InTech 5.4 32V engine- low oil light came on at high speed, think a bearing may have spun?

GON said:
Grandsons and Daughter arrived Wednesday afternoon at SEA airport.

First time to try the Navigator for its intended purpose- hauling three adults, two car seats with kids, and all the luggage and stuff. 90 minute ride from airport to home because of rush hour. The SUV worked well, but my Wife was not impressed with the SUV....... She prefers her RDX. The RDX can't handle all this without being overly squeezed.


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It did the job. 90 minutes for that distance is not too bad. That’s about 25 miles +/-
 
GON said:
NM7,

The local transmission shop said there was no leak after they allegedly drove the SUV for a week- said the ground underneath was bone dry. I picked up the SUV, and checked underneath. Fluid visible:(. The transmission also shows as being overfilled on the dipstick.

The trans appeared to operate properly. This fall I will put the trans on a lift and do a in depth inspection. I will also install a trans inspection plate. My guy leans toward something is not right, and the trans shop didn't want to identify why fluid appears to be leaking. Of course it could be power steering fluid, could be coolant mixing with trans fluid.

The trans just completed a 2100 mile journey with a 16 foot enclosed trailer in tow, across some high grades. No issues noticed with the transmission. So, I just have to do the inspection myself. More and more I am learning technicians like Trav, Clinebarger, wrenchturner, etc are a very rare breed- and likely on the endangered species list. This is not limited to automotive either. We had a new HVAC system installed, the installer can't get the two zones to work, 60 days later. I sense I can get the two zones to work. And I know very little about HVAC. But I can critically think and am up for the challenge. This Lennox installer appears to be over his head, and he installs HVAC as his day job.
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Dad's Taurus seems to have this problem only in some spots, and I saw puddles in my parking lot at work but not at his when he does short trip.

Turns out the tranny vent was blocked and there was a TSB, to replace the vent with a snorkel tube going 2' up. Parts cost $17 10 years ago.
 
Rob_Roy said:
Looks like mission accomplished to me.

Does your wife not like the size of the SUV? Or the lack of Bluetooth and backup camera?
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RR,

She didn't like the factory skins on the front seats. Although the seats are spotless, being light colored they have wear marks that make the seats look dirty. She also didn't like the "smell" of the SUV. This year Lincoln Navigator had a well-documented issue with the windshield leaking. The fix was simply to replace the windshield. In this SUV, it was never replaced. The truck sat at the transmission shop and water leaked into the interior. The smell I removed months ago returned. If the SUV is opened/ operated the moisture dissipates. When the SUV sits for weeks with moisture in it- the wet carpet generates an unpleasant smell.

I will have the windshield replaced and have a replacement carpet ready to install. The smell will go away, but my Wife is a clean freak and wants things nice. There are not many options for seat replacements, Ford's seat material was not meant to last over the long run. I search often for replacement seats, and found none better than what I have, I have not found seats even close to the condition I have. Most of the seats I saw had foam showing.

I took a look at the Navigator from "up high" yesterday when I ran into work to grab some papers. It looks pretty nice, no rust, no significant body damage. I have yet to detail/ recondition the exterior. I have a 517am flight out of SEA to DFW this morning, I am at the airport now. Had to leave home at 245am this morning. Today was the first day I simply had the opportunity to drive the SUV without any agenda. No Wife, no hauling a trailer across the USA wondering what problems may arise. The SUV on I5 at 65 MPH drove like a dream. As good as it gets. The 32V V8 and 4r100 transmission run without effort. The air suspension keeps the SUV quite on the road. But for context, I5 from Tacoma to SEA is a very smooth stretch of interstate.

I am not sure what SUV I could have purchased for occasional use under 10k with no rust, 8k trailer hauling package, air suspension, and the 32V V8/ 4r100 quality. Not happy I overspent big time, and I have a fluid leak of oil and hydraulic fluid, but overall, I am a happy guy with this SUV.

PXL_20220813_211314660.jpg
 
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I had a similar issue with my old Suburban. The windshield cowling was full of old pine needles, and the drain was plugged. Water leaked onto the carpet by the blower motor and caused a musty smell. I got everything working the way it should, but the smell persists in humid weather if the vehicle has been closed up a few days.
 
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GON said:
RR,

She didn't like the factory skins on the front seats. Although the seats are spotless, being light colored they have wear marks that make the seats look dirty. She also didn't like the "smell" of the SUV. This year Lincoln Navigator had a well-documented issue with the windshield leaking. The fix was simply to replace the windshield. In this SUV, it was never replaced. The truck sat at the transmission shop and water leaked into the interior. The smell I removed months ago returned. If the SUV is opened/ operated the moisture dissipates. When the SUV sits for weeks with moisture in it- the wet carpet generates an unpleasant smell.

