2001 Lincoln LS v8 Sport: Strange cooling system problem

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cliffhoss

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2001 Lincoln LS v8 Sport: Strange cooling system issue
First off i'd like to say thanks to everyone who contributes because this website has helped me so much in the past 5-6 years. I've done a ton of work on my car myself and it's all thanks to the information on this website.

So about a month ago after a nice 10 mile drive, I was about a mile from home and i floored it just for that adrenaline rush i guess. Anyway i noticed smoke in my rear view mirror so i cut the engine and coasted home. I opened the hood and discovered the upper radiator hose had popped off where i connects up top close to the thermostat housing. I figured the hose just worked its way off over time so i just re-fastened, filled up the fluid and bled the air out and thought it was fixed as I drove it a couple times in the next weeks with no problem.

Two weeks later I was just pulling into a restaurant parking lot and the hose blew off again at the exact same place. So i walked to Walmart, got coolant and a pliers and repeated the process again. After this I suspected the clamp was just weak so I replaced it with a new stainless hose clamp and made it plenty tight.

About 2 weeks later I was pulling into another parking lot and I saw smoke again. I blew a hose off again but this time it was the lower radiator hose where it connects to the thermostat housing. So i fixed it in the parking lot again and drove her home.

I was suspicious of the head gasket and the overflow cap so i got one of those pressure test kits. The system held 17 psi for 10 minutes (cap says 16). I tested the cap and it seemed to release any pressure over 15 psi. I put the pressure tester on the overflow tank at 15 psi and idled the car at home (I don't know if this is recommended or not). I was watching the pressure which stayed right around 15 psi when a hose popped off again. This time the engine was only about halfway up to normal operating temp.

At this point i'm completely lost. There's obviously more pressure there than there should be since it blew hoses off at 2 different places, but the cap seems to be releasing pressure correctly.
I've tried finding threads about this but haven't found much of anything.
Anybody have any ideas what could be causing the excess pressure?
 
It's blowing the hoses off because the plastic has degraded and the features on the plastic that hold the hoses in place are now gone or greatly diminished. Degraded plastic cooling system parts are a very common issue. You need to replace them all (with new). Also, it is really much better to use the constant pressure spring clamps from the factory. The plastic expands and contracts and the screw type clamps can't compensate for that like the spring clamps can.
 
Ok I will verify that too from what I saw last night. The piece I took off had little pinhead size chips or smaller all away around the large tube to hose edges. I thought how odd that is looks like someone chewing on it. I can now see how that bump on the lip when then over time be degraded down to flat. Ya it definitely sounds like you got the max life without a hard failure, and will have to do the total plastic replace as suggested throughout.

Like I said in my other thread, I am going to have to finish the rest of mine soon too it appears now.
 
Thanks guys for the fast response. I actually put the stock clamp back on afterward but I found it interesting that it blew a different hose off when i had the stainless one on. I think you guys are right that my plastic parts are old and wearing out. But is there a possibility that i change those parts and it continues to blow hoses? I just don't understand why it blew 2 different hoses within 2 weeks with no other noticeable issues. Other than a blown head gasket or bad cap, is there anything else that could contribute to too much pressure in the cooling system?
 
Well another opinion from a rookie. Lincoln replaced my tsat housing with an aluminum one and when they did, all hose connections that were related they put the old style hex nut screw down clamps. Having literally pulling off hoses at pick a part while using a wire cutter to pinch the factory 'clamp', I will get rid of any of those remaining types as soon as feasible. Says alot if Lincoln went to the 'expense' to replace all of the clamp types.
 
I just noticed today that my radiator fan runs but only very slowly. I turned my AC on and nothing changes. Now that I think about it I don't remember the last time I heard it running. I don't know if this could be the cause of my symptoms but I guess it needs fixed either way. I'm trying to decide between buying a hydraulic fan actuator or switching completely to an electric fan setup. I've done a lot of reading about it but I can't decide what I want to do. Any suggestions?
 
