Here's one you dont hear all the time. My car is running GREAT and NOT overheating..

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BrilliantPsycho

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Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut... it wont bleed out of the heater bleeder. And its not clogged. So grab your popcorn and Beer, and please help me figure this one out, because i'm at a loss right now. And here is my story.

I started reading this site a few months back after i realized that unless i take my car to a Ford Dealership, noone can figure my car out. And with all your help, i just started fixing it myself, one part at a time. (Please keep in mind that this is the first car i have ever even attempted to fix on my own, so please bare with me if i call a part something its not) I am far from a mechanic, but i think i've done well so far.

I bought my 2005 Lincoln LS V8 about 4 years ago and never had a problem until it hit 100,000 miles, which was about 4 months ago. Since then i have replaced soooooooooooo many things, which ironically has just made me Love her and want to keep her even more. Despite everyone telling me to trade it in, after all the time and effort i put into it, i keep hoping she would last a bit longer, and i've become quite attached to it. Masochist? Perhaps. But my intention has been to repay you all with plenty of pictures and some knowledge that i've gained along the way. IF my car would just NOT break down for one week straight. But that hasn't happened yet so.. in order of what ive replaced and fixed .. this is how it went down.

1. DCCV 2. Degas Bottle 3.Water Pump 3.5) Window Regulators 4. Radiator 5.Thermostat with housing Unit 6. All 4 Brakes 7. Alternator and Battery 8. Thermostat 9. Coolant Outlet Pipe 10. Intake Pipe (which requires a thread of its own because i broke the bolt that goes from the intake manifold into my engine block and WHAT A NIGHTMARE) 11. Upper Radiator Hose 12. Status Buttons 13. Middle Console Latch 14. Alternator 15. Degas Bottle .... which brings me to my problem

So last night i noticed a small drip coming from right beneath my degas bottle. Since i just changed that a few months ago i couldn't believe that it would be leaking. I couldn't find the leak but i ran my hand down the bottom of it and it felt wet. So i pulled it out and noticed it looked like it had stress cracks in it. But i know they only really open up when it gets hot, so i went ahead and got a new one and put it in this morning. I checked and it wasn't leaking so i went and followed the bleeding procedure i have done SO MANY TIMES, except, nothing would come out of the heater bleeder valve. So i blew in it to make sure nothing was clogged and i got bubbled in my degas bottle. I let it run for almost about an hour and even drove around the block a few times to get the rpms up, but it would bleed out a little and stop. Bleed a little more and stop again. No air or bubbles would come out. Regardless, the car did not overheat. But it just would bleed out like she always did before. Then i noticed a few drips from the passenger side front. Then a few drips right beneath the degas bottle again. Then no drips at all! And so this process went on for a few hours as i let the car cool down so i could take a better look at things, and re-attempted to bleed her out, while she alternately would drip fluid on both sides of the car. Still, No overheating! So i thought maybe my thermostat was getting stuck, and i went out and bought a new one cause i thought that had to be the issue. But when i went to pull the old/new one out,.. it was fine! So i put her back together, attempted to bleed her out again, and at first she came out like a stream.. but then once again, she stopped! Last place she dripped was under the degas bottle again. But only a few drips, no leak... and STILL ... no overheating.

My car is running great. Ac works awesome.. heat kicks butt,... but still .. she wont bleed so i know something is not right.

The only thing wrong with my car otherwise is the EPB, which i hate to say is the last thing on my list, but i dont want to leave it out of my story. See in the midst of everthing else my status said "service parking brake". This was before i did my rear brakes, and yes i lined them up perfectly. I have to unlatch the battery cable every two times i start the car or EVERY TIME i hit the gas, it beeps "service parking brake, service parking brake, service parking brake" and i mean EVER TIME i hit the gas peddle. So every two time i turn the car off and on, i remove the battery cable, reset the brakes, i hear the click click click that its resetting, although i can do that and look at the brake line itself at the same time to see if anything is actually moving, but i believe i can hear it. But the orange light still comes on in the middle console. My guess is the EPB module, but i havent had time to really worry about that because of all the other issues ive encountered.. EVERY SINGLE WEEK, that are a bit more important. So ive left that one in the back burner, but thought i should mention it. Ive heard the DCCV can do crazy things including mess with the EPB, but i that was the ONLY thing actually replaced by a Mechanic who specializes in Lincolns. And the first thing that i actually replaced. So i dont think its that.

