New LS Owner In Need Of Some HELP!!!!

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jc91sc

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Guys, I FINALLY fulfilled my dream of getting into a LS (had to sell my T'Bird SC to do so), but this ones got a few issues.

It's a 2000 V6 w/147K on the clock...got her about a month ago with 142K. About a week ago, she started running hot. I've changed the thermostat, complete hose assembly, and flushed the coolant. Thing is, it doesn't always run hot. If I set out in the morning, I can get to work (about 7miles) with no issue, but in the evenings I will get off the expressway and it will overheat once I get off and sit at the light. Street driving is cool if it's a short distance, but again, if I drive stop and go for a good amount of time it will get high and boil over. WTF is this?

Also, where can I get another of those plugs for that coolant T-Hose under my intake hose? I think I may have broken it. Thanks.

James E.
curry762000@yahoo.com
 
jc91sc said:
Guys, I FINALLY fulfilled my dream of getting into a LS (had to sell my T'Bird SC to do so), but this ones got a few issues.

It's a 2000 V6 w/147K on the clock...got her about a month ago with 142K. About a week ago, she started running hot. I've changed the thermostat, complete hose assembly, and flushed the coolant. Thing is, it doesn't always run hot. If I set out in the morning, I can get to work (about 7miles) with no issue, but in the evenings I will get off the expressway and it will overheat once I get off and sit at the light. Street driving is cool if it's a short distance, but again, if I drive stop and go for a good amount of time it will get high and boil over. WTF is this?

Also, where can I get another of those plugs for that coolant T-Hose under my intake hose? I think I may have broken it. Thanks.

James E.
curry762000@yahoo.com
Click to expand...


Degas bottle.

Dealer.
 
jc91sc said:
...get off the expressway and it will overheat once I get off and sit at the light...
Click to expand...

Check to see if the fan is engaging the high speed. A quick test is start the car with A/C off, note fan speed. Now turn on the A/C. Fan should speed up. Also when the car starts getting hot, the fan should speed up and start sounding like a hurricane. Those things can move a *lot* of air.

If the fan is always staying at or very near the slow speed, then it's most likely the fan pump actuator. Some searching here will get you lots of info on it. Max (Chapman Ford ad on the right) is a good supplier of Ford parts. He may be able to help with the plug you mentioned. I'm not as familiar with the V6's, so I don't know what part you're referencing.
 
Yes, +1 on the cooling pump actuator solenoid.

The screw thing is the bleed screw on the engine's upper cooling system point. It is only available as the next higher assembly, which is all of the hoses and manifold stuff, including a new thermostat housing and thermostat. All told, I think it consists of 5 hoses plus the plastic manifolds the hoses attach to.

Having the cooling pump actuator go bad certainly stress tests your entire cooling system. That manifold can burst where all of the hoses come together after the temperature has risen to a high point a few times.

Get your hands on a circlamp hose clamp pliers set, if you plan on changing the plastic manifold and all of its attached hoses. Otherwise, you will die trying to loosen clamps that stand in that job's way of being completed. The remote area that some of those hoses terminate in are inaccessible to all other types of clamp squeezing tools.
 
welcome to the v6 club

Hydraulic pump and fan problems. I've had more than my share on my 01V6. Check fan speed with a/c on and off, fan should speed up and slow down, if not you my have actuator problem. check and replace degas bottle, you may have cracks. Your pump or fan motor may also be failing $$$$$
 
Okay, did the test today and the fan speed doesn't change. I read on another forum that the fan's clutch may be faulty?

Also, wth is a degas bottle?

James E.
 
jc91sc said:
Okay, did the test today and the fan speed doesn't change. I read on another forum that the fan's clutch may be faulty?

Also, wth is a degas bottle?

James E.
Click to expand...

Have you searched on this site at all?

You LS does not have a fan clutch, so clearly that can't be it.
It's your hydraulic actuator (solenoid valve).
 
joegr said:
Have you searched on this site at all?

