shaking at idle/hesitation at 42-60 MPH

[2000lincolnv8]

Hello:

I have a 2000 ls V8 w/ 70k. About 6 months ago I had a CEL light come on and it was a cylinder misfire. I had the valve cover gasket, plugs, boots and 2 coils replaced (all on 1 side, 1 and 3, 2 had been replaced previously). This fix did a little to help and now the car is shaking at idle and hesitating between 42 and 60 MPH. I can also smell an exhaust type smell when any of the vents are turned on (heat, ac) that seems to be coming in from the passenger side engine vent. I have searched here and have found a couple of posts w/ similar issues but no one seemed to have a resolution. My mechanic seems to think that the coils are all fine (don't know what tool was used to check). What else could be causing this? The shake is coming from the engine but could it be tranny related? I would really appreciate and help. Does anything kick in at 42 MPH?

[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

Your issue certainly sounds like another cylinder misfire and leaky valve cover gasket. Was the valve cover gasket only replace on one side?

Many of the chain auto parts stores will read trouble codes at no charge. However, not all of the tools they use are scan tools, some are just code readers. If you can find one that uses a scan tool with the ability to retrieve "Component Parameters" or PIDs, check the misfire counts on the 8 cylinders. You may find high counts on one or more cylinders, but not high enough to set a check engine light.

The "exhaust" smell you reference is likely oil leaking from the valve cover onto the exhaust manifold. The gasket is probably also leaking oil into the spark plug wells causing a coil to short through the oil to the cylinder head, which causes a cylinder misfire.

-Rod

[2000lincolnv8]

Thanks for the feedback. The valve cover gasket was replaced on both sides, 8 boots, 8 plugs and 3 coils over a 3 month period. Coils 1-3 were replaced and that is why I wrote 'on one side', sorry for the confusion. I assumed that this was not the issue again since I just had that exact work done and was told that there was currently no oil in the wells. I will try to find a place w/ the scan tool you referenced. I have also noticed smoke coming from the left (passenger side by the windshield) but only about once a month. Does anything kick in at 42 with regards to the fuel system/engine. Thanks again for the feedback. I appreciate it.

[shorod]

I don't think you'll find anything that kicks in at a set vehicle speed, but maybe something that kicks in at an engine speed corresponding to 42 mph. Does the smoke seem to happen while cruising at 42, or when accelerating aggressively at 42 mph?

Are there any signs of oil burning on the exhaust manifold? You could have some oil dye installed in the oiling system and check after a day or two for traces of leaking oil using a blacklight.

Have you inspected the engine compartment and under the car to make sure there isn't some piece of plastic, or a bunch of leaves or something wedged near the exhaust?

-Rod

[2000lincolnv8]

The exhaust seems to burning clean and I've looked for leaks/holes and I haven't seen anthing. The smoke that I'm seeing on occassion is unrelated to the speed. I think I'll make an appt and take it to the dealer next week. I'll be sure to post back

[shorod]

I wasn't referring to the exhaust having oil in it, but rather oil dripping onto the hot exhaust and burning, causing the smell.

Please do report back with the dealer findings. Good luck!

-Rod

[2000lincolnv8]

just got the car back from the dealer, had a coil put in and the shake and hesitation are gone but the smell of burning oil is still in the cabin. The mechanic did not give me a reason for it but assumed it has to do w/ the internal valve gover gasket. Not real sure what this means......

[shorod]

I don't know what he means by an "internal valve cover gasket" either. That would seem like the plug well seal, and if that seal is leaking, your new coil won't last very long.

It could also be due to residual oil still burning off if the engine was not cleaned following the repair of the valve cover gasket.