So please, if anyone can shed some light on my perfectly running car that does not overheat,.. but wont bleed... i would greatly appreciate it. And i promise promise to post pics and instructions of everything i have done that i named above. Thank you for you time, and help in advance.....

ps. I did notice that my regular fan, (not the high one that turns on right before the car overheats) is on almost all the time except when im actually driving. And it never was like that before the "broken bolt" issue. Now, everytime i come to a stop, its on. Always. And it never used to do that before.
 
40 views and no one has any idea why my car won't bleed out of the heater valve bleeder? I guess I'm in trouble ...
 
Yes, i learned the hard way after replacing the thermostat and alternator twice.

BTW.. today i tried bleeding it out again. Absolutely nothing came out .. and the coolant started boiling.. however,.. still no overheating! :confused:

Also before i even turned it on i pressed on the upper radiator hose .. and air came out of the degas bottle. ?? I dont know enough about cars to know if that hose is always supposed to have coolant in it at all times. It didnt seem to since i could pinch it closed. I was trying to see where the clog is if thats the case.
 
Not able to maintain required pressure, possibly still crack/leaks in system. air is not all out.
On the bleed, get someone to hold RPM at 3K while you fill and attempt to bleed.
Car needs to get up to temp so thermostat opens and goes through radiator.

I know it can be a PITA to bleed properly but it's very doable.
I'd double check the return line to the degas bottle. (sure hope it's OEM and not Dorman) also check the pressure relief cap.
 
On it! The Degas bottle and cap are brand new. Just put it in yesterday.

Im going to go through it again now, make sure everything is tight and secure and unclogged. Im usually very thorough, but still human. And for the first time ever, i hope i made some sort or mistake.
 
OK .. i took everything apart again, everything is tight, nothing is leaking. I checked every possible connection, and looked in places i didnt know existed. And still NO BLEED except for literally like 6 drops of coolant and NO OVERHEATING!! It doesnt make sense. Normally the slightest little air pocket, crack, or drip would make my car overheat. I've bled it a million times. I've spent hundreds of dollars in coolant because i didnt have the money to fix everything at once, so yes, i went from part to part to part. And normally it would take not even a minute for the system to start burping and within another minute i would get my stream. But ive had the car on for HOURS since yesterday, drove it around, revved it up, put the AC on blast, and still no streaming bleed but no overheating either. And yes my car turns into an inferno when i put the heat on. It comes on right away before the car has even come to regular temp. So i know its not the heater core. As a matter of fact, i was just driving a minute ago, and its night and cool outside, so my fan didnt even kick on...and STILL ... no overheating. I got a few drips coming out of the bleeder but thats it. Then it stops. Its like slicing a hole in a tire, and then air stops coming out. It just doesnt make sense. The system is topped out with coolant in both the degas bottle as well as engine fill. And all i get is 6 droplets of coolant and then it stops???? WTF!
 
BrilliantPsycho said:
OK .. i took everything apart again, everything is tight, nothing is leaking. I checked every possible connection, and looked in places i didnt know existed. And still NO BLEED except for literally like 6 drops of coolant and NO OVERHEATING!! It doesnt make sense. Normally the slightest little air pocket, crack, or drip would make my car overheat. I've bled it a million times. I've spent hundreds of dollars in coolant because i didnt have the money to fix everything at once, so yes, i went from part to part to part. And normally it would take not even a minute for the system to start burping and within another minute i would get my stream. But ive had the car on for HOURS since yesterday, drove it around, revved it up, put the AC on blast, and still no streaming bleed but no overheating either. And yes my car turns into an inferno when i put the heat on. It comes on right away before the car has even come to regular temp. So i know its not the heater core. As a matter of fact, i was just driving a minute ago, and its night and cool outside, so my fan didnt even kick on...and STILL ... no overheating. I got a few drips coming out of the bleeder but thats it. Then it stops. Its like slicing a hole in a tire, and then air stops coming out. It just doesnt make sense. The system is topped out with coolant in both the degas bottle as well as engine fill. And all i get is 6 droplets of coolant and then it stops???? WTF!
Click to expand...

