Random overheating.

[firemanls]

So driving home from work last night I hear a beep from my dash I look down and see a " check engine temp" on the message center and the thermostat was climbing towards the "H" I quickly put the car in neutral and turned it off and coasted into a parking lot. There I popped the hood and looked at the degas bottle and didn't see any antifreeze. so I cracked it open slowly and it started bubbling and looked like it was filling just the bottom of the bottle. And making a weird sound near the passenger side top radiator hose. My question is what should I check other then the anti freeze before I drive it again? To me it sounds like it just ran out of anti freeze. But that's just me. any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I did see anti freeze on one of the top radiator hoses. in the area shown on the picture.

Edit:

2005 LS 3.9. Thermostat, housing, and hoses changed at 115k miles by the dealer.

(note this is not a picture of MY car, just a reference picture.)

 

[joegr]

Why does everyone here think they are different that everyone else?

You have a leak, probably several leaks, plain and simple.
All the plastic cooling system parts, including the degas bottle and the radiator hose assemblies need to be changed. Possibly the radiator as well. (The thermostat housing is only one of three plastic parts at the front of the engine.) Basically, any part that wasn't changed recently, needs to be changed.

Here's a good thread on it.
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?91092-GenII-LS8-Cooling-System-Overhaul

 

[voyeur]

You definately have a leak. You shouldn't just be loosing antifreeze randomly.

What Joegr is saying is accurate. If the leak you are having appears to be coming from that side of the engine compartment, you could also check the DCCV valve or (as Joegr suggested) the radiator. The plastic nipples on the DCCV could have cracked (see lower arrow - item #12). Anything and everything plastic of the cooling system is suspect. Even the plastic/rubber hose combos.

 

[firemanls]

I went and had my car checked at the local shop and to my surprise ALOT of local shops tried to nickel and dime me on prices way above dealer prices. But anyways They found a crack in the radiator. So I told them I will buy the part but when I looked on rockauto.com there are a few of them. Is there any recommendations on which one I should get? and are they all the same?

 

[jjcool00]

I got the advance auto parts one (lifetime warranty and spec'ed better than OEM) for less than $100 after using a coupon.

 

[firemanls]

Looked it up and its 154.99. Big leap form rock auto's price.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...P?navigationPath=L1*14922|L2*15022#fragment-2

I just wanted to make sure if I did get one from rockauto I didn't get the wrong one and have the mechanic waiting a week for the new part.

 

[jjcool00]

Looked it up and its 154.99. Big leap form rock auto's price.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...P?navigationPath=L1*14922|L2*15022#fragment-2

I just wanted to make sure if I did get one from rockauto I didn't get the wrong one and have the mechanic waiting a week for the new part.

When I ordered it - it was 149$ and I used a $50 off coupon. I believe the one I went with was Spectre? I'm not 100% sure.

 

[firemanls]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C7TUK2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

that look like the right part?

 

[jjcool00]

That's the one.