mavdad

Hey guys,
Thermostat not working properly, will move alittle , but mainly stays on cold. Going to change out, Any special things to know before starting?
THANKS

dewman

Nothing special I can think of, just make sure you install the t-stat in the proper direction or the antifreeze won't flow at all. Good luck!

Carbuff

I did this in my 94 I6 last fall. I was worried that the temp only went up to the O in normal on the gauge. I installed the new thermostat and there was no change. Ive heard that it is normal for the temp needle to hardly move. My heat works fine so I guess its normal.

jcgonzal

make sure you clean the gasket surfaces well and probably will need to use silicone to seal it up properly. i DIDN'T do this, and will have to take it apart again to stop the slow leak.

mavdad

Thanks for the replies, The needle barley moves off the cold, it goes up slightly, then drops all the way back. Should i even change it if everything is working properly?

Good old Bill

If your truck has a radiator cap on the radiator instead of expansion tank, open it up and see if it flows coolant all the time. Should go in cycles if t-stat is opening and closing. No cap makes it harder, need to remove t-stat and look at it physically. As mentioned earlier the temp element whether a spring or a pellet has to go into the engine away from the radiator.

dkitt10

i've done quite a few of thermostats and never used silicone just a new gasket which they should give u when u buy a new thermostat...just make sure to clean all old gasket off, on thermostat housing and on motori use a blade to do it, be very careful not to groove into the metaland all should be well...on my 5.8l i remove belt and idler pulley to get better access to the thermostat

93f-1504x4

when i did mine on my 5.0 i used silicone. even though it came with a gasket, i used it just to be safe. havent had a leak yet and i didnt have to remove any belts or pulleys for better access. i like gms style intake better with the thermostats on top of the intake manifold rather than on the side. just think its a better design.

gr8dane

you might already have an aftermarket t-stat on there. I have a 180 degree t-stat on mine and it barely moves from cold. is this a recent issue or has it always been that way?

L.Jimmy

I took out my thermostat on my '96 about 60k miles ago. Still runs great. the only problem is that i can't run my heater. It doesn't get hot enough to be useful.

I live in south texas so i dont need a heater anyway. There is only two seasons here, Summer and Hell