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/fo...rst-LS&p=2037385897&viewfull=1#post2037385897

Also, how is your battery and alternator?
 
My Battery and Alternator are doing great. I just replaced both not even a month ago. Well the alternator is actually the second one i replaced because the first one was a POS i got from autozone, and it only lasted a week i kid you not.

This morning i took her out for a spin to a local mechanic who everyone says is "The Man".. he said he had dealt with this issue before and just had to leave the bleeder open overnight and let gravity do its thing. When i returned home the coolant was boiling, but STILL, she didnt overheat,.. which amazes me. So at the moment im letting her cool down and i will try it your way. With the front end lifted ....
 
OK, so let me get this straight, I might be missing something, EVERYTHING works as intended, doesn't over heat, blows both cold and hot air BUT your LS likes it's coolant so much that it won't let any come out of the bleeder valve.

So your main concern is that you can't get hot coolant in a stream to pour out a little valve BUT EVERYTHING works just fine.

Let's try this .... FORGET ABOUT ... bleeding it then, if it's not overheating and it's giving you this much aggravation then simply stop messing around with bleeding it.

Drive it for now and see if it WILL EVER overheat or go down in coolant in the bottle.

Rinse the engine bay and keep an eye on leaks where ever you park.

If it runs fine, lots of heat, doesn't overheat ... be done with it already.

Try bleeding it again next week.

Obviously this LS doesn't want to give up it's precious coolant.
 
So i drained the car completely. Refilled her, and followed perfect proceedure in bleeding her. The only time she would spit was after revving her up for 3 minutes ... but then she would just stop. I did this for the last two hours and i couldnt get that steady stream im used to. Sorry but i cant just pretend everything is ok as everyone keeps telling me. I guess its time to sell while shes actually still running. Im sorry but if she doesnt bleed, something aint right, and i just cant enjoy driving her while constantly worrying about her overheating at the wrong place and time,. cause we all know she not just gonna break down in my driveway, and im just so frustrated that i just cant deal anymore. Every single week for the last two months im in my driveway changing something new. And i doubt it will end here. Ive put so much money and time into her, my heart is breaking right now, but sometimes you just have to say enough is enough. And today, ive had enough.
 
BrilliantPsycho said:
So i drained the car completely. Refilled her, and followed perfect proceedure in bleeding her. The only time she would spit was after revving her up for 3 minutes ... but then she would just stop. I did this for the last two hours and i couldnt get that steady stream im used to. Sorry but i cant just pretend everything is ok as everyone keeps telling me. I guess its time to sell while shes actually still running. Im sorry but if she doesnt bleed, something aint right, and i just cant enjoy driving her while constantly worrying about her overheating at the wrong place and time,. cause we all know she not just gonna break down in my driveway, and im just so frustrated that i just cant deal anymore. Every single week for the last two months im in my driveway changing something new. And i doubt it will end here. Ive put so much money and time into her, my heart is breaking right now, but sometimes you just have to say enough is enough. And today, ive had enough.
Click to expand...

Do you have pressure in your upper coolant hose? Are you sure you are opening the bleeder enough? That bleeder screw will come all the way out. Now, you can open it up and have it drip some until the pressure drops at which time it will stop. Then you will have to open it up further. Don't give up yet man. Post a pic of the bleeder in the open position.

Also, common practice with the alternators is to have them re-built or buy new genuine Ford units. I got mine re-built for just under $300 with a senior discount.
 
Trust me, I know how to bleed the car. I know the spout comes out completely, and there is absolutely no problem with my alternator. And you have no idea how it breaks my heart to sell her, so im going to bring her to the Lincoln Mechanic when he gets over his amonia, they say hell be back on Thursday. I just hate bringing her there because before i realized i could fix things myslef, i bought her there and they charged me $987 to change the DCCV. Something i coulda done myself. So ill pay for the diagnostic, and take it from there. But at the end of the day i have to be realistic, and i need a dependable car. Sick part is, as i was looking for cars today online, i found myself looking at none other than ...... Lincoln Ls's. Cause im a sick bitch like that.

