'04 Lincoln LS 3.9L V8 Overheating! Please Help!?

Q: So I was driving yesterday at speeds of about 70mph, when the car overheated in a matter of a couple of minutes. The car was running fine and then just overheated. The fan is working properly, the hoses are fine, there is a small amount of coolant that sprayed out (I assume when it got hot) but it is not leaking puddles. The supports and surrounding hoses are just a little wet. The car cooled down on the side of the highway to normal range in a matter of 20 minutes, and then got hot again in just maybe 2 when I tried driving off again. I stopped, had a friend bring coolant, added some when it got to normal temp range, and then tried the engine again at idle. It slowly crept up and overheated in about 3 min. Then it cooled down again in 15 min. Is the water not circulating? Bad pump? Bad thermo stat? Lincoln dealer wants $250 for thermo and $500 for pump. This is not the hydraulic fan motor issue....this is an electric motor which is working properly. I also have the check engine light on, but I don't know the code. This just happened last night so I haven't had it checked yet. Thanks! 59K miles.

A: The thermostat is about $7 retail and I doubt it takes 2 hours to replace it. The dealership will always charge the most. It does indeed sound like a thermostat. Also, just because your cooling fan is running does not mean it's okay. You car has a 2 speed fan, it is possible it is not spinning fast enough to deliver the air flow to cool the engine at all times. At 75 on the highway this should not be an issue as I doubt the fan was running. You may also have a loose belt. The water pump is the last resort. You will see the water circulating in the reservior if you remove the cap witht he car running. Some of these cars did have plastic impellers that failed with no warning, so it is a possibility. Good luck.

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