Lincoln LS new owner hep!

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Wingsfan19

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Hi all,

I purchased a 2000 Lincoln LS at 106k miles a few weeks ago. It is in great shape and has been well maintained, but after reading about the car, I knew I would have to put some $ into it to keep it running.
So far the lack of heat issue has already occurred. I only get heat when the engine has been running for a long time or it has been operating on main roads or the freeway. Also, the other day while in idle, it overheated and I had to pull over to let it cool off. Since then, it has not overheated, but the I have a feeling that the engine overheating and lack of heat are related. At first I thought it was a dccv issue but the car wouldn't likely overheat due to the dccv. I have heard things about the air in the coolant system and the secondary water pump going bad, but I can't be sure if it's one or the other.

I was wondering if anyone had a similar experience? Any help would be appreciated, as I do not have a dealer in town (or tools to fix anything) and will probably have to rely on local mechanics to fix the problem.

Thanks!

Brian
 
If it's taking forever for your car to blow heat, then you most likely have a faulty thermostat. They are designed to fail in the open position. If it's open all the time, it will take forever to heat up (I've replaced 2 thermostats since owning this car).

Try replacing the thermostat, and following the refill/bleeding instructions EXACTLY as they are described here. You have to make sure there is no air in the cooling system.

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


Welcome to LVC, btw.
 
You almost certainly have air in the cooling system. It has to be bled out by the book to work. Even then, it will just come back. You have one or more leaks. These are probably due to cracks in the plastic cooling system parts.

Note that only the V8 has the aux pump, and the aux pump is the problem if you can't get heat at idle, but can get heat while cruising. Aux pump failure shouldn't be related to overheating.
 
Like everybody else said. you have air in your cooling system. Check your thermostat Housing to see if its cracked and if so buy a new one. They always go bad after about 100k miles.. Check all the cooling components and replace what needs to be replaced now. Dont wait or it will just get worse..
 
joegr said:
You almost certainly have air in the cooling system. It has to be bled out by the book to work. Even then, it will just come back. You have one or more leaks. These are probably due to cracks in the plastic cooling system parts.

Note that only the V8 has the aux pump, and the aux pump is the problem if you can't get heat at idle, but can get heat while cruising. Aux pump failure shouldn't be related to overheating.
Click to expand...

Joe, I first thought aux pump as well, but he says he gets heat if it runs for an extended period of time. I guess it was an assumption on my part, but I figured that meant at idle.
 
pektel said:
Joe, I first thought aux pump as well, but he says he gets heat if it runs for an extended period of time. I guess it was an assumption on my part, but I figured that meant at idle.
Click to expand...

I agree with your interpretation. I was trying (unsuccessfully I see) to indicate that it was unlikely to be the aux pump. I also suspect that he has a V6. I've found that most on here who have V8s, point out that they have a V8.
 
Ah, I get it now. Sorry. I haven't had coffee yet today.
 
Wow, thanks for all the help everyone. I took it in to the mechanic today and told him to check for leaks, and air. He did indeed find air in the system, which turns out to be the root of the problem. Without even bleeding it, he got it out by using the bubble technique through the degas bottle. We then discovered that there was a small leak on the top of the engine fill cap, it was actually seeping right through the allen wrench hole. He is getting the new cap for me tomorrow.
So far, however, since he got the air out, heat has fully returned and is working like a charm, so that had to be it. Hopefully that was the only leak, though. Relieved to know it's only a 20$ fix!

Thanks again for all the input, I'll let ya'll know once the new cap is on if that was indeed the fix. I absolutely love this car and I want to get as much out of it as I can!

Brian
 
Also, the only other problem I have is the driver heated seat doesn't work. It's not a fuse, so I'm assuming it's something in the actual seat. Any thoughts?
 
Wingsfan19 said:
Also, the only other problem I have is the driver heated seat doesn't work. It's not a fuse, so I'm assuming it's something in the actual seat. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Yup. It's the heating element. It was a problem with the early LSes.
 
Well, the new cap is on, the overheating has gone away, so that's good. The climate control is also functioning properly for the most part, but after 10 minutes or so of running, the heat still only gets to slightly above luke-warm temp, I can live with this as it makes the cabin comfortable, but I know it's supposed to get hotter than that. How long does it typically take your guys LS's to get full heat in 20 degree weather? I'm hoping it's just leftover air in the system from when I drove it with the faulty cap still on.
 
Wingsfan19 said:
Well, the new cap is on, the overheating has gone away, so that's good. The climate control is also functioning properly for the most part, but after 10 minutes or so of running, the heat still only gets to slightly above luke-warm temp, I can live with this as it makes the cabin comfortable, but I know it's supposed to get hotter than that. How long does it typically take your guys LS's to get full heat in 20 degree weather? I'm hoping it's just leftover air in the system from when I drove it with the faulty cap still on.
Click to expand...

Being a grad student living in an apartment without a garage in 20 degree weather, I want to avoid having to bleed the system myself unless I'm sure it's the problem :p.
 
It takes two minutes to bleed the system. You get the car running warm and then you pop the hood open the bleed screw until it bleeds; then you close it.
 
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