REAL OFFICIAL LINCOLN LS OWNERS GUIDE!!!! Basic tips and info.

djknowledge

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FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THIS IF I LEFT SOMETHING OUT PEOPLE....PLEASE STICKY...

1. Coils!!!!
The lincoln ls eats coils for breakfast lunch and dinner. Even through regular maintenance you might have coils and plugs go bad on you. Symptoms are check engine lights, misfires, dead cats and other problems if not taken care of properly. When changing these you might as well change the valve cover gaskets to prevent oil getting in the wells which probably damaged the coils in the first place. You should also change the spark pluhs while you are at it, and remember to use good quality coils and plus otherwise you will have problems soon after you replace these. Be away that any jerking, stuttering, or shaking can also be symptoms of a vacuum leak or bad pcv on top of the coils.

2. Bushings!!!
The lincoln ls over time develops a hallow thud coming from the suspension. Most of the time it will be the sway bar bushings. In some cases it might be the axles, ball joints, control arms and others but check the bushings first as you may get other noises other then just the thud over small bumps. Inspection from a good mechanic or dealer (beware) would eventually find the culprit for the noise.

3. Springs!!!!
If you want a big drop or are going to be using 18s or 19s you can go with intrax or springtech springs that offer a 1.75 inch drop. It will be a rougher ride but it will look awesome. If you want 20s and don't want to risk too much rubbing and adding spring stiffeners you might want the eibachs that offer a 1 inch drop. You should be able to use the stock shocks for the car otherwise KYB shocks would be an alternative as there aren't too many choices for the ls. Other factors come in to play with rubbing, like the offset and width of the rim as well as the tire ratio.

4. Shocks!!!
The sport, non sport and euros are interchangeable shocks on the ls. Non sport for a soft luxurious ride, sport for a firmer ride, and euros for a stiff sporty ride that may not be for everyone. Kyb makes shocks as well as monroe however everyone who has used monroe shocks would say you might as well get nothing.

5. Exhausts!!!
There are numerous setups for the ls with each setup suiting different tastes in owners. For owners seeking a performance setup, the magnaflows offer the most increase in hp which should be between 10-15. The only downside is that they aren't as loud as some would like. SLPs offered 2nd best in performance and are the loudest of the bunch. 3rd are bassani exhaust and are the second loudest. In all honesty, if you have a 2nd gen (2003-up) you are not going to get much of an increase. Flowmasters offer a nice sound as well but may reduce performance. Most people will put in an x pipe in place of the h-pipe that comes on after the cat on the lincoln ls. You may also decide to cut off the resonators and will change the sound although it isn't for everyone. If you are like me, you want 2.5 straight pipe from the cat back or nothing at all. Weld in an xpipe and cut those resonators right off , weld the tips of your choice on and you are good too go.

6. Intakes!!!
The intake of choice for the ls is either the K&N intake intended for the thunderbird, or the kkn intake. Both offer pretty good performance and sound. Can either decrease or increase mpg’s as well, depending on how you drive. The most awesome thing about the intake is how it makes the motor sound. Some also fabricate custom intakes for the ls.

7.SCT!!
The SCT XCAL is a handy tool that changes performance parameters on the LS by using TUNES to do things like; air/fuel ratio, transmission shift points, default tire size, removing rev limiter. It might not make the LS a 11 sec car, but it definitely improves the car’s performance when coupled with intake/exhaust and some dyno tuning. You can purchase them for under $400 bucks from either Torrie or ILLS(search).

8. Rims!!!!
The bolt pattern on the LS is 5 x 108. Any other type of bolt pattern will not fit unless you get some type of adapter or machine the rims to have a 5 x 108 bolt pattern.

9. Hids!!!
The LS has about 4 different bulb tytpes.
H11 for the low beam
9005 for the high beam
H10/9145 for the fogs
HID-D2R for the hid headlamps

10. Miscellenous!!!
Yes, You can put a 2nd gen lse bumper kit on your 1st gen, but you will have a gap unless you get the right brackets to correctly align the bumper and headlights.

The speakers that the ls has are:
6x8 door speakers on all 4 doors and
6x9 speakers on the rear deck.
Depending on your specific model, this info may vary.
 
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11. When your climate control messes up, it's probably the DCCV.

12. When you have a coolant leak, it's probably the degas bottle cracked.
 
That's a wealth of information. I'm sure a lot of people will find that useful.

