It looks like I've got a stuck-open thermostat. The don't-get-no-respect temperature gauge did show me this, but I didn't pay enough attention. Check-engine light followed; OBD code confirms low coolant temp.

I'd like to fix this today or tomorrow if possible. Does anyone happen to know if there is a suitable part which a Ford dealer might stock? (Gasket too?) Or maybe a generic 180 degree unit that I might pick up locally?

TIA.

 

I bought one at a local auto parts store. Worked for me.

 

Thanks, Tom. So just a plain old 180 degree thermostat, yes?

It seems the $31 unit I bought from British Parts International four years ago is toast.

 

Your local Car Quest might have one if they do not they should be able to get one in a day thru World-Pac. OEM or equal.

 

The old Jaguar = Ford trick, or in this case Lincoln.
For my 97 I went to NAPA where they didn't have one for me. Then I asked for a 2000 Lincoln LS thermostat and viola.
It fit and is working well. They are stamped 183 degrees. The bypass plunger is the right height.
NAPA part number THM 388-183

 

I just bought the cheapest one on Rockauto, works great and even says "made in england"

 

Good to go. Thanks, everyone.

 

I ordered the kit from Welch which includes the the metal thermostat housing on sale now for $65. Warning light is now out since fuel pump replacement, so next time I get ck eng light I will replace thermostat and housing.

 

Interesting. The thermostat I found on NAPA's website for the 2000 LS looks to be a 188 degree thermostat???

 

Any chance of a typo there? I ended up getting a NAPA part this time also, per the Lincoln spec. It's stamped 84 deg. C. ... or 183 F.

Interestingly, this $14 part is identical to the one I paid $thirty-something for back in '07, from a Jaguar parts supplier. That one failed open recently. Not that I'm complaining; much better than failing closed.

 

As it turns out, I located two thermostats at NAPA...the model you mentioned and the one that their website indicated was for the 2000 LS. One as you stated at 183 and the other at 188.

I just gave up today and contacted a local company after locating the Jaguar part # and found out I could purchase the Beck Arnley model for $50...still less expensive than the thermostat from the dealer. Then I looked at the weather and my schedule over the next few days and decided I could wait a few more days...and purchased the very same model on e-bay for half that.

 

Ck eng light came on again. Took car and "thermostat kit" from Welch over to my mechanic. He could not put on the aluminum kit without removing the intake, as there is a bolt right under the front of the intake with not enough room to back it out. Also he tried to put just the metal thermo housing on, but said the original plastic was warped and only matched up with the original plastic part. I have had no leaks around that area, so he said leave well enough alone and just replaced the thermostat. I called Welch and the guy I spoke to said " yeah, I heard about some problems with the XK8". BTW my mechanic had seen this problem before and he cut the top of the long bolt off to remove it, and replaced it with a shorter bolt on re-assembly.

 

A crows foot wrench is the correct tool to remove the rear two bolts. Others have ground down a 1/4" socket or bent a wrench to accomplish the same thing. No big deal. Lifting the intake manifold is asking for further problems and I would not appreciate a mechanic doing that to my car.