Help needed desparetly

[Shad]

I bought an ’03 Lincoln Navigator, I know zero about mechanical things. The first thing I thought I would do is change the spark plugs and oil. So I tried to do this finding that for me it was a extremely difficult task to remove the back plugs. Also one of the cylinders had a heli coil and when I took it out it removed the threads. I took it to a mechanic to see if they could help me but they wanted more money than I could afford two of them told me I needed a new engine. One was a pretty nice guy and told me about time certs, and head removal. I did all that and put the everything back together and it runs, I am so surprised! There are a few issues I need help with and every time I Get a new and different code. I just got 3 new ones P0743,P0755, and P1747. And one of my biggest problems is that I wasn’t able to put the header gasket on when assembled the heads, I thought I would be able to do it fom the bottom, now I cant get the stud out of the engine

Topic

[Shad]

Ok, so I took off the intake for two reasons, one when I pulled the head there was a wire with a molded piece of plastic 1in. x 1in.on the I.manifold one on each side of the engine. I thought it was a ground so I just grounded in another place. But since I had to remove the intake again I thought I would put it back where I found it. It ran for a couple of hours and I drove it around the block while it was missing, but like I said earlier I checked the coil packs and fixed that issue.When I went to check the codes again is when I pulled the transmission codes and then the overdrive light came on. All day I thought maybe having the coil harness exposed is causing arcing somewhere since I didn’t have this issue before. when I started looking for the the wireing to the transmission I guess I got tunnel vision and I just got it to where I can see the harness, do you think it connects on top of the transmission. The other reason is that I could not locate any wires connecting to transmission. So I made a video but was unable due to angles to get good visual so I am going to try to tell you what I have. There are a group that go to injectors on both sides, one that goes to the fuse box and PCM, one that goes to the components directly in front of the steering wheel, and one that goes down and back I assume this is the transmission but I will have to remove the intake manifold to be able to see or handle. So I thought I would check in to make sure I am on the right path? I checked yesterday to see if I had brakelights, because the manual said it is a sympmtom of this circuit having issue. I probably need a wire diagram because I don’t know what all the pieces look like. One more thing is there anything I can do to check it before I reassemble everything again(4x)?

[EricTheCarGuy]

With a luxury SUV like that you have to be careful what wires you start messing with. I suppose that goes without saying. But I’m a bit confused by your logic up to this point. As a few have posted here it seems you’ve had a transmission issue from the start. It COULD be electrical, but you’d need to do some testing to find that out. I don’t know the testing for your specific vehicle unfortunately. If it comes down to an internal transmission problem however, it could get expensive. With that said, I’d be looking into the cause of the transmission problem first.

More info on transmission issues here.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-transmission-problems

One last thing. There are a lot of these older used vehicles on the market for cheap for a reason. It’s the same reason the muffler shop didn’t want to work on it. Those are difficult to work on and if they need an engine, the body has to come off of the frame in order to replace it. Unfortunately there were quite a few that ended up needing engines. For that reason many people gave up on them and moved on to other vehicles. I say this because if you end up getting in over your head it might be time to cut your losses and move on.

I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted.

[Erin]

I just love the expression on Eric’s face as he glances back at that Honda. 😆

Knowing when to quit is one thing but there is another important point – knowing WHERE to start. Investigate before buying.

Just before getting pretty much any vehicle, click around the reviews like edmunds, carcomplaints.com, and whatever you choose.
Yes it is true that car complaints has JUST the bad news but how bad is it? Silly junk like “headlights keep burning out” or serious stuff like “transmission and engine keep blowing up”.
Only exceptions to that is if you are buying a classic. But getting into classic cars is a whole different league of vehicle ownership.

[Erin]

I may have missed this but –
how was the engine running before you removed the plugs?
Also, why did those mechanics say it needs a new engine?
You said the back plugs were hard to remove. Obviously someone else had a hard time removing and installing them as well, hence the heli-coil. I am kind of wondering though if they could not get the plug in straight, how the hell they managed to heli-coil it.

Plus – if the engine WAS running really bad (and why you changed the plugs) then are you sure the trans was OK before? When an engine is running bad enough, it is sometimes hard to tell how well it is actually shifting.

[Shad]

I bought the truck, drove it to my house 45 miles ran pretty well, it is in very good condition in the areas that don’t matter when it is not running, i.e. new tires, super clean interior/exterior… the little pistons that hold the hood up were worn out, so I thought I would change them and I thought I would change the plugs because I had never done that. Cylinder #6 had the heli coil and I didn’t even notice it until I went to put the new one in and it had nothing to thread to, I knew so little about it that I thought itmust be designed for a special size plug so I went back to auto parts store to see if they had the bigger sized plug, they told me I would have to go to a mechanic. I was unable to remove cylinder #8. I took it to the mechanic with #6 out and he told me not to waste my time it needed a new engine. So I went to another mechanic and asked him to remove #8 and he ran a camera into #6 and showed me the head was gouged and wentthrough all the different options head job, rebuit motor, new engine and with all the money we both decided new was better. He didn’t remove #8 spark plug. I ran into a guy that builds cars for racing the 1/8th or 1/4 mile and he told me not to worry that Ford has had a ton of issues with spark plugs “gauling” in this motor and told me about a shop I could take it to and have it repaired. It took me a while but I was able to remove the head and I drove it an hour to the shop and when I walked in the guy said why did you take the head off? we can do it while its on the vehicle. I felt like choking myself. Anyway, while I had it off I was able to get #8 out it had part of the rubber boot melted to it and wouldn’t allow a socket to seat and there was just no room to work on it in the truck…in the end when I got it running it was missing so I was going to try all the diagnostic tests I have learned on Eric the Car Guy, power balance, compression, leak down…. but my told me to do all of those on an easier four cylinder if I wanted to learn and gaveme his scan tool and said check for codes I pulled P0113, P0353, P0358 I was double checking the coil pack connections and two of them clicked when I applied more pressure making me think that they hadn’t been snapped together well enough before. I wa excited to start it and when I did it wasn’t missing anymore but the engine light was still on, so I scanned it again and that is when the po743 and p0755 came up I erased and tried again and that’s when the blinking overdrive light came on. I kind of thought maybe there is arcing going onwith the coil pack harness exposed and I wish Iwould have covered them and rechecked but I didn’t and so I am going to take the opportunity to find where the harness connects to the transmission it is not on the underside

