thermostat going?

[DaBird19]

hey guys, the past couple weeks my 2000 bird check gauges light has been coming on, and its bc of my temp. idk if my thermostat is going or what, the temp is going all the way up and is pined to hot, and when i come off the gas to pull over, its shoots down to normal or even a little cooler. i've looked through past threads but i havent found anything like my problem. can anyone help me?

[Mark42]

Re: thermostat going?

First thing is pull the thermostat and replace it with a new one. They are pretty cheap, about $6-8. Don't forget to get a new thermostat gasket (round rubber ring) and Housing gasket (flat paper style gasket), as you will need both.

If the problem persists, add a new temp gauge to see if agrees with the factory gauge or not.

[ssms5411]

Re: thermostat going?

Check to see if your fans are coming on, just turn the A/C on and both fans should come on,also check your fuses/relays if they don't and like Mark42 said your thermo and ECT temp gauge. But first check and see what code it is throwing if your getting a check engine light it will narrow it down alot.

[nascar24jd]

Re: thermostat going?

Air in system?

False gauge reading?

Are the fans coming on?

[whitdog54]

Re: thermostat going?

SSMS- I dont think he means an SES light, its just the check gauges light. Its the one that tells you when fuel is low, high temp, ect.

Check you coolant level, if its low, fill it. Also check to see if its all gunked up. Mine is, got it flushed, the gunk came back, but it hasnt been over heating. There's several things you'll have to do. I think the cheapest would be to find a friend with some kind of scanner, and see what the OBD port says your temp is.

[DaBird19]

Re: thermostat going?

ok so i did the fan test and the gauges are reading right, so im going to change the thermostat, how do i change the thermostat

[Mark42]

Re: thermostat going?

Drain about two quarts of coolant into a pan. Drain is on passengers side bottom of the radiator. This keeps it from pouring out when the thermostat is removed.

Remove the two bolts holding the thermostat housing to the engine block. The thermostat housing is at the end of the driver side heater hose. Wiggle the housing free. Remove thermostat. Remove black rubber ring from around thermostat and put it on new thermostat if it does not have one. stuff paper towel or rag into thermostat hole in engine to keep dirt/shavings out. Use a tool like a box cutter with the blade extended and scrape off the old paper gasket from the thermostat housing and engine block. Pull out rag, insert new thermostat. Put new paper gasket in place and cover, than the bolts. Just tighten up snug, don't bear down hard on the bolts. Be sure the gasket has the orange rubber ring on it to make a good seal.

Remove radiator cap and pour antifreeze back into radiator, squeeze hose to help work out air bubbles. Replace cap. Pour any left over fluid into the over flow container.

Start car and watch temp.

Not too hard at all. Be sure to clean off all the old gasket from housing and engine so you don't get leakes. No sealer is needed anywhere for this project.

[accident_prone247]

Re: thermostat going?

the how to was covered very well i just would like to add that for a few bucks more you can get the fail safe thermostat which means that if it goes bad it gets stuck open and not closed like traditinal thermostats. this keeps you from having to worry about blowing a head gasket or something else if the thermo goes out.

[Mark42]

Re: thermostat going?

the how to was covered very well i just would like to add that for a few bucks more you can get the fail safe thermostat which means that if it goes bad it gets stuck open and not closed like traditinal thermostats. this keeps you from having to worry about blowing a head gasket or something else if the thermo goes out.

Oooooh, I like the sound of that. Know what stores carry them or are they common?

[accident_prone247]

Re: thermostat going?

schucks/ checker/ kragens(depending on where you live) autozone also carries them. i'm sure it's a every store carry kind of part but the ones i mentioned i have personally bought from.

[Mark42]

Re: thermostat going?

I've had a few thermostats break. They were always the brass housings and they would corrode and break letting the piston and spring fall out. Sometimes the parts would fall far into the intake manifold coolant passages and be a b**** to get out. So now all I buy are stainless steel thermostats. Stant seems to be a good brand for stainless.