ebodell67

I still had a clanking noise that would get worse at times. I got it up on ramps and found that one of the dust shields was not pressed on to the driveshaft. I had to push these off when I replaced the carrier bearings and one of them has lost its press fit. I did not want to drop the shaft and take it apart again so I tried some JB Weld on the shield. Drove to work this AM and it is much better now. Not sure how long it will hold, worst case I will got in and cut it off. I would rather leave it in place as it helps keep debris away from the bearing so not sure that is the best plan. But is does kinda "hang up" once in a while and sounds like the drivetrain is grenading itself. Other option would be to simply pull the driveshaft and run FWD only. Not sure if this would cause other issues though. I don't really need AWD in the spring, summer, and fall. Liking the Lincoln more and more, it owes me nothing and every day I get out of it is a bonus. I have the fleet down to a reasonable number now and my insurance has dropped quite a bit.

Not sure, I have not priced 20" tires (never owned anything with them) so not sure what that cost would be. My concern is that I put $800 worth of tires on it and then something lets go then I am stuck with oddball sized tires with no use for them. I suppose I could try and find a used set and mount them up myself but they don't look to be as easy to mount as say the 245/65 R16 that I run on my pickup(s). Not something I will have to worry about until the fall so I will make the call then. As I gain confidence in the Lincoln I may be more comfortable putting significant money into it. I know that 20" and 22" are common these days but nothing in my fleet uses them. But again, maybe used ones are common and reasonable $. I did fix the coolant leak (more like a seep through a parting line) with JB Weld.

Been a while since i posted the MkX. Since then it has become my daily driver as the Mercury is now gone. I drove it all winter, she started right up at -15F and I drove it through some pretty bad weather. It has even been used for some light choring and driven through the pasture. I am gaining a lot more confidence in it. Not sure I would drive to the coast but I would probably take it anywhere in Iowa at this point. I have put a bit over 6k miles on it. Gave it an oil change last weekend, it only used a pint in 6K miles so the motor seem pretty tight. Still some vibration and clanking but I am just living with it. It now has about 275,600 miles on it, averages about 20-21 MPG. Best part is that I have $658.60 into it (with the latest oil change, not counting fuel and insurance). Picked it up on August, it's now March so that is about $82/month. Once of the plastic radiator lines is starting to seep so I need a cheap fix for that. Still need to change the fluid in the PTU as well. At this point I am just going to run it until something major happens or it needs tires.

Pull the plugs and see if they are oil fouled. As mentioned above might be a PCV. One quart in 1200 miles is not that "bad". How many miles do you have on it. My previous chore truck was a battered '73 K20 with a 350 that burned about a quart every 200 miles or so. Did this for years, I just installed anti-fouling inserts in the two worst cylinders. I would not have hesitated to drive it across the country. But, that being said I don't mind driving marginal vehicles from dubious sources. What is the worse that could happen? Would I let my wife or daughter drive one? Heck no!

Well, I drove the Lincoln this past weekend much more than I have previously. There is a "small" vibration at about 20mph that goes away at higher speeds. It may be the worn out bushings in the rear, a marginal motor mount, or the driveshaft is a bit out of balance. For the time being I am just going to monitor it. My wife drives it 60-70 miles daily and tells me it's better than it was. It has rattles, but, with 270K miles it has earned them. Seems ok for now. I just want to get through the winter and early spring at this point then I can try and either really tear into it or find a replacement. My fleet is made up of older vehicles; the Lincoln is our newest car at this point. I have a severe aversion to car payments so I am not in any hurry to find another car at this point in time. I am sure there will be more repairs, but, in the 1000 miles we have put on it so far it does not use any oil and runs and shifts just fine. Stay tuned.....

I would definitely pass on any rental. When I was younger and had to travel for work you would not believe the things I did to rental cars. And, I know I am not alone in the wanton abuse of them. Oftentimes I had to scab trim back on and run them thru the carwash multiple times (hey they were 4WD for a reason, well some of them were). Run, don't walk from a rental....