Worm clamp

35421956-83b1-4d9f-ac27-7464377c6db8_400.jpg




Flat band spring clamp

AB MUELLE DIN 3021.jpg

35421956-83b1-4d9f-ac27-7464377c6db8_400.jpg


AB MUELLE DIN 3021.jpg
 
The spring clamps apply mostly constant pressure to seal the hoses as the plastic pipes expand and contract. The screw clamps can't do that. Because of that, they have to be adjusted very tight. This worked okay when hoses were over metal pipes. However, now that many are over plastic, it leads to the plastic failing even sooner than it would have.

Clamps are there to seal the hoses to the pipes. They are not there to (by themselves) keep the hoses from pulling off. There are features on the pipes (usually one or more ridges around the circumference) that combined with the clamps keep the hoses from pulling off. With a screw clamp it is possible to make it tight enough to keep the hose from pulling off even without the holding features, but you may crush plastic pipes.
 
Long reach flexible flat band spring clamp locking pliers (say that 10x fast!)

radiator-hose-clamp-pliers-access-clamps-clip-tool-removal-tool_6910113.jpg



EDIT - - - -

degas return hose spring clamp

attachment.jpg


radiator-hose-clamp-pliers-access-clamps-clip-tool-removal-tool_6910113.jpg
 
yup ! have a set of longreachflexibleflatbandspringclamplockingpliersOMGZZZZ as well in the toolbox !
 
Yeah I still have the stock spring clamps on all hose ends so that shouldn't be the problem unless those get weak with age. Also, is it necessary to change the rubber hoses when replacing the plastic parts? And I'd still like to hear your recommendations for a radiator fan fix.
 
I have heard that the spring clamps only reliably last about twenty years, so at some point replacement might be needed, but not for now.
Personally, I would fix the hydraulic system, or convert to electric by selling your 1st gen LS and replacing it with a 2nd gen LS.
 
I got a new t-stat housing today. The one I got is the aluminum Jag housing that is supposed to be an exact fit. I noticed the aluminum fittings do not have all the ridges that the plastic ones had. My question is should I get new worm clamps for these aluminum fittings or are the spring clamps still the better option?
 
spring clamps.

...and yes, while your in there, with the age of the car, change out the hoses.
 
Hmmm that's interesting. Now that you all edumacated me even more on the two types, I wonder why Lincoln changed the springs to worms. On the Alum Tsat makes sense, but they put them on the upper crossover too. Might have to have a chat with them.
 
So I know its been a while since I last posted anything but I think there's still something not right with my cooling system. I replaces the t-stat and the other plastic cooling system parts, and also finally got a new hydraulic fan actuator installed. I ran the car for half an hour with the heat on trying to bleed it but I can't seem to get it to blow hot air. The radiator fan now runs much better, but it seems odd because it speeds up and slows down almost identically to the engine rpms. I have never had problems before bleeding the cooling system so I am wondering what could be going on. Maybe a bad/weak water pump or maybe even a bad auxiliary water pump? Maybe everything is fine and i'm not bleeding it correctly but I did follow the instructions in the Lincoln tech articles. Any input is appreciated
 
Is it pressurizing? If not, something is still leaking. Did you check the front (near the top) of the passenger side radiator tank?
 
I'm not exactly sure how you mean to check for pressure, but I felt the upper radiator hose and it definitely had pressure and it was hot. I tried again to bleed the system today and was not satisfied again. I did notice however that if I rev the engine up to 2500 rpms it did blow a little heat. The heat immediately disappeared when I let off though. Is this a heater core problem or something else?
 
Not heater core. Possibly your aux pump has failed.
 
Last night I drove the car a bit, and it blew heat just like it should. Drove it twice today and it's still working just fine. I have no idea what made the difference but as of right now everything seems to be fixed. Thanks guys, especially Joe for all the help. Hopefully I don't need any questions answered for a while
 
Check the bleed screw again,CliffHoss.......it might still have some air trapped. don-ohio :)^)
 
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