Im trying to figure out the cooling system diagram i see online, but its very confusing which way the arrows point.
 
How are you determining that it isn't overheating? If it's by the gauge that isn't going to do it because the gauge isn't linear on these cars. Once it hits the halfway point it stays there until it's hot enough to melt things.

My guess here is either the thermostat housing is cracked or the thermostat is stuck open. This would explain the boiling coolant since it is getting too hot, and would explain why the bleed isn't bleeding anything out. If the thermostat is stuck open for whatever reason, the system won't build pressure. No pressure, no bleed. Pressure also affects boiling temperature. If the system isn't building pressure, the boiling point is lower and it's more likely to boil.

If anyone else wants to tear this theory down feel free, because I wouldn't want to be responsible for someone's thermostat change if it's not called for. It's the only thing I can think of that might cause this.
 
Telco said:
How are you determining that it isn't overheating? If it's by the gauge that isn't going to do it because the gauge isn't linear on these cars. Once it hits the halfway point it stays there until it's hot enough to melt things.

My guess here is either the thermostat housing is cracked or the thermostat is stuck open. This would explain the boiling coolant since it is getting too hot, and would explain why the bleed isn't bleeding anything out. If the thermostat is stuck open for whatever reason, the system won't build pressure. No pressure, no bleed. Pressure also affects boiling temperature. If the system isn't building pressure, the boiling point is lower and it's more likely to boil.

If anyone else wants to tear this theory down feel free, because I wouldn't want to be responsible for someone's thermostat change if it's not called for. It's the only thing I can think of that might cause this.
Click to expand...
I concur. Another thing that may seem silly. Ford assembly drawings SUCK! When I did my thermostat, I almost installed it backwards. Just a thought.
 
Ok i dont give up easily so im still at it. Question. I just went out and now i feel absolutely no pressure in my upper radiator hose. Now what? Where is the coolant getting stuck at? Would the thermostat block it from traveling through that hose? Or the Radiator? Whats your best guess guys? I purchased both items within the last two months... but that doesnt mean its not malfunctioning.

And yes, im going by the gauge. But when i run the car the coolant does boil, thats why i cant just pretend, EVERYTHINGS JUST FINE. And yes i use Fords Yellow Coolant, so im not cutting any corners here.
 
Ok got one. Its a POS Autozone one, but itll do just to see if thats it, and then ill order a better one if that's the issue. I'm determined to make her bleed. And yes it took me five minutes from when you posted this to have one in my hand. I'm not play'n.
 
BrilliantPsycho said:
Ok got one. Its a POS Autozone one, but itll do just to see if thats it, and then ill order a better one if that's the issue. I'm determined to make her bleed. And yes it took me five minutes from when you posted this to have one in my hand. I'm not play'n.
Click to expand...

I used one of those cheap thermostats in mine. I drilled a very small hole in the top portion of the metal ring to help get the trapped air out of the radiator.... just a thought. I ordered a factory housing to replace the cheapy with.
 
So, after you drive the car and get the engine hot (bleeder closed), shut it down and wait ten minutes. Now loosen the degas cap. If there's no hiss of pressure being relieved, you still have a leak somewhere and that preventing the system from pressurizing so that it can bleed. If true, then in your case a pressure tester probably would help you find it.
 
Ok ill try that now.. because it wasnt the thermostat. And im still not feeling any pressure in the upper radiator hose. The only time she dripped a little was when i squeezed the upper radiator hose. and when i actually turned the car off.
 
Ok i drove her around for five minutes, i could smell the coolant boiling before i even popped the hood and saw it. I already hear a hissing from the degas bottle. Ill wait till it stops boiling to open it up though. I also see dripping right beneath the degas bottle but i think its from boiling and probably shot out the hole where the bleeder hooks into....
 
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