Got the torque mount changed out. Vibration seems to be gone and the car seems quieter now. I did tighten a couple items under it as well to eliminate some of the clunks that it has. I also noticed that about every bushing in the rear end needs changed out. Not sure I am going to tackle that at this point as I don't really want to drop the entire rear end out of it at this point. I may change a few of the "easier" ones though if the parts are reasonable. Torque mount was a bit more than I thought it would be. I should have supported the trans when I first pulled it. Lesson learned.

Well the next little issue I have now is the torque mount (?) is shelled out. Probably explains the vibration at low speeds. It started banging and making the wife think she had a wheel about to fall off (her words). Got the part coming from RockAuto so I can get that in on Saturday and give the drivetrain a once over (again). I know with 370K miles I will be replacing parts that normally one never has to touch. Overall I am still pleased with the car. The interior and comfort features are nice, seats are comfortable. I did get the final verdict on the wife's car: total loss. But, I got a lot more for it than I thought I would so that is good. Trans was starting to slip and the engine was using a bit of oil. Probably better in the long run and I had performed some redneck bodywork on it when the wife backed into a tree. Lucky for me we live on gravel and it had a nice thick coat of dust so my craftsmanship was masked.

Whelp, the Lincoln is now a daily driver. My wife smoked a deer with her car so I had to press this into service a bit before I wanted to. I wanted to drive it myself for a week or so to sort out any new issues that might arise. So I insured it, charged the AC and let her drive it. After a couple of commutes the right front caliper was sticking so I had to replace that in a hurry so I could not bargain hunt for one. So with the caliper, DOT3, and a can of R134a I now have $583.03 into the car. Kinda frustrated with the caliper as I had to pay about double over RockAuto for it but I was stuck and had to buy it from a chain store (which I really do not like). Well, anyway it is up and being used as a daily for now. Wife's car is likely a total loss so I will take that money and start looking for another hooptie to have as a backup; 3.8L Buick, 4.3L Blazer, Ford Panther, something along those lines. Will not post much more than updates here as I have to fix a couple things on the MkX as they break. I do need to drain and fill the PTU before winter. I have the fluid just need to stop thinking about it and just get it done.

Finally got back on the MkX. Finished the replacing the ball joints on the Grand Marquis and finally got it aligned. Pretty much a new front end under it so it should be good for 200K+ miles now. I replaced the third brake light and got that functioning now. I pulled a vacuum on the AC for about 6 hours to boil out any moisture. It pulled down just fine and after I unhooked the pump it held the vacuum for another 4+ hours. Not sure what to think now. Earlier I injected some UV die into the system and pressurized it with nitrogen. After doing that and running the system I was never able to find a leak anywhere even though it bled down some pressure. After this time I am wondering if I just did not run the pump long enough to really dry the system out. My next step is to simply replace the Schrader valves in the high and low pressure ports, pull another vacuum and if it holds, put a couple cans of R134a in it and go from there. At this point I am more or less done with the car. I just need to add it to my insurance and drive if for a bit to make sure there is nothing else. The wife wants it so I will give it to her to drive for at least the winter and see how it works out. It has great tires on it so we might as well run it for a while. The current total I have into it, before any R134a and insurance, is $493.17. So if I can get 6 months of use it will not really cost me much. The dang thing is starting to grow on me. Always starts right up with no engine or trans noise. I have not driven it much aside from on the gravel (no insurance and I am paranoid about that) but it seems to handle just fine with no vibration or whining. Will get some insurance and some drive time in it. Few little things to look at; heated seats don't work but it may be a switch and the sunroof has a tendency to drop off the tracks. Minor things that don't stop us from using it.

Well, this one is on hold again. Broke a ball joint on my daily driver ('94 Grand Marquis) so that needs to get fixed first. Pretty much going to have a new front end on it when I'm done. Just waiting for the rest of the parts to show up. Tow was covered under insurance (fortunately). Shredded the tire as well but that was replaced with my road hazard policy. I was only going about 5-10 MPH when it let go so I could limp into a parking lot.

