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First big issue ive had with the car, since i bought it over a year ago. and who knows, maybe its not so big.
Comming home today it "overheated" the reason i put it in quote ill say later. anyways, failsafe mode came on. "engine power reduced". drove it up the interstate 1-2 miles, got off at the exit quickly found a place to park. the whole time up the interstate i had the heat blasting on high and i was doing 55-60mph. i found the place to park, i shut it off. i let it sit for 3-5 !SECONDS! , turned it on, engine temp was normal. i said what in the hell is going on. got back on the road. temp gauge started twicting higher and higher till it reached max temp and said engine power reduced. this time it didnt go into failsafe mode, i shut it off at a light, turned it on....once again temp was normal. problem is im getting a very very loud whirring sound, almost like a power steering pump when u turn the wheels, but it hapens when i brake and accelerate from 0 to about 5-10mph.
any ideas? im thinking my temp sending unit could be bad for sure. other then that i have no clue what the whirring is, it seems as if its comming from the middle of the engine though, which cant be good.
Posted by: NYC LS8
What year is the car? That might help things along here.
Posted by: pektel
Hydraulic fan problem??
Posted by: trilkb
2000 LS v8
114k miles
Posted by: NYC LS8
Probably like pektel said.
Posted by: pektel
I had the same overheating crap. Same year/engine as you. My problem was a faulty Cylinder head temp sensor. But I didn't have the whirring you are describing.
Posted by: trilkb
considering is the hydraulic fan....whats parts do i need?
Posted by: pektel
Not a cheap fix. I believe there were some people who switched to an electric fan instead. I can't remember if it was cheaper to do it that way, but I'd assume it would be if you were doing it yourself. That hydraulic fan assembly is a good chunk of money...
Posted by: trilkb
....
is there a reason it would be sparratic? it happened about a month ago too. had an issue, went away, i drove it 200-ish miles on a trip, and havent had an issue untill now. and the fact that the car wasnt really over heating was weird. ive never seen a car cool down to operating temp from overheating within 3 seconds
aslong as its not this stupid "RESTORE" engine lubricant thats causing problems then im happy.
Posted by: TDUB
If I were you I'd switch to an electric unit. I know you have to upgrade the alternator but from what I've read the hydraulic units use a good chunk of the car's power that the electric doesnt
Posted by: TDUB
Try fixing the thermostat before you do anything though.
Posted by: pektel
Just found who did the conversion, and who helped with it. Here's the thread with the 2 member's names whom you can probably PM to get more info:
Could be tstat, but that still doesn't explain the whirring sound he's referring to.
Posted by: TDUB
I know but it's always a good bet to start with. When mine over heated, it was a clogged coolant pump and then the reservoir cracked, but it also had that loud whirring noise.
Posted by: trilkb
thanks for the info guys.
the whirring sound has me confused.
it would be nice to go electric though if it takes alot of the cars power.
Posted by: trilkb
alright well i just went out and messed with it.
started it up no noise. let it run for awhile. revved it, held it at higher rpms. didnt overheat or anything. hydraulic fan is working it seems. low and high speeds. i turned the a/c on and held it at 2000rpm. after about 15 seconds the whirring noise came back. could this be because of the fan? i had the hood open and revved it from the throttle body and listened. sounded like it was comming from the top pulley right in the center. is this perhaps the waterpump?
anyone have a diagram of pulleys?
Posted by: 97stscaddy
Running hot on the highway is an indication of a stuck thermostat.
And that "whirr" noise is the fan blowing as much air as it can trying to cool the engine off. That means its working the way its supposed to.
Posted by: TDUB
The way the hydraulic fans work is they come on when the engine is getting hot. The fan coming on is the whirring noise you're hearing. I still think your best bet is to replace the thermostat.
Posted by: trilkb
alright well. t-stats are cheap. i dont mind replaceing one. i do have one question though, where the hell is it? i dont see anything that resembles a thermostat housing on the front/top of the engine.
that kind of makes sense but still doesnt. ill replace it to get it out of the way though i guess. ive still never ever ever in my whole entire life seen a car cool down from max temp to normal operating temp in literally 3 seconds, and maintain that normal operating temp until drivin again with a stuck t-stat.
Posted by: 97stscaddy
Could be the thermostat is sticking at a certain spot, when the car turns off the pressure in the cooling system changes, and mixed with the hot coolant that is stuck behind it, the thermostat might pop loose and open to where it should which wold allow full flow through the engine. Now theres a lot of cool antifreeze flowing across the thermostat which might cause it to go back to the position it was in when it got stuck, and start all over again. That is kinda weird, but I bet if you put your hand on the lower radiator hose when it does this its probably substantially cooler than the upper hose is.
To find the thermostat, follow the upper radiator hose to where it meets the engine. You will have to remove the cover that says Lincoln V8 to get access to it.
Posted by: trilkb
i will replace the thermostat then.
maybe im not used to what a hydraulic fan sounds like when its operating at those speeds. and that is what the whirring sound is.
how do you check the fluid level?
Posted by: 97stscaddy
Engine driven fans (obviously by name) are dependent on the turning of the engine to power them, rather than electric motors. Because of this they need to be able to move more air at idle speed in order to cool the engine. They can't just turn on and off like an electric. This is often accomplished by changing the angle of the blades on the fan, which causes them to make more noise when they spin at higher speeds. Think of it like a leaf blower, the more throttle you give it, the louder the sound from the turbine gets. In a way you can think of your engine as an 8 cylinder, 4 stroke, leaf blower.