-Rod

[Sickls00]

I dont mean to hijack the thread but my 2000 ls v8 with 102K is now having similar problems to what you describe. though i do not smell oil when the vents are on, it does shake at idle and sometimes when i feather the gas. it also hesitaties between 40 and 60mph. and a couple of days ago the check engine light came on. did the dealer fix the problem completely? last time i took her in to the dealer, she came out with an oil leak and 80 extra miles on the odometer (an "extensive test drive" on the bill). and if so does that mean you dont know what they did. if you do could you please help me out. thanks

[shorod]

Since you mention that the Check Engine Light (CEL) came on, stop by your local auto parts store and have them scan the codes. Most will do this at no charge. You will probably have a code in the form of P030x where x is the number of the cylinder that a misfire has been detected on.

If so, you probably have a failing coil (quite common). If you are handy with tools, you can replace these yourself and save a bunch of money over paying someone else to do it.

If you find a misfire code, whether you change the coil yourself or pay someone to do it, make sure to pay attention for any oil in the spark plug wells. It would be wise to check all 4 coils on the side you have apart. If there is any evidence of oil in the plug wells, I suggest you have the valve cover gaskets replaced ASAP to avoid additional coils failing prematurely.

As you've probably read on this forum, failed coils due to leaking valve cover gaskets which cause a misfire is a quite common issue with the 2000 and 2001 LS.

-Rod

[Y2KSVT]

Shorod, do you know how much the dealer charges for new coils? I think I might be having the beginning stages of valve cover gasket failure. Upon initial startup, there is a slight shake at idle. It's faint, but you can also feel it when barely letting off the brake at a stoplight, where it feels like a slight misfire. There is a pretty good how-to on the gasket change over on www.llsoc.com.

Mark

[shorod]

I try not to buy parts at the dealer, and certainly avoid having the dealer do any work on my car that I can do myself, so I don't know how much the dealer charges for the parts or the labor. However, the coils are not bad to change (especially on the passenger side). I've found that O'Reilly Auto Parts sells Borg-Warner boxed coils, but when you remove the coil from the box, you'll find a Motorcraft sticker on them. For my 2004 LS, the coils were around $45 each.

I'd suggest you find someone with a good scan tool that can access the I/M Readiness / Component Parameters to see if the engine is picking these up as misfires. If not, you could have engine mount issues or possibly an out-of-balance torque converter based on your description. Supposedly the engine and transmisssion mount rubber was changed for the 2006 model year. Don't know why, could be they found the previous material was breaking down prematurely, could be for cost reasons, or could be for environmental reasons.

-Rod

[Y2KSVT]

Originally Posted by shorod

or possibly an out-of-balance torque converter based on your description.

Don't tell me that!!! Coils and gaskets I can replace myself. It's tranny issues that I don't want to deal with. Are there any other symptoms of an out-of-balance torque converter? I've heard that the 00/01 LS' had/have tranny issues, but I couldn't really pinpoint what they were/are. The only thing I'm not sure on, is when it feels like the tranny finds a 6th gear, when it's already in 5th. And when I'm in a gear(most noticable in manual shift mode), I try to accelerate slightly, and it feels like the torque converter has to catch up a little bit before it grabs. Maybe I'm just crazy, as I haven't driven an automatic in quite a while now. I'm assuming a full R&R is the only way to tell for sure?

Mark

[shorod]

The impression of the transmission finding a 6th gear is probably when the torque converter locks up. While it's normal for the torque converter to lock, you actually being able to feel the lockup is not so normal.

Your next course of action maybe should be to have the transmission fluid and filter changed. When you do this, make sure the shop uses the correct transmission fluid and not just an additive to make the cheap stuff work "like" the correct stuff. See if you notice any difference with fresh fluid.

-Rod

[Y2KSVT]

Thanks shorod! I did a quick search, and unfortunately can't find anything on what type of fluid this tranny takes, or anything as far as the difficulty in changing the fluid. I saw someone say it takes 3 hours to change the fluid? With my SVT, I drain the fluid out of the drain plug, put it back in, and then fill it through the fill plug. I'm assuming I'd need a pump for this tranny? Maybe I'll just use my connections at Ford to have them do a tranny flush, at employee price.

Mark