Been a couple of weeks since I have been able to work on the MkX. Over the long weekend I put a vacuum pump on the AC system and pulled it down. I was then able to inject some UV dye into it. After that I charged it with nitrogen and ran the system for a bit to circulate the dye. Unfortunately I really cannot see the connections on the compressor very well, but it looks like there is a leak at the compressor when I shine the black light in that area. I ordered an o-ring, desiccant element and expansion valve kit. I will get all of this installed and change the oil in the compressor and cross my fingers. It definitely has a leak as the vacuum drops from ~28"Hg to ~10"Hg in about an hour. Pretty much the last thing I need to take care of before it is ready for the road again. The third brake light is still out but that is an expensive part so I am going to rig up something there.

Got the other splined joint apart this week and pressed the new carrier bearings on and the shaft back together. Second joint fought me a lot more than the first one did but it finally came apart. I used a big socket and one of the old bearings to press the new carriers on. Installation was pretty straightforward as well. Took the car out for a test drive and it drives good with no vibration. There is still a rattle coming from somewhere but the loud banging is gone. Next up is the AC. I also forgot that the third brake light is not working. Took that apart (had to drill out one of the screws) and found the connection is pretty much shot. Replacements are $50 so I am just going to directly wire it in to keep the costs low (kinda the theme of this build anyway). The new carrier bearings were $50.28 delivered to my door. So that makes a grand total of ~$427 into this one to date. The AC may cost me a few $ depending upon what I find. I hope it's not the evaporator core as I do not want to tear the dash out (but I will if I have to). AC parts seem reasonable so at least that is a positive. I will get a vacuum pump on the system and put some nitrogen and dye in it to find the leak. So far the repairs have not been to crazy and it has not fought me as much as I thought. It is actually pretty clean underneath as it has not been on much gravel in it's life. About ready get it insured so I can do more than just yard drive it.

Thank you! I would like to think I would remember to do that but it helps to get reminded. Sometimes I get tunnel vision and neglect some of the details.

Last night I got part of the shaft separated. There is a splined connection on the center shaft that I was able to get apart. Took some heat and a deadblow but it finally broke free. Should be something similar on the opposite end but I ran out of time last night so I sprayed it with Free All and will try again tonight. At least I am making progress. Hopefully I will have it back together this weekend. I have two other automotive projects I am working on in parallel and have some chores at the farm to do so we will see.

Got the driveshaft pulled out last night. All the fasteners came apart fine (I sprayed them with Free All on Saturday). Might not be the only drivetrain problem but the carrier bearings are shelled out for sure. I will see tonight how to pull the shaft apart.

Wanted to document my low buck build on the Lincoln MKX I recently picked up. I little backstory on how I came to acquire my latest project. One of my co-workers recently bought a new Ford Maverick and just wanted the MKX gone. I half joking asked him what he wanted for it. He said $200 and it's yours. So now I am the owner of a rather well used MKX. The car has 260K miles on it and are mostly highway miles as a work commuter. He has done a lot of maintenance over the ~8 years he owned the car. New CVs, PTU, struts, etc. He also did the oil every 3K miles. So it runs and shifts just fine and the motor is clean with good compression. Of course it has some issues; AC has a leak, oil light is on, front seats no longer heat, a very loud banging from the suspension. The first thing I did was detail the entire car. I know this is backwards but I am more motivated to work on a clean vehicle. I attached a shot of the car as I brought it home and then some shots after I cleaned it up. I extracted a fair bit of dirt from the carpets but overall it cleaned up very well. There is a missing CD unit on the passengers headrest (not sure what to do here, I may 3D print a little storage box or build a wood box of some sort. I have now started the mechanical work. I changed the oil and replaced the oil pressure switch (replacement was included in the sale). The switch was a bit tight and took about an hour but after I got it in the light went out and stayed out (it would go out after the car ran for a bit so I assumed it was a bad switch). Next I took a look underneath to find the banging issue. I have the three-piece driveshaft with two carrier bearings. Both bearings are shelled out with one of them completely gone and acting as a driveshaft hoop (think NHRA rules). Driveshafts are a bit pricey but I can get the carrier bearings alone for about $50. I did a little digging and I am pretty sure I can separate the driveshaft and rebuild it. I have rebuilt several "unserviceable" components in the past (it helps to have access to a full machine shop). I hope to pull the shaft tonight and get the parts on order for the weekend. After that I will check the wheel bearings (the PO thought at least one of them was bad), then tackle the AC. Overall it seems like a decent car and everything works in it aside from the front heated seats and AC (I will T/S the seats at some point if I keep the car). I am not sure if I am going to keep or flip it when I am done. I am keeping the cost low regardless. This is something I bit newer than I usually work with so the lessons it will teach me are worth the admission price. I am more of a GM guy and I think the sun rises and sets on SBCs and BBCs, but my daily driver is a '92 Grand Marquis that has been stone cold loyal. I don't know much about the MKX/Edge platform but that may change as I get further into this one. So far my costs are: Purchase price: $200 T&L and title: $98 Cleaning supplies (I can use these elsewhere): $24.24 Oil and filter (Supertech 5W-20 and a Napa Gold filter): $37.91 Quart of 75W-140 (for the PTU): $16.56 So at this point I am all in for $377. Will see where we go from here.