The fan fluid reservoir is on the passenger side of the engine. There is a picture of a fan on the cap.
Posted by: trilkb
it just came to me what it sounds like...
imagine a 03-04 mustang cobra with a kenne bell supercharger on it...
yea...it sounds like that. not all the time tho. only after its been running awhile.
edit: wow, youve got to be kidding me. i thought i had 2 power steering resevoirs. well...its full...of powersteering fluid, but that should work right?
Posted by: TDUB
Oh Jesus.... I love the sound of those cars, my next car will either be an 03 10th anniversary or an 06 GTO
Posted by: trilkb
id love the sound of it too, if my car was supposed to be making that sound!
That reservoir isn't full to the top is it? There's a few lines on the side and the fluid should be right at the one that says MAX.
Posted by: trilkb
haha no its throttle related, not steering related.
im thinking its a bearing in the water pump.
Posted by: TDUB
When you rev the engine long enough the hydraulic fan comes on.......
Posted by: trilkb
drove the car to work today. did fine. it was cooler outside and i didnt have the a/c on.
when i got here i reved it a few times and it sounded like the water pump was making some weird noises. just that bad bearing sound.
Posted by: 02LincLS
I have the whine with mine, I know the sound he's refering to. I found it tends to whine after coming off the highway and idling along. It doesn't last too long though. The fan fluid level (there is just nothing right about that statement) is fine, its just that the pump is loud or something, like a power steering pump low on fluid. It's pitch changes with engine speed. It's been making noise for years but I wont replace a fan part until I have enough money to put the electric fan in.
I'm curious what fan people put in, a 2nd gen or aftermarket?
I don't remember the output of the alternator on the LS, but it seems like 130 amps did the trick just fine in my 94 t-bird (running every electrical feature possible including the aftermarket stereo equipment and rear defroster).
Posted by: trilkb
would bleeding the hydraulic pump system that runs the fan help at all? anyone have a write up or how to?
Posted by: trilkb
well new news...
with the a/c on, after about 1 minute to 2 it starts to make the noise. turn the a/c off...after awhile the noise goes away. im guessing its the hydraulic fan not being able to keep up so the pump starts to make a whinning noise? i found a write up on hwo to bleed it so im going to try it i guess.
Posted by: 97stscaddy
Probably air in the system then, which is common for Ford power steering systems. And the hydraulic fan pump is basically a power steering pump. It could help. I've used a vacuum pump to suck the air out of power steering systems before with good results. But it never lasts forever.
Posted by: fbird18
I got this out of the owners manual;
How fail-safe cooling works
If the engine reaches a preset
over-temperature condition, the engine will automatically switch to
alternating cylinder operation. Each disabled cylinder acts as an air
pump and cools the engine.
When this occurs the vehicle will still operate. However:
² the engine power will be limited.
² the air conditioning system will be disabled.
Continued operation will increase the engine temperature and the engine
will completely shut down, causing steering and braking effort to
increase
Once the engine temperature cools, the engine can be re-started. Take
your vehicle to a service facility as soon as possible to minimize engine
damage.
Posted by: trilkb
i flushed the hydraulic fan fluid, that got rid of the noise. so thats good. car has been doing great. no more noise.
on the darker side of things the temp gauge just creeped up as i went to the bank and back (5pm in stop and go 95* heat plus i had the a/c on the whole time). under a load i could hear what sounded like a water pump bearing. so i guess thats the culprate. ill do that and the t-stat the next chance i get.
Posted by: lseguy
The "whine"..with the windows up and it occurs, does it sound like a large truck coasting near you in first gear?( not the jake brake noise of a truck..the engine). If so, yes, thats the engine fan kicking into high mode attempting to prevent an overheat.
Air bubble in the system was/occassionally is, my cause. Now that Ive been using the A/C more regularly, it seems to have stuck the bubble that I could NOT get rid of now matter how many times I bled the system
Posted by: jolinc01
Just a thought if your car is still overheating buy a new coolant cap from your local autoparts store. That stopped my problem when I was overheating. I guess the caps crack. Also check the coolant level one day and mark the level. Check it again in a few day to see if it is leaking, you may have a cracked coolant bottle.
Posted by: tireman
It was the hydraulic cooling fan motor that crapped out on mine. $700 fix at dealer. Erratic cooling, whining of fan, overheating, etc. etc. etc. 01LSV6 it got so hot the expansion tank also cracked. $160, Now I am happy
Posted by: trilkb
its been doing better. i guess it was just throwing a fit cuz its getting sold. i only run the a/c on the highway now. it hasnt overheated in almost a week. also couldve been a air bubble in the cooling system that fixed itself.
Posted by: rubberducky700
I have an 04 v-8 and have had the failsafe mode come on before limiting me below 2500 rpm and about 35 mph. called for and he said o it just over heated. Would make some since if i hadnt just started it 3 blocks earlier. Shut it off and never had a problem since Damn ETC. Drive by wire is so much better. I dont know what would have caused it but o well no harm done.
Posted by: Apathy25TX
I've also had that problem happen. The erratic overheating and what not. I knew something wasn't right when I was able to keep my hand on the engine and it felt cool. I just topped off the radiator coolant and it's never been an issue since.
I also have the whining/whuuuur sound. It typically shows up when I start up the vehicle. I'm still not able to pinpoint exactly what's causing it. All i know is that it doesn't sound too good. Sounds more like metal rubbing against metal. It's a low pitch and it goes up if you rev it. I'm at the point where I'm gonna redo the whole car here soon. Just savin' up some coinage.
