thermostat woes

[tps761]

so today i finally decided to change my thermostat. ever since i bought the car it has been running extrememly cold. figured it was a stuck open thermostat. changed it out for a new one and the old one was stuck open. put the new one in, problem solved right, WRONG. now the car over heats lol. the fan doesn't even switch on when the car warms up and there is not coolant flowing through the pipe attatching the enging to the radiator. What the heck is going on??? did i install the thermo wrong. i put the guts of the thermo in the engine. maybe my fault. let me know what u guys think. thanks guys

 

[randy'sho]

sounds right! you did refill the coolant right? just did mine about 2 weeks ago and no more cold car for me!

 

[sperold]

Thermostats are tricky, the better thermostats have a "giggle valve" bypass built in that lets the coolant in and the air out when you are filling it. Your top hose should be full of fluid and be pretty hard when filled and the motor operating. Get another one and ask more questions to see if you can get the giggle valve model.

 

[tps761]

ya i reused the coolant that i drained out of the radiator. took the pressure cap off and refilled through there. it just seems that the coolant isn't circulating.

 

[tps761]

Thermostats are tricky, the better thermostats have a "giggle valve" bypass built in that lets the coolant in and the air out when you are filling it. Your top hose should be full of fluid and be pretty hard when filled and the motor operating. Get another one and ask more questions to see if you can get the giggle valve model.

i doubt i got the model with the giggle valve built in because i just got the cheapo one from napa. none the less, even without the giggle valve it should work properly if installed right. the coolant just doesn't seem to be flowing though the engine.

 

[SHOMON]

Go to Ford get the motorcraft thermostat they are the best for these cars.

 

[sperold]

There is supposed to be a big "burp" when the system finally opens, then after that you have to add more fluid. Your system has not made it to that point. You are right, the fluid is not circulating through your system. Your thermostat has not opened yet, partly because it is not sitting in heated coolant yet. Viscious circle.

 

[tps761]

There is supposed to be a big "burp" when the system finally opens, then after that you have to add more fluid. Your system has not made it to that point. You are right, the fluid is not circulating through your system. Your thermostat has not opened yet, partly because it is not sitting in heated coolant yet. Viscious circle.

so how do i get the fluid circulating??? i've done multiple fluid changes on my mustang without ever having a problem before. well, i'm sure thats partically because the thermostat is sitting on top of my intake manifold and i fill the block with fluid before starting. could this have something to do with my problems. there should still be fluid in the block up to the level of the themostat.

 

[shoon]

so how do i get the fluid circulating??? i've done multiple fluid changes on my mustang without ever having a problem before. well, i'm sure thats partically because the thermostat is sitting on top of my intake manifold and i fill the block with fluid before starting. could this have something to do with my problems. there should still be fluid in the block up to the level of the themostat.

-Remove rad cap
-Start car
-Let car Idle (might take up to 20 - 30 mins)

keep the coolant level just below the neck; that way it bleeds easier without making a mess of everything + you can see if the coolant is circulating properly if you use a flashlight to look down the filler neck.

Once the car is hot the thermostat should open and your upper rad hose will become hot to touch.. I usually try and give it a few squeezes to help burp out some large air bubbles.

Its important to let the car idle for a long time though, I bled my system and thought I got all the air out and discovered I had no heat the next day due to a massive air pocket.

Don't cheap out on the thermostat either, I recommend the motorcraft one from the dealer; comes with the jiggle valve that helps you bleed the system and will probably last much longer.

 

[sperold]

Probably not up to the thermostat, and that is why your fan is not coming on as well, The sensor might be high and dry too.
Fill from a high spot and try to prefill everything in sight. You can drill your own little hole in the thermostat body as well, I think you can find that on this site and I think the hole goes up towards the top.
You don't have any problems with your Mustang because it has a seperate by-pass hose that looks after it.
Consider another thermostat, as I usually buy 2 at a time, because sometimes it takes that many to get a good one.

 

[SHOtimer]

You could have two issues.

