Reccomended Preventative Maintenance

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Lucid484

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Well got my Conti about a month ago..She's a '97 with 127600 miles...So far Ive swapped the oil to Castrol GTX: High Mileage,Mobil 1 Extended perf. Filter, K&N Air Filter, and micron cabin filter. Like to keep this baby as long as possible...only problems she's had so far was when i had an alignment done the passenger inner tie rod was shot so i had that replaced and the guy noticed a very small drop of fluid on the steering rack,but said it won't be a problem for a while. Started making a list of all the stuff I want to replace in the next year and wondering if you guys think there is anything else that I might want to put my attention to? PS do you think I would be able to switch to full synthetic oil after a while of using the castrol since it has seal conditioners in it?

Here's my list so far:

PCV Valve
NGK Iridium Spark Plugs
MSD Superconductor Spark Plug Wires
MSD Blaster Ignition Coils
Coolant Flush
Fuel Filter
Optima Red Top Battery
Alternator (possible 190 amp)
Starter (higher torque)
Big 3 Wire Upgrade
Accessory Belt (Squeeking until the engine warms up)
Upper/Lower Radiator Hoses (silicone?)
Change Transmission Fluid
Replace All Rubber Hoses possible swap to silicone
Swap Air Ride Suspension to Coils
 
I would make the change to synthetic engine oil at the next change interval. Make sure you have Mercon V tranny fluid flush a priority. It MAY already have it depending on the previous owner, but if you don't know, have it done soon.

The squeeking you hear MAY be the idler pully, NOT the belt.
Why do you want to change to coils instead of keeping the original air ride? If you bought it knowing how good it rides now, it will NOT be any better with coils over the air ride. Stiffer, if anything, but def. not a Lincoln ride.
 
Well I would prefer to keep the Air Ride but heard so many horror stories about the bags just blowing esp. with a high mileage vehicle.

is it ok to have the tranny flushed??? I always heard that it was bad to flush an auto tranny because the high pressure can ruin some of the delicate valves and such. and yeah as long as you think it would be ok to swap to syn. fluid I really want to do that..all my other vehicles used it but again horror stories of higher mileage vehicles.


budpytko said:
I would make the change to synthetic engine oil at the next change interval. Make sure you have Mercon V tranny fluid flush a priority. It MAY already have it depending on the previous owner, but if you don't know, have it done soon.

The squeeking you hear MAY be the idler pully, NOT the belt.
Why do you want to change to coils instead of keeping the original air ride? If you bought it knowing how good it rides now, it will NOT be any better with coils over the air ride. Stiffer, if anything, but def. not a Lincoln ride.
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I had MY '97 flushed...it had 100,000 on it...I didn't even hesitate. I had it done at local Lincoln dealer. My dealer hasn't done me wrong...EVER.

New bags don't "just blow" !! Where are THOSE stories coming from??? Must be a Chrysler community!! LOL
 
What about using K&N filter? Over the weekend I have checked the air filter on my 2001 Conti and there was a text on the housing stating that oil based filters should not be used.
 
Why are you wasting money of fancy spark plugs/wires and battery? Just get good OEM quality replacements and call it a day... you will NOT notice a "power gain".

I recommend Platinum Plugs, Ford OEM wires, and a battery from wal-mart for $50.
 
maxmk8 said:
Why are you wasting money of fancy spark plugs/wires and battery? Just get good OEM quality replacements and call it a day... you will NOT notice a "power gain".

I recommend Platinum Plugs, Ford OEM wires, and a battery from wal-mart for $50.
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well i plan on installing an audio system down the road..as for coils and wires im not concerend about power just want to make sure I get better fuel burn and hopefully improve gas mileage a little bit. I live in new england where it can either be very hot in summer of freezing in sinter a good reliable deep cycle battery would be better for cold starts than a crap wal-mart brand.with all my cars my philosophy has always been to not upgrade any part just because...but when it comes time to replace a part get the absolute best i can get at the time.
 
It is your money. But seriously from past experiences the Optimas don't last as long as regular quality batteries, and they cost 3x as much.

Your car has 130k miles on it... there are many other factors that would affect gas mileage as well...

Oxygen sensors would probably warrant replacement as well. Depending on what tires you got some could yield better mileage as well.

As I stated earlier... I doubt you will see any gains out of the parts you are trying to install... paying 2-3x the cost of a normal part. Iridium plugs are SUPER expensive. Before you label whatever wal-mart sells as crap just compare them to other brands available at your "Friendly" auto parts store for 30%+ more.
 
well today an odd thing started happening....Instead of just squeeking while warming up it now squeels when Drive ...when i let up on the gas pedal it stops but when i give it gas it starts squeeling like a banshee...could that still be the ilder pulley?
 
very likely. Use a stethoscope to zero in on it. Also a good idea to change the belt at the same time. Use a gatorback belt.
 
drabina said:
What about using K&N filter? Over the weekend I have checked the air filter on my 2001 Conti and there was a text on the housing stating that oil based filters should not be used.
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I had a '97 Taurus SHO that had a factory sticker under the hood that warned of the same problem. Most of the guys on the SHO forums used the K & Ns without any problems. According to them, Ford had a concern about owners over-oiling the filter and excess oil causing problems in the fuel injection system. Just be careful to follow K & N's instructions and don't over-oil.

Don
 
DonRich90 said:
I had a '97 Taurus SHO that had a factory sticker under the hood that warned of the same problem. Most of the guys on the SHO forums used the K & Ns without any problems. According to them, Ford had a concern about owners over-oiling the filter and excess oil causing problems in the fuel injection system. Just be careful to follow K & N's instructions and don't over-oil.

Don
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yeah thats the same thing i heard..over oilign and either oil getting into teh system or air not being able to pass thru the over oiled filter
 
my stock alternator is fine with a 2000w rms system no dim in the lights, but get a capacitor though, i have an autozone battery. and replace all the ball joints and tie rod ends. if you can do it yourself. and that idler pulley. def. got to get the gatorback belt and as far as the k&n filter it works. you can get 23 city mpg and 30+ on the hwy easy. oh yeah lucas oil- fuel system cleaner for like 4 bucks works wonders
 
right now I get 19.6 mpg with like 50/50 Highway city.....when I worked farther away and it was almost all highway I was getting 26mpg.
 
well i found the motorcraft idler pulley for a whopping $10 and the belt for $30....I've heard its a really hassle to DIY because theres no room to work in there....any of you might have an est. on how much a dealer might charge to replace?
 
Dealer is the last place I would take it... independant shop is your best bet. Dealers will overcharge you for sure.
 
Has anyone tried gates belts? Been on a few sites and some people cant stand gator belts but most reccomend gates belts...gates also makes the tensioner and idler puller and I can get all 3 parts for $100 at rock auto.....lemme know what you guys think
 
Most recommend gator belts...never really heard issues with them on a Mark. But if you got some good info on the gates belts I wouldn't shy away just yet.
 
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