Hi Guys/Gals. I am new to the site. I have an 03 Lincoln LS V8 with 175,000 miles on it. Was coming off the beltway on Monday and punched it to get around traffic and noticed white smoke coming off the car in the rear mirror. I pulled over and immediately the temp started escalating. Got a tow home. Started it up next day and it ran okay but would over heat after running for awhile. It had all the symptoms of a thermostat problem except for the white smoke when it first occured. I tore into it this morning and found that the water outlet module is a plastic part that surprisingly didn't fail sooner. Anyway, after searching this website I see it is a common problem. I was hoping to get a bit over 200 out of the car before trading it for another Lincoln so I am in the process of replacing the critical elements since I have it apart.
Here is what she looked like. The tube on the drivers side blew out. The area where the thermostat sits was destroyed...
Here is what she looked like. The tube on the drivers side blew out. The area where the thermostat sits was destroyed...