Does your fan come on when you turn on the AC?
-if so, your coolant sensor is either A: not submerged in coolant or B: is faulty.

If you still have air in your system 'A' is most likely.

I have always used Ford thermostats and never had an issue.

Doug

 

[llamaking122]

btw turn on the heat all the way to 90 degrees when its warming up and filling to burp the whole thing

 

[raff18]

i have used stant thermostats for years and have one in my sho with no probs at all. just make sure u get the premium one
hummmm theres a few things i would do if it were my car
how long ago was it since it was flushed. . . . . . . . . . . . still asking ur self? . . . . . . . . . . haha then it needs to be done and replaced with GOOD NEW 50/50 mixed fluid.

run the car with the rad cap off and see if its going to burp for u , u are going to make a bit of a mess ur going to spill some coolant but its ok we all do it.
it should burp just keep an eye on the temp guage and keep feeling the upper hose to see how warm its getting. when the needle gets half way this is where the fun starts. it may burp a big air bubble then the level in the rad will drop fast and u just fill it to the top. then put the rad cap on and shut it off and let it cool. make sure the over flow is toped up. id full it over the full line but not toooo much.
u should be good to go just check the rad level after its good and cool and top it off if needed
hope it helps

 

[STL. SHO]

-Remove rad cap
-Start car
-Let car Idle (might take up to 20 - 30 mins)

keep the coolant level just below the neck; that way it bleeds easier without making a mess of everything + you can see if the coolant is circulating properly if you use a flashlight to look down the filler neck.

Once the car is hot the thermostat should open and your upper rad hose will become hot to touch.. I usually try and give it a few squeezes to help burp out some large air bubbles.

Its important to let the car idle for a long time though, I bled my system and thought I got all the air out and discovered I had no heat the next day due to a massive air pocket.

Don't cheap out on the thermostat either, I recommend the motorcraft one from the dealer; comes with the jiggle valve that helps you bleed the system and will probably last much longer.

AZ sells the t-stat with the jiggle valve, just did mine last sat.

 

[rubydist]

Also, while the car is idling for the ~20 minutes to try to get it filled with coolant and all the air out, it helps to rock the front end a little from time to time - that seems to me to help move the air bubbles out.

 

[tps761]

yo thanks for all the replies. its prob an air bubble jammin the system up. ill try to let the car warm up with the rad cap off to burp the car tom. if that doesnt work ill be back. thanks again

 

[SHOtimer]

btw turn on the heat all the way to 90 degrees when its warming up and filling to burp the whole thing

This is a good practice to ensure that the heater core has moving (hot) coolant through it.... However, it doesn't 'help' the burping process at all.

Doug

 

[rubydist]

Actually, the heater core has coolant moving through it all the time anyway, its heating or not heating the cabin based on where the blend door is positioned.

 

[Eric VerValin]

What I like to do..... is block the rear wheels... and jack the front up so your car is sitting at an angle.... And then if you take like a jack handle or something similar and bend that big **** in the middle of that upper hose down so its not the high point in the system.. then gravity should fill the heater core, heads, thermostat.... blah blah blah... your radiator will be the highest point...

Usually when I do it that way, I only ever "see" one little burp the first time it warms up. But jacking it up that way, where I can see the thermostat and that hose is below the top of the radiator, there's really no way it can't get in there.

Sometimes you might have to "work that hose" a little... keep the cap off, fill it up near the top, but not all the way... then squeeze that upper hose, until the coolant is right at the top. Make a seal with the palm of your hand on top of where the radiator cap goes, then let go of that upper hose... a lot of the time you'll hear bubbles.. and when you take your hand off... the coolant level usually drops a bit.. which is what ya want...

It's just a screwy thing... you'll get it figured out... sounds like you have a ninja bubble in there somewhere that won't let go.. lol

 

[SHOtimer]

Actually, the heater core has coolant moving through it all the time anyway, its heating or not heating the cabin based on where the blend door is positioned.

My point exactly.

Doug