Hello all. This is my first post here but I am very happy to have a place to learn and post about my vehicle. There are tons I would like to do to my truck as it's my new passion now but first I have some minor issues to take care of first.

Vehicle: 2000 Navigator 133000+ miles Bought it about 6 months ago with $120,000+ on it. Since then, I have replaced O2 sensor and front ride-hieght adjustment sensor.

1. Have some hesitation in the engine that tends to come and go. Took it to the Lincoln dealer and they told me it just needs a tune up. Sounds like a good diagnosis as I'm only getting 11mpg and it probably hasen't had one since well before the 100,000 mark, if at all. They quoted me at almost $1000 for this tune up including some computer upgrade. This sounds a bit high to replace spark plugs and filters. Any thoughts?

2. I was thinking of adding the K & N airfilter that I saw on ebay. Is this a good idea and will I get any real benefit out of spending just over $200 for this unit?

3. My washer fluid light stays on even though the resevoir is full. Any ideas on why this is?

4. Airbag light stays on but had them check that as well and they said that a wiring harness needed to be replaced to the tune of $450. No question necessarily, just posting this if someone else has this problem.

5. When turning, the front tires squeel as if you're "burning rubber", even at VERY slow speeds. The tires seem to have the correct air pressure but I can't get it to stop making this squeeling noise. Any advice?

6. When even slightly turning the wheel when stopped or driving, I get this sound like it's low on power steering fluid, but it's not. Very irritating. Could it be my power steering pump is going bad?

7. When going from a stop to about 15-20 mph (approx.) I get this light grinding noise which appears to be coming from the left wheel. Once over 15-20mph, it goes away and only happens from a stop. Had the dealer look into this but the computer pulled up no problems with suspension or anything else. He said the new computer upgrade may allow their computer to find the problem better but I kind of got the feeling I was being talked into buying something I didn't need.

8. What other issues should I look to solve before I move into more aftermarket type upgrades? (recalls, etc.) Really like the truck running smoothly before I take it to the next level. Would suck to have a beautiful truck, with all the trimmings, broke down on the highway.

My apologies if this post is a bit long. I've been searching this forum for what seems like for ever, until I finally just broke down and registered. Firgured it would make more sense to just describe my problems in detail.

Thanks for a great forum and any help you can offer.

 

Welcome Kanzaz1! It seems you got a good deal there if your Navi came with $120K (dollars) .

As far as the dealer estmnate goes, get a specific list of services and parts involved and report back to us: 300 or so for the plugs is not too much, where the other 700 is coming from I'd like to know. Also, the computer upgrade should be free.

I'm not a fan of the K&N although you might find others here who are.

Your washer fluid resevoir sensor is disconnected, dirty, or unfunctional.

As far as the airbag goes, can they explain their diagnosis? I can understand them not wanting to splice a break in the conductor or connector given the liability issues involved though. But why do think it needs replacing?

Is your's a 4x4? If so does it seem like the driveline is binding? I could be that the 4x4 is engaged, but if the deal road tested it, they probably would have informed you about this. Does it happen on on certain surfaces or all? What type of tires do you have?

Is the PS fluid foamy? I don't know what would cause the screech other than a bad pump.

There is nothing I'm aware of that allows their computer to diagnose a grinding noise.

Anything that's not broken is not to be worried about!

 

My 100,000 mile tuneup was more in the 800 dollar range but it made a HUGE difference.

One of the thigs my dealer charged me for at 100,000 miles was the injector cleaning. I thought that adding cleaner to the gas every few fillups would help, but the power cleaning made a huge difference....200 bucks extra was a little pricey though. It actually solved a problem that we thought was going to be much more expensive and involve replacing some parts of the injection system.

I have to say I'd pay $400 dollars to avoid trying to get at those back spark plugs.

FYI: the power steering pumps can be extremely noisy..its just one of those Ford features. I used to worry about mine but it never leaks....it's just noisy in the ways you describe.

My washer light comes on when the reservoir is still almost all the way full. It seems to need to be full to the brim to make the light go off.

 

Too funny.


Thank you both for your posts. I will get more detailed info from the Lincoln dealer when they reopen on Monday, pertaining to the specifics of thier findings. Now that scottspoerry has brought it up, the tech did mention a fuel injector cleaning was needed due to the possiblities of bad gas, leading to build up over the years. I told him I only use premium gas but he assured me that not all premium gas is made equal and that still dosen't account for what the previous owner(s) may have been using.

My power steering fluid does not leak and it is not foamy. It's also not super loud. Just loud enough to notice it. Kinda like it may go out if a couple of months or more. I'lll avoid it for now as it is not affecting drivablity in the least. The dealer, also didn't find a problem so if it becomes a real problem later, i'll replace. Simple enough. (I hope) Thanks for the info on this.

I'll cap off my washer resevoir and see if that does the trick. I'm not sure where the sensor is located so there's no way for me to check to see if it's disconnected or dirty.

My truck is a 4x4. It is not "switched" to 4x4 and I have never had the need for this feature, as of yet. The grinding happens on all surfaces. I can gently feel it in the pedals. Again, this is very light and my wife only notices it when I make her pay real close attention. Sometimes I have a hard time hearing it and others I can feel it enough to bother me. Maybe I'm just being picky with a 6 year old truck, over the 100k mark. Then again, the dealer assured me that my problems I'm suggesting are due to not having it tuned up at 100k and that this would solve most if not all my problems and if not, at least reveal the true source of any remaining issues.

Again, thank you for your posts. I'll get back to you on the specifics of what the tune up entails and thier finds on the airback wire harness. Looks like I'll probably have to shell out the doe to get it done right but I'll post first and take your thoughts on it.