Original degas bottle, thermostat & housing and all other cooling system parts.

Now if I can only fix that high pitched tone.......
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That's good to hear. I kinda regretted making this post because all I am hearing is a lot of problems people are having out of this vehicle. :eek: Makes me wonder did I make a mistake in this purchase...
 
dunndarryn said:
The key to making it last is constantly keeping it maintained and don't cut corners. These cars are also notorious for their cooling systems taking a sh*t, so if the previous owner didn't replace it, start collecting the parts ASAP because it'll cost about (if not more) than $1,000 JUST in parts when it comes time to replace the cooling system.
Click to expand...

Huh? I spent less than $200 for parts and coolant when I fixed my leak. That's a new thermostat, thermostat housing, outlet pipe, inlet tube, seals, and screws for the outlet pipe since you have to cut two of them off to get it out. Throw in another $50 or so for the upper radiator hose (part #8260) that commonly breaks (mine was replace a few months prior) and you're around $250. New degas bottle is $140. Less than $400 for all common failure points. Sure, you can go ahead and spend a ton of money replacing every little bit of the cooling system, but why?
 
As with any car, just stay on top of things and don't let them get worse. My '04 has 170K on it now, and other than replacing the cops/plugs and front cooling system plastic parts (crossover, pipe-to-block, thermostat housing and thermostat and radiator hoses - which I only paid about 400-ish for everything from fordpartsgiant.com) which are normal things for this car, the only other thing I have done is swapped out the rear diff since mine was whining, the previous owner let an axle seal leak for too long before getting it fixed, but the damage was done, paid $120 for a used diff off of an '06 and problem solved.

These were all issues that I knew about before purchasing the car so it wasn't a surprise to me, I owned a 2003 Focus before which was my DD and a '96 Infiniti Q45 which was a much larger money pit than this car will ever be. Now I drive this as my DD and it's great on my 60-mile round trip commute to and from Atlanta....
 
sexyLS said:
That's good to hear. I kinda regretted making this post because all I am hearing is a lot of problems people are having out of this vehicle. :eek: Makes me wonder did I make a mistake in this purchase...
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Hey don't get down. I have a 2000 Ls with a v8 and I have 242,xxx miles. Yes I have replaced allot of the most commonly needed parts.however this car has been pretty reliable to me. You get what you pay and as long as you take care of it,it will take care of you! You already have a more reliable Ls just being a 2004 there are many improvements over the first gen search! Good luck:D
 
Ok,
So I am hearing a lot of people say be on the watch for the degas bottle (coolant tank) so let me ask this: Is the OEM the best one to replace it with or get an aftermarket one? I know that Dorman has one Degas tank) but have heard that people have had problems with the cap holding the pressure. Also if I got an OEM one, should I get a new one or a used one?
 
sexyLS said:
That's good to hear. I kinda regretted making this post because all I am hearing is a lot of problems people are having out of this vehicle. :eek: Makes me wonder did I make a mistake in this purchase...
Click to expand...

Oh, you're likely to have a handful of problems. Lugs seized on studs, door actuators failing, cooling system failing (multiple failure points), coils failing, solenoid pack failing, broken window regulator, DCCV failing... that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
 
The passenger side window has already been replaced, I have heard of the coils going bad and plan on having them and the plugs replaced in the spring.

What is the DCCV?

Which solenoid pack?
 
Degas bottle = get the OEM one, not aftermarket.

DCCV = Dual Coolant Control Valve. It's what controls the temperature of the air out of the left and right vents, both when using the AC and when using the heat.

Solenoid pack or assembly = set of solenoids and sensors that go in the transmission. Most 04s will need this replaced. Other years may or may not ever need it done.
 
joegr said:
Degas bottle = get the OEM one, not aftermarket.

DCCV = Dual Coolant Control Valve. It's what controls the temperature of the air out of the left and right vents, both when using the AC and when using the heat.

