Newb with questions! 02 LS V8

97stscaddy

97stscaddy

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Need em answered ASAP please!!! TIA
This car might be gone if I dont jump on it and I really dont want to be the one not driving it. :D
2002 Lincoln LS V8, 55k on the odo, Truly a beauty. But the Jaguar engine threw up a big red flag on it. (that and the mulitple cylinder misfire and engine light halfway throgh my test drive, simple enough, probably water in the plug boots)
Ive read a fair amount about the AJV8 throwing timing chains due to weak tensioner assemblies. Now I heard that they had fixed the problem in newer models but I cant get a deffinite answer as to which year they made the correction. If someone could tell me with all certainty that the 2002 model year does not have this problem I might have a new car by the end of the week. :cool:
I would also like to ask if there are any other common problems with these V8's? I read about the valve cover gaskets, and i read somehting abut head gasket problems, but once again I couldn't find any answer to exactly which year they made the correction. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
IF this car isnt going to be worth the money to buy becuas its ridled with problems im just gonna back away from it, but i hate to do that because it is SUCH a nice car! I work for a mercedes dealership, if I say its a nice car, it is a nice friggin car! :D
Thanks in advance for any help here.
 
Never heard of the timing chain issue you speak of. Definitely not a common issue with the LS 3.9 V8. In general, the V8 is a strong, durable engine with a few common issues.

90% chance the misfires and check engine light you have is due to one or more ignition coils failing. Most likely the valve cover gaskets are leaking, and oil has gotten into the plug wells, killing one or more coils. several here have done the repair themselves, others like myself have forked over a few hundred for a dealer to fix for them.

At a minimum, you can replace the passenger side valve cover gasket and coils by yourself with relative ease. The drivers side is a bit more of a hassle, but doable.

I havent heard of any head gasket issues. Cooling problems have occurred, and most are resolved by replacing the cracked reservoir bottle, or replacing the hydraulic fan.

I've had my 2002 V8 since new back in '02, and now have 80k miles on it. No major problems, and it runs smooth as silk
 
The AJ30 and AJ35 (the '00-'02 and '03-'06 3.9L V8s, respectively) are not Jaguar engines. They are based on the Jaguar AJs, but they're not interchangeable with the Jag engines. They were built in Lima, OH, and they have a great deal of uniqueness (f'rinstance, the heads and intake are unique to the LS/T-Bird, as are the electronics). In fact, I have it on good authority that the VVT technology on the late model Jags is the same VVT technology that Lincoln/Ford designed for the '03-'06 LS (they do, at least, have the same range of VVT adjustment as the 3.9). But I digress.

Now, with that out of the way, throwing timing chains is not a common problem for any year of the 3.9 (FWIW, I've never heard of it happening even once). The only really common problems they have are leaking valve cover gaskets (pretty much solved by a redesign of the gasket during the '03 production run) and failing COPs (Coil On Plug). The failing COPs are normally caused by oil leaking into the plug wells; this problem was pretty much solved by the redesign of the valve cover gaskets (and the coil boots) in '03.

That's not to say that they don't have problems--after all, they are imperfect machines built by imperfect humans--but they don't have many common problems. The 1st Gen LSes do have a few known issues, but I've only owned 2nd Gen LSes, so I'll pass on that subject.
 
i had a timing chain tensioner fail on mine. It caused the chain to jump a tooth on the exhaust cam on the drivers side. However, when it happened I looked into it and it seemed that it is rare and not a trait of this engine.
 
Thanks for the help guys. Reason I ask about the timing chains is that I read probably 4 or 5 old topics on here dealing with broken chains on the MY2000 3.9 engines, and COUNTLESS posts on several jaguar forums about broken chains up to 2003 because of the tensioners.

Was there a redesigned VC gasket for the '00-'02 LS that fixed the problem or would I have to use some RTV to seal it up permanently?

Any valve cover on an LS has to be easier to change than the rear bank cover on my Cadillac. I HATE fwd cars now because of this thing. :mad:

Edit: Halfmile: What year is yours?
 
97stscaddy said:
Thanks for the help guys. Reason I ask about the timing chains is that I read probably 4 or 5 old topics on here dealing with broken chains on the MY2000 3.9 engines, and COUNTLESS posts on several jaguar forums about broken chains up to 2003 because of the tensioners.

Was there a redesigned VC gasket for the '00-'02 LS that fixed the problem or would I have to use some RTV to seal it up permanently?

Any valve cover on an LS has to be easier to change than the rear bank cover on my Cadillac. I HATE fwd cars now because of this thing. :mad:

Edit: Halfmile: What year is yours?
Click to expand...


Yes you can get the redesigned VC gaskets from any of the vendors on this site.
 
97stscaddy said:
What is this hydraulic fan? Do you mean the fan clutch?
Click to expand...

The 1st Gen LS uses a hydraulically-driven cooling fan. There's actually a hydraulic pump (it looks like a power steering pump from the pictures I've seen) that drives the fan. It was chosen over an electric fan because the alternator in the 1st Gen LS is running right on the ragged edge trying to feed the rest of the LS's systems. (This is one of the many problems resolved in the '03 redesign.)

The valve cover gaskets fit all years of the LS, so if you have the leaky gasket problem, you just buy the newer gasket with the revised design.
 
Would an alternator from an '03 fit on an '02? I would assume they are the same engine just higher power in the 03 because of the VVT cams, but you know what they say about assuming... :shifty:

As far as the fan problem, is it the fan itself that pukes the green stuff or is it the pump? Seems to me that would be the first thing to get rid of. Hook up an electric fan put a bypass pulley in place of the pump and call it a day! Did they ditch the water powered fan idea for the 03 models? Id do it however it was done for that year and beyond.
 
Nother question... The rear end in the LS, I noticed, is not Limited Slip. Was that ever an available option? If not would there be anyway I could get a LS rear end maybe with a little different FDR?
I've been looking at posts here for the past 2 days and have seen no mention of rear end swaps. Has anyone done anything like that?
 
Hmmm... might have to search around a few Jag forums and see what I can find AFA an LSD is concerned then.

How bout the alternator? Can those swap between years? And what type of cooling fan setup did they use on the 03+ models? That'll be the first thing I mod if I decide to buy this thing.
 
I don't know if the '03-'06 alternators will fit the pre-'03 LS, but the 2nd Gen LSes use an electric cooling fan.
 
Aight. Ill have to figure out that fan setup at some point after I buy this thing.
Thanks for the help guys.
Now I just have to wait for the dealer to get the thing out of the shop so I can drive it again...
Who knew it took 2 days to hook up a code scanner? :shrug:
 
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