Where is the thermostat?

[Mr. Man]

Just getting the SB ready for the driving months and have an overheating situation. Car was started and let to warm up fully periodically over the Winter. Had no issues over the Winter with the car overheating but this time the gauge started heading North. It did not release and head South which I was hoping it would. My guess is the thermostat is sticking and as it is original it doesn't owe me anything. Good time for a flush as well. I will let the mechanic do his thing but was wondering just for my own curiosity where is the thermost housed? Didn't see one of those Chevy type housings anywhere.


Thanks or the help in advance. :)

[fastblackmerc]

Just getting the SB ready for the driving months and have an overheating situation. Car was started and let to warm up fully periodically over the Winter. Had no issues over the Winter with the car overheating but this time the gauge started heading North. It did not release and head South which I was hoping it would. My guess is the thermostat is sticking and as it is original it doesn't owe me anything. Good time for a flush as well. I will let the mechanic do his thing but was wondering just for my own curiosity where is the thermost housed? Didn't see one of those Chevy type housings anywhere.


Thanks or the help in advance. :)

Find the radiator hose at the left front of the engine, follow it down to the aluminum housing that has a hose on the other end. The thermostat is in that housing.

[camelgrundle]

Looks like this! 38236

[fastblackmerc]

Looks like this! 38236

That's what only half of it.

[camelgrundle]

Lol it was the best pic I could find he gets the idea

[Mr. Man]

Thanks for the help. I'll look tomorrow when it's bright. I wonder if it is lightly stuck if tapping the housing could loosen it. I'll give it a try.

[marauderthis]

Mr Man I believe you are the next victim of Fords BS COT system. Please read below what I posted several days ago pertaining to exposure to cold.


Well... it didn't take to long before another individual fell victim to the idiotic COT system. (This COT design is a joke it really sucks)
Truthfully I was expecting another posting of a EATC system failure i.e. the POS blend door --- $75 for the part $1000 in labor into Ford's pocket to fix the crappy garbage.

Hey BigCars4Ever I have some advice --- make sure you repeatedly burb the system -- I am sure you know that.

Here is the kicker very important --- many months from now when the car is subjected to its very -first- exposure to temperatures below 40 degrees remove the COT plug and check to see if there is coolant in the tube.

More than likely you will be shocked to find after first exposure to cold there is very little coolant in the COT tube even though the reservoir indicates full!
No--- there is no leaks in your system the issue is the idiotic design and good old physics. If you don’t catch this idiosyncrasy in time -bang- you car is done.

I was damn lucky last year an ex Ford mechanic in Dothan, Alabama warned me and sure enough I encountered it and corrected it before my engine took a hit.


Thank You FORD

[larryo340]

The thermostat on my Marauder got stuck in the middle of the winter...25° outside and the car overheated :mad2:

First time in a good 20 years I had to get towed off the road. Luckily for me I was able to use my shops flatbed to get it back to the shop safety.
Long story short it's no fun changing the thermostat. First off change it with only OEM, and completely remove the thermostat housing from the hoses. That'll save you a lot of time and aggravation as well as bruised knuckles. Both the bolts in mine were seized, and required some gentle heat to remove. After I replaced mine I found out that the aftermarket does carry the base of the housing with the threaded holes so I guess its fairly common for the bolts to seize. Then you have to purge the air out of the system which can be a pain, but what I did was to keep the front end lifted up off the ground to help the air rise to the top which I believe helped a lot.

Good luck with the repair :beer:

[camelgrundle]

A great burping procedure is found by googling reische thermostats for our cars! I would also not just tap on it because it will get stuck again very shortly!

[Mr. Man]

A great burping procedure is found by googling reische thermostats for our cars! I would also not just tap on it because it will get stuck again very shortly!It hasn't been opened and there is no puddle so I don't think it needs a burp but you never know.

I know T-stats get tired and that's what I'm thinking. Just thought if there was a bit of corrosion it might break loose.

[whitey]

You should drop in this thermostat, its 180°.http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/07/tyvyqyna.jpg

[RF Overlord]

The stock thermostat temp is 188°. There's no point to going lower unless the car is tuned and a cooler thermostat is recommended by the tuner.

[whitey]

Ok, dropping in a 180 wont hurt anything, im not sure if he is tuned or not, but rather drop in a 180 now instead of later if he gets tuned....the price is the same for a 180 or a 188.

[fastblackmerc]

This is the best thermostat for a 4.6 DOHC.

http://reischeperformance.com/#anchor

Yes, it's expensive but good things usually are. :up:

[Mr. Man]

Will 8* really make any difference?