I did a search for this and did not come up with much so my apologies if this is a repeat post or addressed previously. Ok, so I just bought a 2007 Lincoln MKX. Vehicle runs and drives but it has a serious noise from the drivetrain. I finally had some time to get it on ramps and take a look. I found that both the front and rear carrier bearings are completely shot. Has anyone replaced these before. I know that on some Ford products the bearing is not serviceable and you have to replace the entire driveshaft. Is this the case here? I have found a 3-piece driveshaft and the part is rather pricey. I found a replacement 2-piece shaft that states it is an upgrade from the 3-piece. Has anyone replaced their 3-piece with a 2-piece? I also found replacement bearings only but not sure if these can be replaced without cutting the shaft. I don't mind cutting the shaft and rewelding it but I am concerned with getting it balanced. I am not afraid to take on any repair myself but I only paid $200 for this thing so I am not sure what direction to go. It cleaned up very well and is pretty solid so it may be worth it. Currently I could dump it and double my money but I thinking this might make a decent winter beater. Other option is to try and find a driveshaft at the Pick and Pull.

Little more information on the car that I have a bit more time. I only paid $200 for it. I enjoy wrenching as it helps me relax and destress. It needs some work but nothing major. Looks to be fairly easy to work on from what I can tell so far. The local pick and pull yards have a few of these in stock and my favorite boneyard has a few as well. If I can get a year or two out of it I will be happy to spend a weekend or two getting it sorted out. I typically work on vehicles a bit older than this one so the money spent on it is well worth the education to me. Parts seem reasonable and the known issues are well documented with solutions. Motor and trans seem solid. Motor has good compression and the valvetrain looks clean for such high miles. The PO did a lot of work in the past couple of years; new CVs, new PTU, and a few other items. I may need to replace some bushings; control arms (?). I have not been under it to find out what is banging. Even the wife likes it; last vehicle I brought home was infested with mice so I set the bar pretty low. Few years ago I came back from an auction I went to with her dad with a '63 F250 with a stuck motor that was a racoon hotel. She puts up with me.....

Just bought a 2007 Lincoln MKX. Was not in the market for one or had ever really paid attention to them but I stumbled upon a crazy deal so I picked it up. It needs work; AC has a leak, something is "banging" under the car, and two wheel bearings are shot. Car has 260k miles, all on the highway from Newton to Urbandale. I have known the PO for almost 10 years and he has done a lot of maintenance and repairs on it in the 8+ years he owned it. He just bought a new Maverick and wanted this one gone. Plan is to sort it and make it reliable for a spare car/winter beater. Everything works on it aside from the AC and it runs and drives. Was a daily up until a week ago. Too good of a deal to pass on.