2013 MKS Ecoboost

[sholxgt]

Hello All!

My name is Matt and I have a problem...oh, wait...wrong forum.

Well, guess it's kind of the right forum.  I definitely have a car problem!

I am in the process of purchasing a 2013 Lincoln MKS Ecoboost Premium.  It's a CPO with 27,000 miles in Crystal Champagne Tri-Coat with Black leather.  Only options above the Premium pack are dual panel moonroof and adaptive cruise/collision warning.  Not a fan of the exterior color, but it's the best option I have found after several months of shopping.  Wife works at a Lincoln dealership so it's an easy purchase.  We picked the car up and transferred it to her dealer.  They are in the process of doing the CPO service and paperwork.

Been shopping new VW GTI's, Focus ST's, Subaru WRX's and used Taurus SHO's, and MKS'.  Would probably have gone SHO above all else, but haven't been able to find one in my price range that's super clean with low miles.

I work from home so my car is mostly used for shuttling my 5 year old son to and from school and events plus out of state work and family trips.

For anyone that's not bored beyond belief with my story, here's the cars that I've either owned or cared for that have eventually led me to purchasing an MKS.  Listed in order of purchase.  Many overlapped each other.

1980 Honda Prelude
1988 Mustang GT - eventually became a drag race car. 10.32 was best time. many moons ago.
1989 Taurus SHO - black on gray
1992 Mustang LX 5.0 - street/strip car. 12.54 was best time.
1993 Taurus SHO - black on gray, probably the favorite car I have owned
1996 Chevy 1500 6.5 diesel - family truck and used to tow the 1988 GT
1995 Contour SE v6 - was an auto. nice otherwise
1999 Dodge Ram 1500 - was family truck and used to tow the 1988 GT
1999 VW Jetta tdi - shared work car
2000 Ford Ranger 4.0 Off Road - leased it and didn't want to turn back in
2002 Nissan Sentra specV - heavily modified
1990 Nissan 240sx - was a beater, but very fun to drive
1998 Oldsmobile Aurora - nicer to own and drive than you would think
2003 F250 4x4 6.0 Powerstroke - 13.9 in quarter and my second favorite vehicle that I've owned
2007 Explorer XLT v8 4x4 - also much nicer to own than you'd think.  very competent and good power with the 3v 4.6
2008 Honda Fit Sport - manual, mildly modified, wife's car.  Still own.  170,000 miles and going strong
1990 Mustang LX 5.0 - heavily modified street car.  532whp.  Needs a new home.
2008 F150 Crewcab 5.4 - should probably still own, but couldn't get passed the poor power and fuel mileage of the 5.4 even after programmed and bolt on's.
2006 Crown Vic - Interceptor, 3.73's, cobra diff, programmed, Mustang GT wheels, etc. Nice car with full civilian pack.  Still own for now, but will either trade in or sell.

As you can guess by the list above, the MKS will not remain stock

Happy to be here and hope to be of value to the community.

 

[SHOdded]

:yawn: ... :sorry: ...

Welcome to EBPF, Matt!  Wow, that's a lot of history!  Can't wait to see pics of the MKS once the deal is finalized.  Great warranty coverage doesn't hurt either.  Got to put the foot into it once in a while to blow out the carbon cobwebs

Was your '93 SHO an MTX also?  What mods planned for the MKS?

 

[sholxgt]

:yawn: ... :sorry: ...

Welcome to EBPF, Matt!  Wow, that's a lot of history!  Can't wait to see pics of the MKS once the deal is finalized.  Great warranty coverage doesn't hurt either.  Got to put the foot into it once in a while to blow out the carbon cobwebs

Was your '93 SHO an MTX also?  What mods planned for the MKS?

Thanks!  Had a 3 hour drive through the mountains to transfer the MKS to wife's dealership.  Cobwebs fully removed

'93 was an MTX with moonroof and JBL.  It was a really nice car.  Bought it used in '93 with about 3,000 miles on it and had it until 2000.  Put 232,000 miles on it and was still like new when I sold it to a friend.  He drove it a couple of years and then sold it to one of his friends.  Eventually lost track of the car, but was going strong last I hear with almost 300,000 miles on it.  Original black paint and leather still looked good.  It was well cared for.  Only upgrades were complete stereo with subs, eibach springs, switch to 225/55 tires, K&N, and ported stock MAF sensor.  Ran a 14.9 at 95mph.  Nothing spectacular, but was fun. 

The '89 was faster, but not near as nice.  Paint and leather did not hold up well.  It made it to about 240,000 miles before the pin in the differential decided to slide out while on the Interstate with the cruise set at 75.  They weren't as special then as they are now.  It went to be recycled.

 

[SHOdded]

240K was a good run for the trans   Good to hear the '93 still might be cruising out there!  Def Gen 2 brought a lot of niceties (and weight sadly).  Had a bit of a time trying to fit into an 89 I was thinking of buying, but the Gen 2's were built for cruising (and mpg).

 

[sholxgt]

:yawn: ... :sorry: ...

Welcome to EBPF, Matt!  Wow, that's a lot of history!  Can't wait to see pics of the MKS once the deal is finalized.  Great warranty coverage doesn't hurt either.  Got to put the foot into it once in a while to blow out the carbon cobwebs

Was your '93 SHO an MTX also?  What mods planned for the MKS?

Got so caught up reminiscing about the SHO's (I really miss those cars) that I forgot to answer the important question!

