is our 4.6 a time bomb?

[Black_Noise]

my brother and i have been working on a 2000 Lincoln LS v-8 rear wheel.

it is a 3.9L DOHC with the coils right on the heads/valve cover.
Ive done some checking on forums around the net and all the Lincoln LS 2000-04/05? the o-ring around the coil wire to the plug leaks, my brother pulled about 1 cup+ of oil out of on top of the spark plugs.

it was running on 4-6 when we got it, now its all 8, but he thinks this is the 4th time someone has changed the coils or plugs on this 104K car.


Makes me wonder if anyone with a marauder has had the o-rings in the valve cover leak and let oil between the coils and spark plugs, they ground out easy.

[Dragcity]

How Odd! I went out for lunch today and my Marauder started missing like crazy. Feels like I am missing on two cylinders.

Threw a code, 'cause my check engine light is on.... Called my dealer and trying to get it in now.....


AARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHH!

[ctrcbob]

I once had a Toyota 4 cylinder Camry that had oil leak into the plug area. Although the oil level leaked up to around halfway up the plug, it never missed a beat. Still ran great, even with that ugly plug.

[SergntMac]

Makes me wonder if anyone with a marauder has had the o-rings in the valve cover leak and let oil between the coils and spark plugs, they ground out easy.The Marauder engine has someting I see as a gasket that is a bit more efficient than just an "O" ring, but yeah, I had a problem with one on the #8 cylinder.

I was messing with the PCV system looking for a better way to vent the crankcase, and #8 blew out with, and with a tear to it. Easy (but not simple) fix, and it all went away. That was back in '05, and it followed that my engine build back then had way too much piston-to-cylinder wall clearance to begin with, and all the "o" ring gaskets were at risk, until one blew out.

Fixed that problem too, and I don't see this being an issue on a stock MM engine with a healthy PCV system.

[DarthMarauder]

Sounds like my old SHO 3.0 V-6 did this all the time. Its not coil on plug but after about 50000 miles you needed new valve cover gaskets, plug seals, plugs and wires cause the seals would be leaking oil on the plugs like crazy. Had this on both SHO's I ever owned and there are tons of post about it on SHO forums. I just got used to it and would buy the parts when I would see them on sale even if I didnt need them I actually still have a whole kit built up of everything but no more SHO. I hope it isnt an always occuring problem on the LS's too.

[Dr Caleb]

Happens with my 92 CV. Not a COP setup, but the plugs are on top of the manifold, and if you wash the engine, water gets past the pathetic excuse for rubber seals, and ground out the spark plug wire.

A bit of oil leaks on top of the heads too, but I need new valve cover gaskets (at $90 a pop, each side) too.

Fried 2 plugs and wires so far.

[SergntMac]

Sounds like my old SHO 3.0 V-6 did this all the time. Its not coil on plug but after about 50000 miles you needed new valve cover gaskets, plug seals, plugs and wires cause the seals would be leaking oil on the plugs like crazy. Had this on both SHO's I ever owned and there are tons of post about it on SHO forums. I just got used to it and would buy the parts when I would see them on sale even if I didnt need them I actually still have a whole kit built up of everything but no more SHO. I hope it isnt an always occuring problem on the LS's too. I have learned the hard way that high revving engines produce tons of crankcase pressure that Ford never expected, 'cause they never expected us to venture into those regions.

Their designs seem azz-backwards to us, but they have to comply with the EPA before us, as consumers. Seem to me that if you're going to reach for high RPMs on a regular basis, you're going to be paying some bills you didn't expect.

[mtnh]

LS V8s had that problem for some time, the fix, if I recall correctly, was new valve covers. Luckily for most, these problems surfaced during the 4 year/ 50K warranty period. There was actually a backorder on the valve covers once this situation reared its head. If you find this problem in your LS, just bite the bullet and get the valve covers, as the money you save in COPs and gaskets will easily pay for the covers in the long run.

[jerrym3]

I've been lucky (so far). Neither 3.9 in my 04 LS or 03 TBird have had this problem.

[Beamer]

The Lincoln LS's are notorious for this. Some have better luck then others but it seems like all the LS guys I know have this problem all the time. Some say it occurs every 40k miles. My LS v8 has almost 42K miles on it and I have not had a type of problem but dread it everytime I get in and start it up. I do sometimes have symptoms there is something wrong, like when I first start it here and there the whole car shakes but it smooths out after take off.

If you go to LincolnvsCadillac.com and go to the Lincoln LS forum you well see tons of oil in the coil wells and people yelling about it. I am on there alot(name is the same Beamer).

[Paul T. Casey]

I've had no oil issues around the COPs and plug holes, but I've had water in there a few times (135K miles). Passenger side bank, seems to leak in past the gasket where the wires come through. Fried 2 COPs the first time, 1 the second. Since then, I inspect the seals on the rear side of the cam covers and coil covers fairly often. One time I had to re-seal the opening around the wires, and one time, just for piece of mind, I replaced the coil cover gaskets. Problem seems solved.