Prepping the Lincoln for the long haul

joeym427

joeym427

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Hi everyone , wife just got a temporary (1 year only) job 500 miles away so I’ll be commuting every couple of weekends to go see her. My Lincoln is my workhorse , it has been very reliable to me thus far.

I have a 2004 v6 with 157k. What should I do to prep the car for these long trips?

Here’s some back story to what I’ve done and what is wrong. I have a code for the O2 sensors (going to change all 4 soon), the belt is original so I’m going to change that as well. Changed the solenoid pack a year ago and have kept up with the trans service so far. Coils and plugs changed at 120k. Struts are decent enough, all bushings and ball joints have seen better days. Flushed coolant and brake fluid at 150k.

what would be worth replacing to avoid a brake down?
 
I'd see what suspension parts you need and make sure all coolant parts are shiny black and car is sitting around 94 to100 celcius while at operation temperature...take it in and have a professional shop charge the AC and put dye in it so they can see any leaks with a black light...tires are going to be huge and a good alignment and tire balance would be in order for sure
 
AmsterDutch said:
Make sure all calipers and pads are in good order also
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Went through the brakes not too long ago, ended up replacing a caliper and went through all discs and pads all round. Front sway bar links are new. Struts are original , tie rods are original, toe links are shot, rear LCA bushings are shot, rear sway bar links are “okay”. Not sure any of that would leave me stranded though. I have some front Upper control arms I need to install.

I’ll have to take a look at the hoses , that’s a good idea.
 
If your rear toe links and LCA's are junk... I would focus on those. Not only will the car handle poorly... it will cause excessive tire wear. Especially since the rear wheels on the LS start out with negative camber from the factory.

If you are going to be playing "dodg'em" with other drivers on the freeway... a proper handling vehicle is a necessity.
 
A bit morbid and sobering...

I am glad to hear you keep a fire extinguisher in your trunk. Everyone should.

Years ago I watched a guy burn to death in a car fire... due to a bad multi-car accident. Had I had a fire extinguisher back then... things would have most likely turned out differently.:(
 
I couldn't agree more with 04 Sport ...LCA on the rear are a must to replace ...believe it or not I got both left and right ACDelco brand on Amazon open box ...still in the original box and sealed in plastic for $170 total and free shipping
 
AmsterDutch said:
I couldn't agree more with 04 Sport ...LCA on the rear are a must to replace ...believe it or not I got both left and right ACDelco brand on Amazon open box ...still in the original box and sealed in plastic for $170 total and free shipping
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Really?? That’s a steal. I can’t find good prices on LCAs for my 04. I’m considering just removing both and pressing new bushings in. Are the 01/02 LCAs the same ??
 
Gen I vs Gen 2 LCA's being swappable... has never been completely verified. Everthing LOOKS the same... except the Gen 2 arms say "SC" because the supercharged S-type Jag used the same arms.

The bushings can be replaced... if they are still sourceable. At one point I had found part #'s for the majority of the bushings on the LS through a Jag parts listing... and had a list but can't find it now.

I even found the bushings for the UCA's ... but that is irrelevant because the ball joint socket is non-serviceable.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
Gen I vs Gen 2 LCA's being swappable... has never been completely verified. Everthing LOOKS the same... except the Gen 2 arms say "SC" because the supercharged S-type Jag used the same arms.

The bushings can be replaced... if they are still sourceable. At one point I had found part #'s for the majority of the bushings on the LS through a Jag parts listing... and had a list but can't find it now.

I even found the bushings for the UCA's ... but that is irrelevant because the ball joint socket is non-serviceable.
Click to expand...

I did a lot of research several months ago about this topic and found a guy on the forum who put them side by side (gen 1 vs gen 2 LCAs) look exactly the same. Just no confirmation that it’s a good fit. I’ll probably just try to push them out with an arbor press, found the bushings on rock auto. The current bushings just squeal like a bad floor board, it’s embarrassing and it’s loud.
 
Yeah... that would have been member RigsLS... and I was part of that discussion too.

I did a thread on drilling the control arm through to the bushing, and installing a grease fitting. It's only a temporary fix... and not recommended because the plastic in the bushing ends up failing.

Before you replace the contol arms and/or bushings.... inspect the bottom of the coil springs on the rear shocks.

If you find a bent, cracked, or broken tail on the bottom of the coil springs... you will want to fix that before replacing anything to do with the LCA's.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
Yeah... that would have been member RigsLS... and I was part of that discussion too.

I did a thread on drilling the control arm through to the bushing, and installing a grease fitting. It's only a temporary fix... and not recommended because the plastic in the bushing ends up failing.

Before you replace the contol arms and/or bushings.... inspect the bottom of the coil springs on the rear shocks.

If you find a bent, cracked, or broken tail on the bottom of the coil springs... you will want to fix that before replacing anything to do with the LCA's.
Click to expand...
Could cracked or broken coil springs lead to the squeaking ? Am I incorrect to jump right to the bushings as the reason for the noise? Have yet to tear down the rear , hoping to do it in the next few months
 
If the bushings are squeaking... they are already shot and they, (or the whole control arm), needs to be replaced.

My point about a potentially broken, cracked, or bent bottom spring tail... was that it will cause premature wear on the new LCA's or replacement bushings.

I've seen a number of coil springs with those issues over the years.
 
IMG_20210502_093612497.jpg


As the springs sag, (wear), over time... the coil above the bottom wrap comes in contact with the end of the spring.

That pressure causes the spring to eventually bend, crack, break at the conatct point.
 
IF you find a spring with an issue, obviously it will need replacing. It seems the drivers rear is usually the issue.

However... I recommend relpacing everything in "pairs". Yes... it costs more initailly... but how many times do you want to "go back in there" to fix/replace another failed part at a later time?

Especially with the miles you are going to be driving.
 
i have moogs cast after the gen1 on my jag, they fit identical. don’t use if you’re making 400+ hp, the SC cast arms exist for a reason.

i have bushings if anybody wants them, $20 shipped. they’re a PITA and you need to torch the arm to get it to fit. ideally you can bore the hole out and get it to fit smoothly
 
ajv8 said:
i have moogs cast after the gen1 on my jag, they fit identical. don’t use if you’re making 400+ hp, the SC cast arms exist for a reason.
i have bushings if anybody wants them, $20 shipped. they’re a PITA and you need to torch the arm to get it to fit. ideally you can bore the hole out and get it to fit smoothly
Click to expand...

alright so gen 1 LCAs are identical to gen 2 LCAs ? Gen 1 LCAs are so much cheaper and easier to find.
 
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