You LS does not have a fan clutch, so clearly that can't be it.
It's your hydraulic actuator (solenoid valve).
Click to expand...

LMAO...I had searched, but most of the people in non LS land call it a coolant overflow bottle or resevoir...but thanks.

Gotta get back on it to check it out. I've just been driving my Expedition in the meantime. Thanks for all the imput, fellas.

James E.
 
jc91sc said:
LMAO...I had searched, but most of the people in non LS land call it a coolant overflow bottle or resevoir...but thanks.

Gotta get back on it to check it out. I've just been driving my Expedition in the meantime. Thanks for all the imput, fellas.

James E.
Click to expand...

actually its a common name for all vehicles in "FORD land". even your Expedition....
 
jc91sc said:
LMAO...I had searched, but most of the people in non LS land call it a coolant overflow bottle or resevoir...but thanks.

Gotta get back on it to check it out. I've just been driving my Expedition in the meantime. Thanks for all the imput, fellas.

James E.
Click to expand...

They may call it that, but it is not a coolant overflow bottle. Coolant overflow bottles are not pressurized, and only have one hose going to them.

Reservoir or degas bottle are both correct terms.
 
joegr said:
They may call it that, but it is not a coolant overflow bottle. Coolant overflow bottles are not pressurized, and only have one hose going to them.

Reservoir or degas bottle are both correct terms.
Click to expand...

I am learning...I appreciate the lessons fellas.

James E.
 
I had a similar problem with my 03 V8. It was caused by two issues. First I had some blockage somewhere in the engine. I concluded that I must have some blockage somewhere because it would overheat at stoplights, city driving etc. In addition, the problem started shortly after a can of bars leak was put in to "repair" a radiator leak. I could prevent the overheating by putting it in neutral and keeping the rpm's high while stopped and using lower gears to keep the revs up when driving slow. Replaced the radiator and flushed the system using the garden hose method. This did not fix it.

Second issue was the degas bottle cap. I had replaced the bottle with an aftermarket one (including cap). After replacing it, when the overheating (due to blockage) would occur, the boiling coolant would cause a quick pressure increase. This caused me to replace several hoses when the plastic portions would crack. I concluded that I must have a defective cap that didn't release the pressure & I was at the dealer for a hose, so I bought a Motorcraft cap too. Now, when it began to overheat, the pressure increase would cause the cap to pop off, release the pressure, reduce the boiling point of the coolant, and continue the overheating. Hmmm...what is the chance that both caps were defective and not releasing pressure? I concluded that was slim.

Fast forward to me being tired of messing with it. I took it to my local Ford dealer, and had them flush the system. Things seemed better, but the system was not holding pressure and would occasionally overheat. I replaced the Motorcraft cap with the aftermarket one that came with the replacement degas bottle. Problem solved.

Summary:
Problem: Blockage caused overheating. Motorcraft cap was not an exact fit on the aftermarket bottle causing system to remain unpressurized unless boiling occurred and there was a rapid pressure increase that blew the cap off the bottle.

Solution: Thorough flush at dealer to remove blockage. Use cap that came with the aftermarket degas bottle to keep the system properly pressurized.

Lesson Learned: Don't try cheap fixes. I had a leaky radiator. Had I originally replaced the radiator it would have been around $175 (parts & coolant). My "cheap fix" ended up costing around $1200. Radiator: $175. Hoses: $300. Extra coolant due to many overheats: $75. Rental car while waiting for parts at various times: $250. Flush at dealer: $100. Missed work to deal with car: $300. F'ing headaches: unquantifiable.

As an odd side note, I occasionally had a misfire that was, surprisingly, not caused by bad coils. There is a TSB on the V6 about flushing the cooling system to fix a misfire problem. Even though the TSB applies to the V6, flushing the cooling system on my V8 fixed the misfire problem too.
 
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