Help! More Cooling System Problems

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Robert Crain

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This car is now driving me crazy. The coolant doesn't seem to be flowing from the engine into the radiator (via lower radiator hose). I replaced the water pump. No change. I removed the thermostat just to see if I could get some flow. Same result. I know for a fact I have all of the air bled out. I will double check the serpentine belt for correct positioning in the morning. What else could keep the coolant from flowing back into the radiator? Nearly everything in the cooling system is brand new or near new. The engine runs cool at idle but will overheat once out on the road. The right side of the radiator (nearly new) is stone cold. I have good hot air into the cabin. What am I missing? Thank you for your input. Rob
 
Robert Crain said:
This car is now driving me crazy. The coolant doesn't seem to be flowing from the engine into the radiator (via lower radiator hose). I replaced the water pump. No change. I removed the thermostat just to see if I could get some flow. Same result. I know for a fact I have all of the air bled out. I will double check the serpentine belt for correct positioning in the morning. What else could keep the coolant from flowing back into the radiator? Nearly everything in the cooling system is brand new or near new. The engine runs cool at idle but will overheat once out on the road. The right side of the radiator (nearly new) is stone cold. I have good hot air into the cabin. What am I missing? Thank you for your input. Rob
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I have bled these things for 4-6 hours and have still had air in them after it. I just started taking mine to Meineke after I am done with coolant repairs cause the way they can put it all back in will have 0 air when they are done. You would be shocked how small of an air pocket will restrict the flow. I know they usually charge me around $40 to do it and it's not a bad deal when you really think about it.
 
Sounds like some sort of blockage to me. Is it possible that some of the crumbled parts got into the passages? Good heat in the cabin means the secondary system is flowing ok and not full of air. Maybe try backflushing from the lower and upper radiator hoses.
 
So when you say "right side" of the radiator... are you talking about drivers or passenger side???

Assuming this is a Gen 2, (because you didn't say), and you didn't say V6 or V8... I'm assuming V8.

The thermostat can fail and get stuck shut. How old is the thermostat and housing... and are they OEM or aftermarket parts?

You could pull the thermostat housing, (leaving the thermostat in the housing), and put it in a pot of water... and heat the water up. The thermostat should start to open around 170-180 degrees... and fully open by boiling temp.

You will want some sort of thermometer to monitor the temp of the water.
 
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The engine is a 2003 3.9l v8 and the "right side" of the radiator I referred to was the driver's side. Sorry for the confusion. I ended up draining the coolant, flushed the engine with water, installed a new thermostat, refilled the coolant, and bled the air out. Now it's running normal again. The thermostat I replaced was brand new and came with the T-housing that I just replaced. Still don't know why it was overheating as I didn't see anything obvious. Whatever. This car is really starting to annoy me. Now I don't have air coming out of the vents. Heat is making it into the cabin but something is keeping it from coming out the vents. Any ideas on that? As always, I appreciate the input. More than a little frustrated.
 
Quote:

"The thermostat I replaced was brand new and came with the T-housing that I just replaced"

And THERE is the problem. The OEM housing doesn't come with the t-stat and the t-stat is ordered separately and installed in the housing before assembly.

YOU just told on yourself... that you bought cheap aftermarket parts.

Quote: "Still don't know why it was overheating as I didn't see anything obvious."

The cheap aftermarket thermostat failed early.

Many many threads on this forum about people who have done the same... only to have problems shortly after. OEM parts last 6-7 years. Aftermarket parts last about 2 years... IF you are lucky and don't get a lemon right out of the box.

The LS doesn't like or perform properly with cheap aftermarket parts.
 
You are absolutely correct 04Sport about using OEM parts especially for anything bolted to the engine. In my haste to get this daily driver back on the road quickly, I rolled the dice with an auto parts store product and lost. The sad part was that I knew better.
 
Lesson learned, (or reminded of). Move on... but never forget. ;)

There are a few quality aftermarket manufacturers for parts for the LS... but for the cooling system it needs to be all OEM.

Just repeating myself for others that read this.
 
Yep, the same overheating problem with that aftermarket thermostat has been reported here by others that tried it. You really do need to go OEM here!
Also, it is way less confusing if you always give left/right on cars as if you were seated in the drivers seat. That way it is always consistent.
 
For anyone doing Lincoln LS cooling system repairs or has mileage in excess of 100k, let me say this very clearly:
1. Use only OEM parts. I knew this and got burned right on cue. The frustration that comes with replacing failed parts just isn't worth it.
2. If you piece-meal cooling system components one part at a time, you will get burned and incur needless frustration. As soon as you replace one cooling system component, the next one in line will almost certainly fail in short order. This phenomena has been discussed on this forum before and is absolutely true. I know of no other car that's like this but it is absolutely true. Start collecting your parts now and replace the whole system at one time. Yes, it is an enormous job but this car will beat you if you don't.
Learn from my mistakes and heed this warning.
 
Yup. Replacing LS cooling system parts is an "all or nothing" endeavor.

Replacing everything at one time will give a person 6-7 years of peace... at a realistic cost of about $800-1000... depending on where you source your parts.
 
Tip, When testing a thermostat on the stove use a candy thermometer and a cheap sauce pan from the supermarket dedicated for this purpose and keep them in your toolbox, not the kitchen. You don't want your other half using this stuff to cook with, casting sand, antifreeze and water pump lubricant taste funny and might be unhealthy to ingest. Tip 2; store the thermometer with the globe down, otherwise it will get bubbles in it and be in accurate.
 
MarkEricRoth said:
Tip, When testing a thermostat on the stove use a candy thermometer and a cheap sauce pan from the supermarket dedicated for this purpose and keep them in your toolbox, not the kitchen. You don't want your other half using this stuff to cook with, casting sand, antifreeze and water pump lubricant taste funny and might be unhealthy to ingest. Tip 2; store the thermometer with the globe down, otherwise it will get bubbles in it and be in accurate.
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FYI, posted this before, but I had similar experience with cooling system...... you have to have a ford/lincoln OEM thermostat. or you will have that cooling issue. coolant will not flow properly.
 
In addition to this if you make it to 200K miles the hoses will begin to flake apart on the interior. This debris can clog your DCCV and other areas. If you see black bits floating in your reservoir tank then your hoses are starting to break down. Also check the plastic neck on your radiator. These tend to crack over time and leave you scratching your head trying to find the leak.
 
tireman said:
In addition to this if you make it to 200K miles the hoses will begin to flake apart on the interior. This debris can clog your DCCV and other areas. If you see black bits floating in your reservoir tank then your hoses are starting to break down. Also check the plastic neck on your radiator. These tend to crack over time and leave you scratching your head trying to find the leak.
Click to expand...
yeah that plastic neck baffled the previous owner of this car, he had sealant all over that stupid thermostat housing trying to stop the leak, everywhere except the right spot, haha! The neck was split right down the seam.
 
if you have trouble bleeding get a vacuum filler kit and no more hassle

that’s how coolant is filled at the factory
 
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