I will have the windshield replaced and have a replacement carpet ready to install. The smell will go away, but my Wife is a clean freak and wants things nice. There are not many options for seat replacements, Ford's seat material was not meant to last over the long run. I search often for replacement seats, and found none better than what I have, I have not found seats even close to the condition I have. Most of the seats I saw had foam showing.

I took a look at the Navigator from "up high" yesterday when I ran into work to grab some papers. It looks pretty nice, no rust, no significant body damage. I have yet to detail/ recondition the exterior. I have a 517am flight out of SEA to DFW this morning, I am at the airport now. Had to leave home at 245am this morning. Today was the first day I simply had the opportunity to drive the SUV without any agenda. No Wife, no hauling a trailer across the USA wondering what problems may arise. The SUV on I5 at 65 MPH drove like a dream. As good as it gets. The 32V V8 and 4r100 transmission run without effort. The air suspension keeps the SUV quite on the road. But for context, I5 from Tacoma to SEA is a very smooth stretch of interstate.

I am not sure what SUV I could have purchased for occasional use under 10k with no rust, 8k trailer hauling package, air suspension, and the 32V V8/ 4r100 quality. Not happy I overspent big time, and I have a fluid leak of oil and hydraulic fluid, but overall, I am a happy guy with this SUV.

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Have you looked at katskinz leather options? They may not have your vehicle listed but they have a form to fill out if it isn't, might want to reach out and see if they have something.
 
OVERKILL said:
Have you looked at katskinz leather options? They may not have your vehicle listed but they have a form to fill out if it isn't, might want to reach out and see if they have something.
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O.K.,

Thanks for the suggestion- looking into the Katskinz now.
 
GON said:
O.K.,

Thanks for the suggestion- looking into the Katskinz now.
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No problem, I'd expect the seat covers to be similar to an F-150, which they do have listed, and I expect they've produced them for a Navigator before, given they are popular in livery service.
 
Update on the Navigator:

Replaced the alternator- likely unnecessarily, because of "hacked" wiring connection between the alternator and the battery. Fixed the hacked connection fairly easy and glad I caught the issue early, as the problem could have been a weird one to troubleshoot. Someone tried to solder and electric wrap a slice. the solder broke loose but was keeping s intermittent connection. I fixed the connection properly. no issue. I did discover the mechanic that replaced the engine failed to put on the alternator support bracket. I have not been able to locate a replacement bracket- unlike South Carolina with a dozen of the Navigators in a pull a part yard less than 80 miles from me, no navigators in the junk yards in western Washington.

Heater core had a leak, a huge monster dash removing job, to my surprise, "magic in a bottle" Kseal (or something like it), fixed the leak in about five minutes. I am still in happy disbelief.

Rear heat unit only blows cold, common issue, very likely a $4 actuator and a hour to replace, no big deal, front heat works fine

Have a pesky P0171 code. Been informally working on it for a month. Did a smoke test last night, appears to be leaking at the EGR. That is a big labor deal as the intake plenum needs to be removed to access. Disappointed as the mechanic that replaced the engine was supposed to install a new OEM EGR valve and gasket that I provided. I suspect he forget to replace the gasket that connects the EGR to the intake manifold.

I decided to drive the Navigator to work over the past ten days. Enjoying the SUV. What I like best is ZERO rust, and the factory tow package. Because I google navigator issues, goggle thinks I am in the market for a navigator, and I get adds for used Navigators around 65k.

Have an oil leak. Seems to only leak a set amount when parked. I speculate the rear main seal. I wonder if the new seal I provided was replaced properly when the engine was installed, of when the transmission was missing five of seven mounting bolts, somehow the seal got damaged. I hate having the leak and will be trying to find the source in the spring. Of note, I have driven over 4,000 miles and not yet needed to add oil, so the leak is very visible, messy, but not large in quantity,

I wish I had replaced the engine myself, I think many of the issues would not be issues. I am coming to not trust anyone to do anything anymore. An off topic example is a $35k HVAC system installed last summer on the home we rent still is not working.

I purchased one brand new OEM heading for the navigator, I will buy a second headlight when a new OEM is selling on ebay for cheap.

As long as I have a short commute, the Navigator is a great daily driver. It is fine for a long commute, but the fuel costs would be brutal. Overall, the Navigator has been trouble free and I don't worry about unknown issue impacting reliability. I sure wish I could get to the bottom pf the P0171, and I think I will, but that will be a full day job that I don't have time for.

If my daily driver 235k miles S-class dies, i would use the Navigator as my daily drive until I retire. And I am counting on the Navigator to pull one of my three trailers to wherever in the USA I retire in the next 18 or so months.

Bottom line- the Navigator rides great, is reliable, can tow a bigger trailer- and I don't have a payment. Looking back, with the four valve Intech motor and rock solid and 4r100 trans- I feel fine where I am at right now. Only thing I wish for is the Navigator be a 4WD, when I purchased it I had no idea I would be in the pacific northwest just months after the purchase.
 
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