[massacre]

Yet another reason why a COT delete is great.

[fastblackmerc]

Will 8* really make any difference?

No it won't make a difference... if you changed to a 170 degree that WILL make a difference.

Change the stat yourself, easy to do, parts are cheap, just burp the system when done.

[Pat]

^^^don't put it in upside down it will fit.^^^

The heat range of the OEM thermostat was selected to heat this engine so combustion is proper. Too cold and the process is upset with unintended consequences. If you are stock or just a canned tune, stay with the OEM. If you run nitrous or supercharged then a lower temp thermostat may be warranted.

My recommendation is the cooling head mod with the stock thermostat, a little expense but......if you are planning on keeping the car for another decade.

[Motorhead350]

Make sure to keep the hoses lose when installing your new one... before you fully tighten. Getting everything lined up properly takes forever the first time.

BTW get worm clamps when you put it all back together! !!

[Mr. Man]

Well I went out to putz with the SB this afternoon and started the car hoping that the overnite fairies stopped by and fixed the problem. After the car warmed up it stayed in the OK range so I decided to take it for a trip around the block to see what would happen. As I drove off slowly the temp started to rise after 1/2 mile or so, so I turned around to head back home. About 100 feet from my driveway the gauge suddenly went down to normal. So risking it I drove around the block the opposite way than originally intended and the whole way it ran fine. So perhaps the magic fairies sprinkled their fairy fix-it dust on the SB afterall.

So I then decided to drive over to my local Ford dealer and inquire about an LCM as the SB is now on the fritz, and to get some air for the tires. Temperature held normal the whole way over and back so I'll keep and eye on it. Might have been loosely stuck because it sits for long periods over the Winter. I'll change it out next time its flushed assuming there is no more problem with it.

So the story with the LCM's is they are B/Oed til next week earliest. Put my name on one. Service manager said he thought if Ford went through the hassle of warranting the LCM's he hoped that Ford fixed the problem. Anybody see a new one yet?

[camelgrundle]

I would also go with the reische and do a full system flush! Could save you the headache from this ever happening again!

[larryo340]

Well I went out to putz with the SB this afternoon and started the car hoping that the overnite fairies stopped by and fixed the problem. After the car warmed up it stayed in the OK range so I decided to take it for a trip around the block to see what would happen. As I drove off slowly the temp started to rise after 1/2 mile or so, so I turned around to head back home. About 100 feet from my driveway the gauge suddenly went down to normal. So risking it I drove around the block the opposite way than originally intended and the whole way it ran fine. So perhaps the magic fairies sprinkled their fairy fix-it dust on the SB afterall.

So I then decided to drive over to my local Ford dealer and inquire about an LCM as the SB is now on the fritz, and to get some air for the tires. Temperature held normal the whole way over and back so I'll keep and eye on it. Might have been loosely stuck because it sits for long periods over the Winter. I'll change it out next time its flushed assuming there is no more problem with it.

So the story with the LCM's is they are B/Oed til next week earliest. Put my name on one. Service manager said he thought if Ford went through the hassle of warranting the LCM's he hoped that Ford fixed the problem. Anybody see a new one yet?

It might be working properly now, but to avoid a breakdown in the middle of nowhere or at the most inconvenient time I would highly recommend to replace it.
....I'm just sayin'

[Motorhead350]

Burp the system. Same thing happened to me. Even if you did it, do it again Eric.

[whitey]

No it won't make a difference... if you changed to a 170 degree that WILL make a difference.

Change the stat yourself, easy to do, parts are cheap, just burp the system when done.

It will make a difference, you wont feel it in your buttometer, but i have a zack tune. Zack has stated that in his tune, the fan will cut on at 190°. With a 188° thermostat, it constantly will kick on and run, with a 180°, it doesnt. Unless you have a tune that utilizes the 170° thermostat, it wont really do much more then a 180° will. This is why mr.man should save his money, and when replacing his thermostat, just grab a 180°, instead of the stock 188°....they both cost the same, they both can be found at a local flaps, and the 180° is not so much of a difference where he would need a custom tune to see the difference. Class dismissed...

[fastblackmerc]

So the story with the LCM's is they are B/Oed til next week earliest. Put my name on one. Service manager said he thought if Ford went through the hassle of warranting the LCM's he hoped that Ford fixed the problem. Anybody see a new one yet?

I bet they haven't changed or upgraded anything inside the LCM. They are banking on the problem not happening again until the warranty is up.