13. If your horn, cruise control don't work and your air bag light is on then your clock spring needs to be replaced.
 
13. If you're got an interior water leak along your roof or a-pillar area, your moonroof drain tube is probably clogged.
 
Remember to add the correct offset for wheels as well. stock is 60mm. You can run a 40mm offset when lowered. The lowest offset I've seen anyone on here run is 38 IIRC.
 
When the LS over heats make sure to purge system a min of 8 times. Do not over tighten lugs.
 
water in doors
check weather strip seals around windows. unplug drain at bottom corner of inside of door

water in trunk
check moulding around tail lights. unplug drain x2 at bottom of trunk.

uneven wear on brake pads
check the caliper hardware and slider pins, regrease

stripped lug nut
upgrade to chrystler sebring lug nuts

low brake fluid
check calipers for leak

water in headlights/fogs
blow dryer will temp. fix the problem

sunroof wont open
grease sliding objects and track
 
Remember to add the correct offset for wheels as well. stock is 60mm. You can run a 40mm offset when lowered. The lowest offset I've seen anyone on here run is 38 IIRC.
Since the concept of offset and backspacing tend to confuse people frequently (at least I witness this upon the forums I visit), I'm going to expand upon this, as it's rather vague. Offset is a function of the wheel width and in order to know the proper offset to run on a vehicle, you must know the wheel's width.

The point I am trying to convey is that a 40mm offset on a 9" wheel will fit entirely different than an 8" wheel with a 40mm offset.

This is a no-brainer to those of us familiar with calculating wheel measurements, but like I said, I have witnessed people's confusion with this concept and just wanted to try to clarify that post where I felt it wasn't clear. I meant no offense to your post, pektel. :)
 
This should the thread to add all the diagnostics,problems and other commen questions on the ls and then make a new thread with all that info on the first post so new guys and other members wont have to go looking through this whole thread and miss what they are looking for. Great thread by the way. Props to djknowledge

-HID headlights are interchangeable with halogen headlight for 03-06, with very minor modifications to the factory harness connection unless they have already been fixed.Will also fit on 00-02 but you will need 03-06 headlight brackets.

-Bushing on a gen2(03-06) are molded to the sway bar unlike gen1(00-02). You can change only the bushings on a gen2 without buying a whole new sway bar. You would have to cut them off though and just put on new ones, like from energy suspension part number 9.5171 , come in black or red.

-Calipers that are interchangle to use on a gen2 are.Nov 18 2002 through Apr 12 2006 use the same rear calipers P/N 2R8Z-2552/3-CA.
Mar 22 1999 through July 17 2005 use the same front calipers P/N 3W4Z-2B120/1-AB

-LED light conversion the bulbs needed are

WHITE MSMT 6 LED DOME LIGHT 3022 3021 DE3175 6428 6430, these are for the puddle lights,

SUPER WHITE 9 LED DOME LIGHT BULB 212 211 212-2 214-2 578, this was for the trunk

2 HID WHITE SMT 5 LED LIGHT BULBS 194 168 158 2821; these are for the interior including dome, footwell, glove box, rear ocrap handles, you need 7 of these total

2 HID WHITE HIGH POWER LICENSE PLATE LED BULBS 194 168 158

all bulbs are 194 except for the trunk, 212, puddle lights which are above,
 
I have no idea, I've just heard other people talk about it! :shifty:

Actually, leaks at the A or C pillars are usually due to the drain tubes pulling apart, not clogs. Leaks around the moon roof would probably be due to clogs.
 
13. If you're got an interior water leak along your roof or a-pillar area, your moonroof drain tube is probably clogged.[/QUOTE

I have this issue thats why I hand wash it. Where exactly is the moon roof drain and how would I be able to de-clog it thanks

At each of the four pillars, the drain tubes from the moon-roof are spliced to drain tubes that run down the to the bottom of the car. A known problem is that these tubes sometimes pull apart at the splices. The solution is to pull the pillar trim down and reconnect (and glue) the tubes.

If the leaks are around the moon-roof itself, then you need to clean out the gutters of the moon-roof and use compressed air to clear out the drain tubes. I think that you'll have to pull the pillar trim and disconnect and reconnect the splices to do this.
 
The battery is in the back.

