I was changing the thermostat out on used 98 Explorer I just bought. The job was just as exasperating as I remembered from doing this job before in not being able to get to the housing bolts very easily. When I went to install the new thermostat I notice a loose spring just sitting in the antifreeze in the bottom of the thermostat housing. I pulled it out and also a small metal disc also. Then I realized it was parts from the old thermostat that had come apart. I have a feeling there was one more part, a small copper tube kinda deal, that I could not find. I looked all over but could not find this small part.

I reinstalled the new thermostat and started the truck. The thermostat and the truck are working great.

Any ideas about where this small piece could end up in the cooling system and what problems it could cause?

Thanks in advance

JD

 

I examined the thermostat and separate spring/plate I took out of my Explorer. I can find absolutely no evidence that these parts were ever actually joined together. The new thermostat has the same pieces joined at the bottom in a very permanent way by riveting. But there is nothing-marks, breakage, pieces, etc.- on the old thermostat body or the old parts to indicate this was ever the case. Given how hard it is to get a new thermostat into the almost inaccessible housing, is it possible this thermostat was made to go in pieces rather than in one whole piece to aid in aftermarket installation? This really has me going. It makes no sense. Any comments welcomed.

JD

 

I was wondering if you have any pictures on where to install the thermostat.
My 98 Explorer seems to run cold almost all the time. The needle sits just above the "C" on the guage. The odd time like 1 drive out of 50 it'll run with the needle roughly in the middle of the guage. I would like to change the thermostat but looking under the hood I can't even see where it's supposed to go. There must be a bunch of stuff on top of it.
Thanks
John

 

Thermostat is in a black plastic housing, held down by three bolts up and behind the fan. If you don't see it, follow the upper radiator hose until you get to that housing.

recap of my response within above thread
I had to change my thermostat at 61K mi. To access it, I removed the upper shroud, loosened the hose clamp and moved the intake out of the way. I packed around the bottom of the thermostat with rags. I then loosened the three bolts on the Tstat housing and lifted it up just enough to suck any coolant in the upper hose out with a shop vac. I then removed the bolts all the way and lifted the t-stat housing just enough to get the old t-stat and o-ring out. I slid the new t-stat and o-ring in and then reassembled all. I ran the engine until the new t-stat opened and replenished the relatively small amount of coolant lost in the radiator and coolant overflow.

I ended up using the German OEM equivalent t=stat from Autozone because it came with the o-ring. They did not have an o=ring to sell me along with a Stant and I did not want to be out of commission with my ride.

Pep boys had quoted me $86 to replace the t-stat, but they didnt' have an o-ring to go with the Stant either in their shop.

The whole job took me about 1.25 hrs, but I was very methodical and neat. Loosening the bolts on the t=stat housing with narrow access was a pain rotating only a couple degrees at a time, but I didn't have to take anything else apart (including hose clamps) from what I said above.

 

I just replaced the thermostat in my '94. My temp gague was reading very low and the heater was only puting out luke warm air at max heat. I picked up an orginal Ford Thermostat and noticed that on the box it said made if Germany! Mine came with the O-ring.

I had a slightly different approach when I changed my thermostat, I drained as much coolant as I could from the radiator, removed the thermosat, then stuck the garden hose in the raidator neck, turned on the hose and started the engine. Water and old coolant pumped out of the housing, hitting the spinning fan and sprayed everywhere. It was a site to behlod. Completly flushed the cooling system and heater. No shop vac in sight.