2003 Lincoln LS V8 Coolant Leak

[exime]

I have a 2003 Lincoln LS V8 with 130,000 miles and I have a coolant leak! My car started smoking as I got into the driveway (good timing I guess) and I turned off the car. I haven't been able to drive it since because I can't get any coolant to stay in.

I attached a picture circling the area in red that the coolant is coming out of. It's a black tube to the left of the engine air filter attachment that you can see in the picture. The left side of the picture is the front of the car.

If you pour water into the reservoir in the back then the water all leaks out of this tube. If you pour water into the engine fill cap it also leaks out of this same tube.

I don't know what it looked like before but it's just an open ended black tube and it looks like it might have had a cap on the end and it broke off. It looks like I'd have to take apart the entire engine air filter manifold to get to it and do any maintenance.

Has anyone else had the same symptoms? Can I fill the end of this tube up with epoxy or was this tube always open and it's some sort of an overfill?

She's dying a slow death but if anyone that can help me fix this to keep her going for a while longer until I can afford a new car, I'd really appreciate it.
(The transmission is dying and it needs a new catalytic converter to pass my next emissions.)

 

[joegr]

Anyway, I am sure you are going to resist this, but the truth is that all your plastic cooling parts are degrading at a similar rate and they should all have been replaced some time ago. Nearly all of us have been through it. Here's what you need to do.
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?91092-GenII-LS8-Cooling-System-Overhaul

(Your specific problem of the moment appears to be a broken throttle body heater hose, but coolant can also spray there from cracks in the plastic.)

 

[exime]

Thanks for the tip. I'll take your advice and replace all the parts ASAP but right now I'm just trying to get my car running so I can go to work.

I went here: http://deneau.info/ls/

And I thought it was #15 the coolant outlet pipe. I didn't see what part you're referring to in the post you linked or the diagram though.

 

[joegr]

Oh, so you are saying that one of the end caps of the crossover tube assembly (aka coolant outlet pipe, aka thermostat rear housing, ...) has broken off? (That's not exactly where your circle is.) Yes, that happens for sure. Any patch attempt is unlikely to work, because as soon as you seal that and get pressure again, another part of the assembly will blow out. It's kind of like the plastic rots, so it's all very weak now.

Be warned that there is a Dorman aftermarket replacement for that part now. Some have said that it works okay, but others have had to replace it with the factory parts due to constant marginal overheating. The sure bet is to get the factory parts.

 

[exime]

That was just my guess but if you're saying that's not where the circle is then I'm wrong. The leak is definitely where the circle is which is just an open ended cylinder that is sitting over the serpentine belt and the coolant just flows right out of it onto the ground. I couldn't tell if an end cap popped off it it or not because I've never looked at it before.

 

[UltimateLS]

I have a problem with coolant leak. Behind the intake by the firewall that drips on top of my tranny and runs down the side of it. I park up hill, haven't been able to locate the leak. Any suggestions? Leak is intermittent.

 

[joegr]

The slanted plastic pipe that runs from the top of the block (output of the water pump) to the thermostat housing is the most likely suspect. You are not different than the rest of us. You need to do it all.
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?91092-GenII-LS8-Cooling-System-Overhaul

 

[jim6669jim]

Second the advice to replace ALL plastic cooling parts you can find. The stuff is getting gummy at this point. you could gouge some parts of my old plastic with a finger nail.
Thermostat housing, upper radiator junction, DeGas bottle (x2) have all been replaced.

[I bought an aluminum T-stat housing for a Jaguar, but it wasn't identical and wouldn't work. Missing a hose connection.]
Aluminum is superior long term if you can find a place that makes them for the LS.