Overheating and leaking coolant

So before we go to Red Alert it may be a simple fix like a new thermostat ($10-$15 at any parts store). More serious issues, like the one you are describing with the car overheating when driving but not when its idling makes it less likely that the Head Gasket is blown. Also, you may wish the check the overflow resivoir and the cap on it, if it is damaged or leaking your coolant can bubble up out of it or evaporate. Are any warning lights on? What does the heat gauge look like when driving at highway speeds? Whats the temp gauge say when the car is sitting still? Does operating the heater on full while driving reduce the engine temp? All of these things play a factor. If you wish to answer I will monitor your post and come back to assist you with diagnosing the issue further. Best of luck!

The thempature light come on when the temp gauge is high when im driving. When i get to a stop sign or light them the gauge goes back down to normal. It only over heats when driving but doesnt when idleing from a cold start. Never tried to run the heater while it was hot. The cap on the reservoir is tight and makes a clicking sound when its turned

I changed the thermostat and now it still overheats but when i turn the heater on the temp gauge drops back down to normal and will stay there as long as the heat is on

So I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the symptoms you are describing are all signs of a blown head gasket. One last thing before we dive into that issue. Have you completely flushed the coolant system, and have checked underneath a cold car for any leaks? The best way to determine if it is the head gasket would be to pull the oil dipstick. A lot of mechanics refer to this as "chocolate milk shake", meaning your oil will look like, just that, a chocolate milkshake it is the result of the leak in the gasket dumping coolant into the engine combining with the engine oil. If you pull the dipstick or drain the oil pan and it looks this way, I am 99.9% positive you have a blown head gasket. DO NOT continue to drive the car unless you want a cracked head (then we are talking full engine replacement). I would recommend having it towed to a reputable shop for a 2nd diagnosis. People usually freak when I tell them that its the head gasket as the labor costs on this fix are pretty high. If you are confident in your mechanical skills it is actually a relatively simple process. This is a video on diagnosing and replacing the gasket on a Mazda, but it is primarily the same on all vehicles. Let me know if you have any questions. If you check the oil and its clean. Let me know, there are other things we can move on to, to help get this fixed.

Oops! Would have helped had I entered the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEJ51BJ23yk Best of luck man!

Oil is clear but i do see what looks like antifreeze that has sprayed out of something near the thermostat

Hey bro johnie did u fix your problem? My car has the same thing

Hello I would like 2know if you found out what was making your car overheat

I have a 2002 Lincoln ls overheats when I'm stopped but on the highway it comes back down. The reservoir is bubbling and spraying out but I can't tell where. There is no leak. But it is aggravating. I can't figure it out.

My 2000 lincoln ls is doing the same thing except for I noticed the coolant leaks out of the side of the radiator, any suggestions?

Is there a trick to getting a new thermostat to fully seal. Replaced the one on my 2001 LS today but now it's squirting water out each side because I wasn't able to tighten the bolts down fully. They just keep spinning. Any suggestions?

I have that same problem same year and same engine i just had a new radiator and new hoses installed so you would think it would have a new thermostat installed as well

Coolant tank issue I'm repairing mine as we speak but be careful this is the second tank I have bought made by dorman they only last a couple of months and they are 94 bucks a shot and ford wants close to 300 for they same part make sure you bleed it there is a hose that has a screw right by the tank make your heat is on during the process

Dorman coolant reservoirs smh... 1st one lasted about 6 months..... 2nd one about a year and a half... Pathetic

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND THE TEMPERATURE HAND WENT UP AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM HOOD AND I PULL OVER AND I SAW ANTIFREEZE ON GROUND AND UNDER MY HOOD I SAW STEAM FROM RADIATOR I PULL MY CAR HOME AND WHEN I GOT HOME I ADDED WATER AND I DIDNT SEE ANYTHING LEAKING.NOW IM LETTING IT RUN FOR 15 MINUTES AND MY TEMPERATURE HAND IS NORMAL I DO REMEMBER THIS LITTLE SYMBOL ON MY DASH BY TEMPERATURE CAME ON

I have an 05 lincoln ls v8 and only have the problem of overheating in the summer and had to refill antifreeze every 2 weeks. Got leak fixed and now it only overheats when the ac is on but as soon as i turn the ac off, the temp gauge goes back down quickly as if it wasnt really overheated but it dinged at me and temp gauge went all the way up. My mechanic said it might be a censor problem that is making the car think its overheating but with him touching the engine and didnt burn him and how quickly its cooling off that it wasnt actually overheated. I havent had anything happen in a few weeks but the other day it got hot after about 15 mins driving and i heard the bubbling so it did actually overheat that time. Also, everytime it overheats or "thinks" its overheating, it causes my car to jerk very badly almost as if the car is going to die right there while im driving it. They said it might not be worth changing the censor because they'd have to tear the whole engine down to replace it. Anyone have any idea what the hell is going on?!?!?!?! Im pretty sure my transmission is going out cuz the last 2 years, it jerks every once in awhile while its trying to shift but it wasnt a big deal until its been messing up like this all the time.. does that have anything to do with the overheating though? Also i dont know if this has any connection but the computer messes up quite a bit as far as my seat, steering wheel settings. Sometimes it goes to the right setting but its been going all crazy lately and Im having to reset the settings everytime the car is turned on.

You have hydraulic cooling fans on these Lincoln Ls with the V8 that are notorious for having issues. I would start to look there.

Theres a bleeding process u have to do to the coolant system and if it aint done right the ls will overheat every time. I that if i turn on the heat on full blast my tem would go down as well. The heat on full blast has something to do with the bleeding process as well. I had my ls for 8yrs its a 2005 ls v8 3.9L... O and i buy the medal aftermarket parts if i could find them to replace the plastic parts such as the water pump with has a plastic Propeller.... I found that part on Google

Don't go crazy I have a 2004 V8 and had the same problem it would over heat about ten minutes of running, then I had to add water every morning but could not find a leak even with water on the ground then on a hot day it overheated and I could not get it to cool down two problems one was the cap on the fill tank on the drivers side and the other hard to find leak the water pump a $30 dollar part that is relatively easy to change out five bolts. Now it runs like a champ. Have someone do a pressure check on the radiator system that at least will narrow down your trouble shooting problem.

Have an 03,In the last year have replaced every hose under the hood (rotten),and the worst one is under the intake manifold! Never ending...Headache!