MKS will get a thermostat, plugs, catted downpipes, a drop in filter, 3 bar MAP sensor and either an LMS or Unleashed tune as a first round within a short time of taking possession.  Springs would be after I install the first round.  Window tint as soon as I pick a shop.  Might look into upgrading the THX sound system a bit.  Kind of disappointed in it's performance compared to other Lincoln THX stereo's that I've sampled.

Want the LMS because I know that Dan Millen is the MAN, but really do not like their tuner or attempts at making everything they do proprietary and unique.  Unleashed seems much more consumer oriented when it comes to consumer choice.  Very torn on this one.

Side question...will the verification requirement for posting eventually go away? 

 

[ZSHO]

Welcome aboard the E.B.P.F Matt and please due post some pic's of the "MKS ONLY" lol,and best of luck and thanks for joining.  Z  :WELCOME: :WELCOME:

 

[Ryan02Stang]

Welcome!  Similar boat as I was in a couple months ago. 

I wanted a SHO, but ended up with an MKS ecoboost because from all my research, they are cheaper considering similar condition.

Nice to have an MKS with all the bells and whistles.  Congrats!

 

[SHOdded]

Verification requirement should go away after a few posts. Instituted to deflect spammers.

 

[sholxgt]

Welcome!  Similar boat as I was in a couple months ago. 

I wanted a SHO, but ended up with an MKS ecoboost because from all my research, they are cheaper considering similar condition.

Nice to have an MKS with all the bells and whistles.  Congrats!

Crazy, isn't it?  I have the window sticker for the MKS...$57,060.  I think that's a solid $10,000 more than an SHO new.  Used it is a whole different story.  From the same dealer network, I could have gotten a CPO 2013 Taurus SHO with 50,000 miles instead.  It's a 402a package car with nothing else.  I drove it and it was very nice also, but it would have 23,000 more miles and no moonroof for the same money as a loaded Lincoln.  If the SHO had the PP I might have gone that direction, but without the PP they are basically the same car mechanically.  Plus the Lincoln does have a pretty darn nice interior. 

Once debadged, the MKS should be an even better sleeper. 

 

[Scott4957]

Congrats on the purchase and welcome! Same here, 2013 MKS with EVERY option and i got it for LESS than every comparable SHO that was for sale within 200 miles of me. So glad I went that route! Time for you to start modding!

 

[sholxgt]

Just a couple of pictures to show the new ride...

With the engine cover removed, I can see that the front valve cover has a fair amount of oil on it.  Is that likely from the PCV valve?  Should I be concerned?

 

[ZSHO]

Do you have any pic's of the leak? are your bov vta?  Z

 

[sholxgt]

Car is completely stock.  I don't think it's a full blown oil leak.  Looks to be more like oil residue from a fitting or connection. 

Maybe the pics will describe it better...

 

[TX MKS-T]

Perhaps spillage from adding oil at one point. Dont look like a leak to me

 

[sholxgt]

Perhaps spillage from adding oil at one point. Dont look like a leak to me

That is very possible.  I will clean it up and see if it comes back.  Only reason that I was suspect of something else is that it's all to the right of the fill and centered around the PCV connection.

 

[SHOdded]

What's up with the COP caps?  They look like they are discolored?  Or is that a reflection of some sort?

I believe we have one other member that showed pics of an oil mess in the same area.  Will have to search for his post, but I believe it was a 2013+ SHO, green gem, IIRC.

EDIT:  Found it http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,6002.msg94222.html#msg94222

Maybe he can provide insight as to the "fix".

http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,6050.msg94723.html#msg94723

"The dip stick wasn't put in all the way so oil was blowing out onto the engine and manifold. Now 2 days after I notice some more oil on the header. It looked like it was coming from one of the coil packs. So I pull the middle one off and oil just flows out. The seal is completely dislodged. I cleaned it all up, put the seal on as close as I could"

 

[sholxgt]

Thanks SHO!  I think that, based on his description, he had an 0-ring leaking.  A leaking 0-ring around one of the front spark plug holes on the valve cover would make sense for the discoloration of the COP's and the oily residue.

I had an '89 and '92 SHO and they both developed leaks there, but that was with over 200,000 miles.  I wonder if the PCV system is clogged and it built up pressure and blew out an O-ring?

I will clean it up and pull the COP's out and see if there's oil in the holes.  It's under warranty, but I like to know exactly what, if anything, is wrong before I take it in.

 

[SHOdded]

Could be that the PCV valve needs replacement.  Easy and cheap enough.  Or you can try and get the dealership to handle under warranty.  May be a good excuse to get a composite rear valve cover (not the leaky one as far as we know, though #3 cylinder is what fails) if your MKS doesn't have one already.

 

[L1gerZero]

I would definitely check that middle plug. Seems to be a lot of residue there. Though its not really moist so it could have been fixed prior, just not cleaned up. I'd ask the dealer for all the records of work they have done before you had the vehicle. Good Luck

 

[sholxgt]

I would definitely check that middle plug. Seems to be a lot of residue there. Though its not really moist so it could have been fixed prior, just not cleaned up. I'd ask the dealer for all the records of work they have done before you had the vehicle. Good Luck

Car has ZERO records before my ownership.  Wife works at the Lincoln dealer that the car was purchased new from and we have access to Oasis, Vincent, etc.  Car was purchased and then disappeared for 2 years.  They didn't even use the free maintenance that was included with purchase.  Likely because they live in a small town that is about an hour from the nearest Lincoln dealer.

I'm rolling the dice and hoping that they changed the oil themselves or at a small shop that doesn't report.

The total lack of records is part of the reason why I paid to have it CPO certified.  Just in case.