Cooling issues with my LS

[JaysLS]

A few minutes after I begin driving my LS, my temperature gauge will rise to the "H" and the car will tell me to check engine temp. After a few more minutes, everything goes back to normal. Is this my thermostat, bubble in the coolant system or something to do with the AC condenser or some other part of the AC system? Thanks

 

[bearsfan39]

possibly the thermostat, i would check that first and then move on to other things

 

[jolinc01]

It could be air in the system, bad degas bottle cap, or thermostat. I'd bleed the system first to see if that works.

 

[bearsfan39]

could it be possible that he has a crack in the degas bottle and needs it to be replaced?

 

[jolinc01]

If the degas bottle has a crack there would most likely be a puddle on the ground where he parks, since it expands when hot. Might be worth looking into as well.

 

[bearsfan39]

just a suggestion since there have been issues with the degas bottle

 

[joegr]

If the degas bottle has a crack there would most likely be a puddle on the ground where he parks, since it expands when hot. Might be worth looking into as well.

When mine cracked, it left no puddles.

 

[tireman]

no puddles with mine either

please tell us the engine and year?

 

[JaysLS]

It's the 3.9L and a 2004.

 

[joegr]

Your degas bottle is cracked, so no reason to check it. Just replace it.
You do need to check the two plastic halves of the thermostat housing. You may find some cracks there. Once you get all the cracked parts replaced and the coolant flushed, follow the bleed procedure to the letter. That will most likely cure your problem.

 

[Matt Man]

I'd bleed the system first to see if that works.

This is the cheapest and easiest thing to do...because its free. My car had this issue and once I bled it, it went away. Bleeding isn't too hard. Follow this article:

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/tech/Lincoln-LS/CoolingSystemDraining/

but ignore the part about draining your whole system. I had a pretty good size bubble underneath my engine fill cap. It took me a minute to find the engine fill cap, but it was under the beauty cover, front and center on the engine. Oh and make sure you don't mix up the directions for the V6 and V8, because they are both include in the write up. Thanks to Quik LS for the article!

My degas bottle might be cracked too, but I will know for sure if the air bubble comes back :shifty:

-Matt :Beer

 

[joegr]

Here's the correct bleeding procedure.
http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6x33004.htm~gen~ref.htm#extract_142

However, unless you just recently messed with the cooling system, this won't be your only problem. I do suspect that you have a bubble in the cooling system, but just bleeding it will only fix it for a little while. You need to also fix the cause of the air bubble getting in there in the first place.

 

[JaysLS]

Thanks everyone for the input. All of you have made owning a Lincoln LS easier. I will replace the thermostat/gasket, thermostat housing/gasket, water pump, engine coolant temperature sensor, degas bottle and the lower hose connected to the degas bottle. Then I'll finish with the flushing and bleeding. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks

 

[JaysLS]

Update to my cooling problem

I replaced the degas bottle and thermostat/seal. My car isn't overheating anymore, but my water pump/gaskets is/are now leaking. So I'll fix that now.

According to my VIN, my coolant temp. sensor is located next to the oil filter, but the mechanic told me that he couldn't find it. So I'll take it to Steve over at Landmark and have him replace that too. Just an update.