There isn't much aftermarket if you consider aftermarket to be something from Jegs that specifically states it was built for the LS.

And no, you can't put a 4.6 or 5.0 Ford engine in it. Don't even think about it.
 
Yellow top and red top batteries still need to be vented, they will vent into the cabin if not.
 
I'm a little impressed no one brought up the transmission.

2-3 shift is typically strange in these transmissions. Best way I've heard it referred to is "it's a 'feature' we just have to deal with." However, if you start to have substantial shifting problems from your transmission, you may look into the solenoids. These transmission have three solenoids, A, B, and C. To my understanding these little guys cause most of the heartache and frustration. Best to just change all three out if you're going into the transmission.

I'm still relatively new to these cars and it's by far the most "electronic" car I've ever owned. So I'm still learning.

This is by far a "thread of the year award" though. This will undoubtedly help people pinpoint problems. And if they can't pinpoint them, they'll atleast know how/where to start asking questions.

CJ
 
Opening your headlghts-Some gen1 headlights have the gray sealant and some have black. All gen2's have black sealant. If you have th gray sealant, you can put the headlights in the oven to soften the sealent and take them apart, for an angel eye mod or to take out the amber lense. If you have the black sealant on your headlight, you will have to cut them to get them open.
 
If you want to convert your gen 1 front bumper to a gen 2 LSE front bumper team ford sells a kit. Also, you can paint your OEM black side skirts if you prep them correctly, and use a plastic promoter.
 
-LED light conversion the bulbs needed are

WHITE MSMT 6 LED DOME LIGHT 3022 3021 DE3175 6428 6430, these are for the puddle lights,

SUPER WHITE 9 LED DOME LIGHT BULB 212 211 212-2 214-2 578, this was for the trunk

2 HID WHITE SMT 5 LED LIGHT BULBS 194 168 158 2821; these are for the interior including dome, footwell, glove box, rear ocrap handles, you need 7 of these total

2 HID WHITE HIGH POWER LICENSE PLATE LED BULBS 194 168 158

all bulbs are 194 except for the trunk, 212, puddle lights which are above,

I forgot to say that these are from http://www.v-leds.com/
 
1. Speed-adjusted radio volume: Hold down the volume knob for five seconds and a menu comes up offering levels 0-7, with 0 being no speed adjustment. The video recommends starting out on level 3.

2. Automatic windows and sunroof opening/closing: There are two ways to access this feature -
A. Put the key in the driver door lock, turn towards the front of the car to unlock, and hold it in that position. This will trigger all the windows to roll down and the sunroof to open. Doing the opposite (holding the key toward the rear of the car) will close the windows and sunroof.
B. Hold down the unlock button on the remote - this will open everything. The close feature does not work from the remote (liability issues of course).

3. Heated windshield wiper rests: Look at your front window from outside - see those yellow lines at the bottom of glass, directly under the wipers? Those are electric heaters that automatically turn on when the outside temp is below 40 degrees. Keeps the wipers from being frozen to the glass.
 
This thread is not for questions.
It is for posting information only.
If you have a question, search, search, and search again with different terms.
If you don't find the answer you need, start a new thread.
 
If your heat only works when you rev the car and you cant seem to bleed all the air out of the coolant system the little brass tube inside the puke jug has probably fallen out and you need a new jug. Can't really replace it seeing as it is very hard to get to through the fill cap.
 
How to remove shift knob:

Step 1. pull down on the lower plastic piece of the shift knob:
shift1.jpg


Step 2. locate 2 screws that have now become uncovered:
shift2.jpg


Step 3. Remove screws, and remove knob.

Reverse steps when installing new one.
 
Hydraulic cooling fan troubleshooting. If your car is overheating, it may be the hydraulic cooling fan. There are really only three parts that matter:

Fan motor: fan is turning but making lots of noise from front end of car, could be the fan motor.
Fan pump: fan not turning very fast and/or noise from passenger side of engine down low, could be the pump.
Fan pump solenoid: fan turns ok, but doesn't kick into high speed when A/C is turned on, probably the solenoid.

DIY level (imho)
Fan motor: basic to intermediate DIY job.
Fan pump solenoid: intermediate, lots of stuff to remove to get to it, tight fit.
Fan pump: intermediate, same as solenoid but harder to get to bolts.
 
Electric fan conversion is the least expensive way to fix a bad hydraulic fan system.
 

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