Saying hello and needing advice

[Mike Shepard]

Hello everyone. Just picked up a 2004 LS6 with 54,600 miles on it. It was my M-I-L's and is in great shape.

I have read a lot on this forum and appreciate all the great info.

I am a little concerned about the cooling system parts as I drive 85 miles round trip each day for work. There are no leaks and temp stays steady right in the middle of the gauge no matter the driving conditions (city traffic or interstate). Is there a general age or mileage that the plastic cooling parts develop problems?

I am confident I could do the work myself, but don't want to get stranded on the road. At the same time, I don't want to throw $600 worth of parts at it unnecessarily.

Any advice for a new owner? Everything on it is original.

Thanks for your time and help.

 

[joegr]

You are past it in age, and a little before it in mileage. The V6 has fewer plastic parts than the V8, so you do have a little less risk and less expense.

 

[1LoudLS]

10 years and 100k miles are a good normal range. time is just as important as miles. yours may likely fail short of 100k since you have been past the decade mark. I'd set aside the money and buy all of the parts at the first sing of a problem.

when mine sh!t the bed, it was about 145k-150k miles, but just after the 10 year mark.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Joe and Loud both give good advice. My 04 V8 first showed signs at around 10 years and 130k miles. No parts are "unnecessary",,, unless you want to work constantly on the cooling system for about a year or 2. Just buy it all... and replace it all,,, so you don't have to worry about it for another 10 years/100k miles, (except maybe another degas bottle... + radiator and DCCV).

 

[substars]

I'm in a similar situation; recently picked up an '05 V8 with 85K miles. No idea if any of the cooling parts have been replaced.

I've read elsewhere not to trust the temp gauge because it won't move upward until the temp is 230+ (i.e. way too high). I plugged in an OBD reader and monitored the temp for a few commutes, never saw the temp go above 205 which I think is about normal (?). I'm hoping if I keep an eye on the actual temp, I'll get some advance warning that parts are failing.

Followup question for the experts: does the above strategy make sense? Do these parts tend to fail catastrophically, or does the temp creep up as microcracks get bigger and let more air in?

 

[1LoudLS]

mine was fine up until the day the pipe exploded, rendering it undriveable. many have had it fail the same way.

also many have had it start slowly with random overheats that get worse and worse until they decide to do something about it.

 

[CypressLS]

Bite the bullet and do the full overhaul. If you do some shopping around, you can get all the parts (less the degas bottle) for under $300. I also didn't remove the intake because the method of a little filing a little off the intake to get the back two bolts off of the 9N499 adapter works pretty well. Tasca has good prices and is convenient, but kills you on shipping. Don't forget your local Lincoln dealer also. Mine was actually cheaper on the o-rings and seals than online shops. When I bought mine, it had obviously had a problem because the guy had just replaced the thermostat, housing and degas. It didn't even make it home and cost me a $150 tow. So in the end, <$400 (with the degas) and 3 hours of time far outweighs a potential $200 wasted on towing and the headache of breaking down on a workday IMHO.

 

[Mike Shepard]

Thanks for your input everyone. I was leaning towards just going ahead and replacing everything now and saving myself an emergency. I figured if I was going to go in, I might as well replace the plugs and COP's while I am there. One shot and I'm done with all the major motor headache stuff. I know it only has 55K on it and the plugs/COP's aren't showing any problems, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and just knock it out in one shot.

I have done a fair amount of searching, but haven't found a good listing of the cooling system parts needing to be replaced for V6. Lots on the V8, but tougher to find V6 specific info. I've also seen bits and pieces of the intake manifold gaskets needing replaced and two O-rings at the back of the intake. Is there anything else I should be concerned about while I am there doing the overhaul?

Thanks again for your time and input. I really appreciate it. I've been enjoying the car so far. It's a nice change from the RSX I was driving.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Followup question for the experts: does the above strategy make sense? Do these parts tend to fail catastrophically, or does the temp creep up as microcracks get bigger and let more air in?

Some parts can and will fail catastrophically... so even using a scanner,,, you will not be able to determine when parts will fail... until they have actually failed. By then,,, it will be too late... and you may be stranded somewhere.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

I have seen NO-ONE on this forum,,, that has a "crystal ball"... that can predict exactly when cooling system parts will fail!!! There are signs... and when those signs present themselves,,, then it's best just to rebuild the whole damn thing. If my crystal ball worked on the LS... and I could predict the future,,, then I could make a "mint" on this forum.