[Shad]

Durango, thanks for the pics, I have gotten the wiring diagram (there are three for the different components of the transmission) I now have a fuse diagram and thanks to your pics I now know where to begin to look. I have a couple of questions foranyone reading as this will be my first circuit check.

-The intake is off(the part with the throttle body)

– can I connect the battery so that I know there is power when I turn the ignition

– In order to access the top of the transmission,I (a) will have to remove the intake manifold (b) take the transmission off

At that point I am not exactly sure what to do, use the volt meter to check for? ohms, volts, amps

will a continuity test tell if something is actually working properly?

Light tester?

And lastly, someone questioned my logic up to this point, my logic is probably that of someone that is overwhelmed and lacks the experience and knowledge to solve these problems in a linear form. There is and has been a new issue to be addressed that wsn’t present prior to me doing something. Therefore I consider my mechanicing the wildest variable in the equation. WE Learn, if we quit we only repeat what we already know, quitting… but through kindness compassion and brotherly love, you good people are going to take someone who is willing to try and persevere, that could barely change a tire before this, and at the least we are going to get an accurate diagnosis of the problem and at best we will fix it, together! I truly thank you for the support you have already shown and in advance for that you will show. Shad

[Erin]

OK I think I got… some of what the post above the last reply. :huh: Now my overdrive light is flashing and I think the wires are melting.

For your question about the trans – if you are sure it is bad, AFTER exhausting electrical possibilities – looks like they are going for about $1200 on some sites. If a shop rebuilds it, count on about $2,500 (ballpark). Since it is back wheel drive and the truck is already sitting high, you can probably get to it at least. Front wheel drives are a different story…

My head is spinning on what all is going on here. Let me say though that I admire your determination. Younger folks believe in “never say die!” As we age, we embrace a slightly different phrase – Aww (flake) it.

[Shad]

Ok, I have some time today to devote to this Navigator, which seems to be a fitting name as it is navigating me through all the systems of an automobile and to check them.

I found a loose connection yesterday and am optimistic that is the problem, but I will try to eliminate electrical failure first.

One question I have though is should I be fearful of changing the transmission fluid? It is an older vehicle and I do not know about maintenance history. In one of Eric’s videos he says it could expose leaks, but I would like to see the filter so I can guess at the inside condition of the transmission

[EricTheCarGuy]

Sounds like your committed to this vehicle and I admire you for that. Good luck and please continue to keep us updated.

[Shad]

It was working fine, and after the initial shock of there being mechanical problems I have found it to belike taking hands on classes, and since there have been quite a few issues I have gotten to learn about several systems of the automobile with only one big HOLY CRAP! HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM and that could have happened multiple times in my life, but I feel much less ignorant though I doubt I will feel confident as there are so many moving and working parts… your videos and sharing of knowledge was and excellent idea and seems very rewarding for you. Thank you, may all your endeavors be fruitful and your creativity spurred to exceed your wildest imaginings

[Erin]

Well one thing if you are worried about putting new fluid in – You could drain the fluid, pull the pan, inspect the filter (some filters you really can’t see the inside of and others you can since they are open) and then just reuse the old fluid. Make sure to check the magnet in the pan and the pan itself for excessive metal. The magnet in the pan will normally have some metal shavings and look fuzzy.

I do not remember seeing Eric’s video but I am going to guess what happens is fresh fluid may wash away the dirt or whatever keeps bad seals from leaking worse.
Kind of in the same way nasty gunk in the drain tends to a house’s draining system. Now imagine a bottle of drain cleaner is poured down and removes the gunk built up in the drain. Now you have a leak. Dirty
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

One may argue that if a fluid change causes the trans to fail, it was pretty much doomed to eventual failure anyways. If that IS the case, no need to rush it.

[Shad]

99Nightmare(what vehicle does that name come from),
Good idea on saving the fluid and reusing, hadn’t thought of that.

I found one loose connection under the PCM, and one connector with two wires that forks off from the wires that feed the injectors, it had two bare wires close to the connector and was up against the back of the fuel rail I checked the connector for continuity to make sure nothing was pulled apart.

I am not getting any current to the brake lights, have tail lights… I am thinking brake switch

Anyway I put it all together lastnight I am going to try to start it today, I will let you know

[Shad]

Tried to start cranks but no start, fuel pump is engaging used starter fluid it fired
I don’t have fuel pressure gauge but pushed the shrader valve on fuel rail wile cranking fuel came out strong, checked fuses that have to due with fuel pump(all good) the brake switch is bad, can that have something to do with the no start?

[Author]

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