Solenoid pack or assembly = set of solenoids and sensors that go in the transmission. Most 04s will need this replaced. Other years may or may not ever need it done.
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ok, So let me ask this: How do I know if the DCCV has gone out or not? It is cold here in TN now but we had a warm spell the other day and I turned on the AC but it wasn't as cold as I thought it should be. How can I tell and where is the DCCV located?
 
sexyLS said:
ok, So let me ask this: How do I know if the DCCV has gone out or not? It is cold here in TN now but we had a warm spell the other day and I turned on the AC but it wasn't as cold as I thought it should be. How can I tell and where is the DCCV located?
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The most common DCCV failure will make the air output on one or both sides be maximum heat, regardless of the temperature setting.
You can also do a DATC self test to check for problems, but it won't always catch a bad DCCV.
http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6xc0003.htm~gen~ref.htm#extract_245

Location.
http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6xc1014.htm~gen~ref.htm
 
LS4me said:
Really? My '06 has aver 105K and the only thing I have replaced (other than fluid, coils & plugs and brakes) is the DCCV, upper radiator hose and the tensioner pulley. Original degas bottle, thermostat & housing and all other cooling system parts.

Now if I can only fix that high pitched tone.......
Click to expand...

Well, if you know much about 1st grade math, you can probably do simple addition. Average mileage that is put on any vehicle is 15,000 a year. Now whip out your calculator, do 15 x the age of the car and see what you get.

You'll come to find that the miles are a little high for the year.

nelliott500 said:
Huh? I spent less than $200 for parts and coolant when I fixed my leak. That's a new thermostat, thermostat housing, outlet pipe, inlet tube, seals, and screws for the outlet pipe since you have to cut two of them off to get it out. Throw in another $50 or so for the upper radiator hose (part #8260) that commonly breaks (mine was replace a few months prior) and you're around $250. New degas bottle is $140. Less than $400 for all common failure points. Sure, you can go ahead and spend a ton of money replacing every little bit of the cooling system, but why?
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If you read my entire post, you would see that, that price includes all the components. You guys should practice what you preach and search, because someone RECENTLY posted a photo of his receipt and guess what the total was? $1000. NO WAY?!?! SAY IT AIN'T SO?!?


To sexyLS: Thank you for PROPERLY "digesting" the information I gave to you. If anyone else read the title of your post it said "making it last forever" and I told you what you WILL have to switch out.

Over someone with 100k on their LS, get your info from reaper. He has 242k miles on his LS, learn from him, not from people with less miles than you have. Good luck!
 
One thing I may suggest? Get it rust proofed once a year by Krown rust proofing.
Krown doesn't just protect against rust and corrosion, but it keeps seals lubed, it helps keep anything mechanical protected from wear and damage. They soak your suspension, and they wet your engine bay. Krown is an oil, and this stuff is genius.
How it behaves, is once sprayed, it likes to travel. It will move along and keep moving and it covers all sorts of areas on your car.

One fine example: A few members on here complain about their Gen 2's doors sticking and latches not opening. I had that already happened on my 05. So picked up a can of Krown T-40 spray, and I soak my latches, key holes, trunk key hole, ignitions key hole, and just about anything where there will be friction. Door stick problem gone and no issues that everyone else complains about regarding latches and clips etc..

I have had my 2002 Krowned now for 6 years. No latch and clip failures, suspension looks mint. Highly recommend Krown rust proofing, once a year.
Also buy a can or two of the T-40 spray and give your latches and key holes a shot of it once in a while.

That's BEST way to preserve your LS and keep parts from failing, from my experience.
 
sexyLS said:
That's good to hear. I kinda regretted making this post because all I am hearing is a lot of problems people are having out of this vehicle. :eek: Makes me wonder did I make a mistake in this purchase...
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dunndarryn is a bitter former LS owner that was given a very used LS to him by his mom. don't let him scare you.
 
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