What is your question?
I drive an 03' Lincoln Town Car signature edition w/ roughly 115,000-116,000 miles on it. Everythings still original factory parts, it's an all stock drive train. So, since last summer I've started to notice that at a certain RPMs (basically right at shifting RPM) the entire car will begin to vibrate, shake, & shutter until it shifts up a gear...Some aren't as bad as others yet some are extremely violent & very concerning. I've checked the transmission fluid, (on level ground, in park w/engine on as your supposed to) many times, & tranny fluid level so far has always been perfect. & As far as I can tell it appears to be clean fluid also....???Has anyone else experienced an issue like this? & can any1 give me any ideas on what it may be? Is it something a low to mid-level novice DIY mechanic could fix at home or at least possibly slightly improve it even if just temporarily? Any thoughts/opinions/ideas/suggestions would be EXTREMELY appreciated! Thanks
What makes this problem better or worse?
It happens the worst when it's hot & my A/C is blowing
How long has your 2003 Lincoln Town Car had this problem?
I've been noticing it for over a year now
Ok? Little as I know bout auto mechanics, especially compared to the amount of knowledge I'm sure you have in this area, I can't help but to respectfully say I don't think that's the cause just based off the way the car acts & especially the TIMING of these shutters in regards to the timing of the transmission shifting... however, knowing that you're way more qualified to diagnose auto issues, let's assume you're correct....what can I do to fix it if this is the issue? Would installing new spark plugs fix it possibly? Or is there another option I could handle doing on my own? I just really need to get this fixed I'm afraid my cars gonna fall apart if it has to deal with much more of the violent shuttering & shaking. Thanks
Your engine is equipped with COP (coil on plug) ignition - 8 ignition coils - one on each spark plug... When transmission shifts to the next gear - it changes or increases the dynamic load exerted on the engine and ignition system and at that point the misfire occurs.. Engine misfire will produce a repetitive almost rhythmic jerking or bucking sensation that can be felt throughout the vehicle and sometimes is pretty intense until it subsides.. One or more of the ignition coils breaking down is the most common cause of this misfiring. The most accurate and successful way to diagnose this concern is by using a high end scan tool set to engine misfire data - each cylinder can then be monitored on the scanners live data screen. Same scan tool is also capable of monitoring transmission data during test drive as well .. An ‘experienced mechanic’ can determine pretty quickly if problem is engine misfire or transmission related simply by knowing the difference. Bottom line here is *hands-on* testing is the only way to reach a ‘proven’ repair solution.. Note: transmission ‘shudder’ will produce the same sensation as driving over rumble strips on the highway as opposed to the jerking / bucking that results from engine misfire. Good luck with it!
Wow, okay then by God I think you probably are right w/your diagnosis. Especially after I read your response that was much more detailed regarding the differences between each of the possibilities. I gotta say thanks a 1000x's over, for breaking down your last response & giving me a laymen's version of it, I'm embarrassed I ever doubted you now. Just glad you've helped me narrow the issue down so I can hopefully get it resolved in a much more cost effective way then if I were to just drop it off at a mechanics shop. I own an OBDII scanner however I doubt it's high tech enough to do the things you've described but at least now, thanks to your helpful info, I have a pretty good idea of what it is so I can hopefully get my mechanic to go right to work on the issue rather than be billed for 1-2 days of him just trouble shooting it 1 possible issue at a time. So thanks once again for all the help. All you RepairPal guys have always been the best for your common sense solutions to issues that the normal DIY mechanic can't always find our way to. Much love for the RepairPal forum
You’re welcome, thanks for the reply. One more suggestion - it is best to replace ALL coils and spark plugs at the same time using quality parts - then you won’t have to be concerned about this same issue arising again in the near future.
Thanks for that last tidbit of info lol cuz I most definitely would have tried to cheap scape it & just replace what may or may not be needed. So thanks again for all your help.