[Mandroid]

Hey guys I have a problem and I need a second opinion. Starting today, I noticed that on my way to work that my temp gauge shouldn't be at where it should. Usually I'm all warmed up half way to work. But when I got to work, I saw that my gauge was just under the half mark. Usually When warm, my car sits at the half mark. If I look closely I can see it jumping from just under to the half mark back and fourth at idle. If I turn my heat on, it goes down to quarter, and my heat isn't as good as it should be. So I'm assuming its the thermostat. My car is an 03 with spi, 5 speed if that matters. Thanks in advance!

 

[FocusKnot]

Thermostat is stuck open.

 

[Mandroid]

Thanks for the confirmation! As soon as I posted it, it started working fine again. Of course I'm going to replace it anyway. It will give me something to do tomorrow before hell, I mean work

 

[FocusKnot]

Yeah, sometimes they will stick and then start working again for awhile.

Be sure to place the hole in the 12 o'clock position when you put in the new stat.

 

[Mandroid]

What do you mean?

 

[FocusKnot]

See the hole....that is the air bleed. Some stats will have a "jiggle pin" in the hole. The hole goes in the 12 o'clock position when installed because the SPI has the stat mounted horizontally. Buy a good one and not a cheapo.

 

[Mandroid]

Oh thanks! And twelve o'clock facing the front of the car?

 

[FocusKnot]

I mean 12 o'clock as in UP.

For stats that are mounted vertically, it doesn't matter where the bleed hole is placed when installed. Any car that has a horizontal mount (or even just tilted) needs the hole placed up to get as much air out as possible during a refill.

 

[Mandroid]

Ahhh I see! Thanks man!

 

[amc49]

The hole lines up with a port in the stat cover, the bleed hose for the motor. If hole not facing straight up then air gets trapped easily in motor. Hole will work even if no hose there, I used to drill stats all the time back in the old days.

Change stat, once they start sticking as in open, that means they can stick shut as well and you know where that'll take you......................

 

[Mandroid]

Yes! I plan changing it tomorrow before work. I'd like to prevent any overheating. Thanks amc!

 

[Mandroid]

Its in and working! But its leaking a little around the housing after I put it in. So I pulled it out again, lost a bunch more coolant, and found a rubber o ring around the housing. I looked closer at it and saw that it was worn in one spot. So I took it down to my local A-word auto parts store and they said I had to order it from ford. He said "yeah man, just permatex it". So I bought the best permatex I could get and went back to work. I took it all off again, cleaned it all up nice, applied the permatex around the old seal and on the mating surface. Then I bolted it back together, put the battery box back in along with the coil and wires and all the crap that was in the way, filled it up with coolant and it STILL leaks. Only a very small amount mind you. So I applied more permatex around the edges but its still leaking. I think its touching coolant and loosing its stickiness.

 

[Mandroid]

I'm not about to pay. $2k for a gasket from Ford. Its going in the shop tomorrow for a slave cylinder. I'll have them fix the leak and do a coolant flush too, although it looks clean.

 

[FocusKnot]

Well that's a bummer that the parts store didn't have a gasket for it.

Maybe they have the entire housing with a gasket??????

Probably wouldn't be too much for the entire housing and you might need one anyway if yours is original.

 

[Mandroid]

Yeah, I'm just going to hand it of. I don't have a garage and it's so cold here

 

[amc49]

If the Permatex was not silicone it will dissolve under immersion with coolant. If silicone you need to cure it at least several hours before filling coolant.

What did you remove, the stat front cover or the entire stat housing that bolts onto head?

 

[Mandroid]

The housing that bolts on to the head :\

 

[amc49]

Once that housing-to-head seal has cooked it is no longer able to maintain crush there, no way will it work for squat simply reusing it. The Permatex simply squishes out of shape to do nothing. The only true squeeze there for seal is from the seal being too thick when new to compress, you can't get anything from tightening the part down like on normal type gaskets.

I'd be looking for cracked housing there, they do it more often than not. The thin groove wall has pieces fall off it to let seal warp in to leak.

 

[Mandroid]

Alright I'll brave the cold again tomorrow and take a look. Damn, I gotta catch up on maintenance on this thing