NEEDING a reliable LS for next four years. What to do for preventative maint?

Justin00LS

Justin00LS

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I've owned my LS for the last 8 years and I do all of the maintenance/repairs myself. I absolutely love this car when it runs. So smooth and quiet and nice handling! My parents have suggested a newer and more reliable car while I'm in dental school (like a Kia or Honda) but I just don't want to part with my LS. Honestly, it is in amazing condition for its age and it has everything tweaked out just how I like it.

I will have minimal access to tools and with 28-32 credit hours a semester I definitely don't have extra time for repairs. Yes, the LS is not the most reliable car out there, lol, but what should I be looking at replacing as preventative maintenance before I leave for school?


Off the top of my head the things that have failed and that I've replaced since I've owned:

COPs
valve cover gaskets
transmission
rear pumpkin assembly
rear wheel bearings
front passenger wheel hub
auxiliary pump
front ball joints


Things I'm thinking about replacing (preventative):

belt - might be original
idler pulley - probably original
fuel pump(s) - are there two of these? Probably original. How much longer could they last??
fuel filter - 100k miles on it.
hydraulic fan occasionally hums... replace this? Looks expensive.
Remove Xcal tune from Torrie and remove engine mods
Replace brake pads
Put on new tires


Anything else ya'll can think of to replace? The car is a 2000 and has 170k miles. It needs to last another four years and to about 220k miles before it's no longer my daily driver. :D

_
 
trickett90 said:
Cooling system components.
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I totally forgot about the cooling system!!! Yes, I've been ALL over that system and replaced most of it. I think the most recent failure of that system was the thermostat (maybe two years ago?). I'll go ahead and check the hoses to make sure they're in good shape.

Thanks!
 
How about the timing chains and tensioners, thats where it gets expensive :(
I would stay away from a kia ive some horrible experiences with there cars.
 
The new Kia's/hyundais are worlds apart from the old ones. They come with brembo and turbo options from the factory.

But having owned an LS for do long you should know what needs to be done.
 
They are worlds apart but at the end of the day it's a Kia, the new Kia/Hyundai vehicles with Brembo etc. are also kind of expensive for what they really are.
 
Some of your "things to do" should have been done "a long time ago". Like that belt and fuel filter. Those are more like 30K-mi maintenance items.

Anyways, 4 years is a pretty damn long time to prevent a random unforeseen failure on an 8-year old car. Your only real option is to basically go through the whole car looking for problems that don't exist yet. Even then, at what point do you stop?

I think the more prudent option is to give the car a good once over, fix a few known and well established failure points like the cooling system plastic components, the timing chains and tensioners, COPs, convert it to electric fan, etc. Then replace all normal consumable maintenance items like the belt, fuel filter, brakes etc.

Ford also has a maintenance schedule in the owners manual. I would make sure everything from the 100K-mi (or whatever the closest interval is) and before has been done or checked.
 
IMO, that depends on the oil and if it's a pre or post 5/02 built vehicle. Here's my SWAG.

Synthetic oil will give a longer lifespan; dino, not so much. If it were a pre 5/02 I would be nervous at 100k - 125k miles dino, add 25k if syn. For the post 5/02, 150k - 175k dino, add 25k for syn. Keep in mind this is my pre-disaster flag, not a hard failure. And there certainly are going to be vehicles that make it much longer then that, or shorter, as it's all based upon thermal exposure, chemical exposure and time in service. A vehicle that has had several overheats may be more prone to failure.
 
Telco said:
What is the expected lifespan of the timing chain and tensioner set?
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What breaks first, the tensioner? Might replace it but maybe not the chain due to more involvement and then having a new chain/worn sprockets?? Or does that sound stupid?
 
It makes no difference. If you replace the chain replace the works. I'm sure it's a kit. It's a lot of work to get in as far as the timing chain to not replace both the chain, gears and tensioner. Don't pay dollars to save pennies.
 
TooManyToys said:
IMO, that depends on the oil and if it's a pre or post 5/02 built vehicle. Here's my SWAG.

Synthetic oil will give a longer lifespan; dino, not so much. If it were a pre 5/02 I would be nervous at 100k - 125k miles dino, add 25k if syn.
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Is this in reference to the secondary chain tensioner?

I'm using the search function and researching the timing chain issues/ problems. Learning :shifty:
 
Do normal maintenance/wear and tear items and don't fix something that isn't broken. Use the car frequently so its not sitting. Avoid nothing but short trips. Don't beat on it. It will last. You will blow way too much money playing the what-if scenario and replacing all that stuff (I assume money is some considerable concern since you're avoiding the car payment option) that may likely never fail. Aside from engine or transmission failure, I would not expect any repairs to take longer than a couple hours at the dealer (I had engine failure under warranty so new cars are not immune to this either). No car will go 4 years without needing some kind of repair, especially wear items and even more so when its already 12 years old. I'd spend the money on a briefcase 100 piece craftsman tool kit that will get you through the most common repairs without taking up much room, if you don't already have one. You'll be fine. Your car looks nice.

My '02 has 172,000 now. Take the repairs as they come. And never add up how much you've spent in your head!:(
 
02LincLS said:
You will blow way too much money playing the what-if scenario and replacing all that stuff (I assume money is some considerable concern since you're avoiding the car payment option) that may likely never fail.
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Very true! Well, I just couldn't resist though, I ordered parts for upper tensioners and upper chain replacement, and right now I am in the middle of replacing the fuel pump as we speak. Interestingly, my fuel pump looks different than any of them I see on this site. Willsull80 wrote up a how-to in 2010 for fuel pump replacement and mine doesn't look like his at all :confused:
 
You can get the pump itself, or the entire basket assembly. Is this what you mean?

Since you have an xcal, you can data log with a laptop and the live link software from SCT. Log the fuel pump duty cycle and do a couple WOT pulls (going against not beating on the car comment I made earlier). Double the number and as long as you don't go above .9 (90%), your old pump should be happy. If you already finished, keep the old one as a spare.

If you didn't get the car too new, its possible someone put a generic replacement pump in it and that's why it doesn't look right.
 
manoli said:
How about the timing chains and tensioners..
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Man, I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH! I was on the fence about the tensioner issue but I am so glad that I ordered upper tensioners and upper chains. My driver's tensioner was broken and rubbing metal on metal. The chain is stretched and the chain is literally flat on the side that's been rubbing the metal. :eek:

She probably wouldn't have made it to her next oil change before my cams jumped timing and bent valves. I feel extremely blessed to have LVC as a source of information.
 
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