Thermostat housing replacement

[Bob McDonald]

If both upper and lower housing components were going to be replaced along with a new thermostat, how much dis-assembly of other engine components are required? This is for the standard job 2 V6.



My mechanic noticed there was seepage coming from the housing and recommended replacing it. He quoted needing to remove the intake manifold to accomplish the task. I didn't recall others here on the site mentioning having to do that and was wondering if that was true, or if the mechanic was trying pad the work order.



Thanks.

 

[swshawaii]

 

[TrainTrac]

Removing the intake manifold is not required. Don't pay for any unnecessary labor. I changed the t-stat on my '04 a few years ago using the project linked above. It was a piece of cake.

 

[Bob McDonald]

Thank you Andy and Steve. I appreciate the quick response. That write-up looks very thorough and comprehensive. I didn't think I had seen any reference to needing to remove the manifold but wanted to check.



Now when I go back and call them out on it, I wonder what they will say. hopefully they won't get all offended for questioning them because I have been otherwise happy with work they have done for me in the past.



I also need to determine if it is something I want to tackle myself. I have the needed tools and space. I just need to find a way to do it surreptitiously since there are rules in the community where I live about working on our cars. I would need to do the work in the garage with the door closed and that makes for a bit cramped working conditions.

 

[Les C]

Uncle Bob just to give you a ballpark idea of what you're looking @ cost wise if you pay to have a shop do it. For upper & lower thermostat assembly, thermostat, O ring & gasket on my son's '05 ST it was $364.15 and for the exact same repair on my '01 ST is was $339.44 @ a local repair shop. Both ours blew going down the interstate.

 

[swshawaii]

Lower t-stat housing is not terribly difficult, just confined and requires finesse and patience. Hardest part for me was getting the short water pump bypass hose reinstalled without removing the fan and shroud. Follow the instructions and take your time, you will enjoy the money you saved on anorher one of your many mods. Hint: Zabteck throttle body or XCal3 ; )

 

[EddieS'04]

I have talked to the manufactor about this one. The lower will fit our tracs. He told me he will sell just the lower. At that time he didnt have the upper. So not sure if the upper is the same.

It cost more but being cast from metal it should last forever. When I need it I will buy it.

 

[Todd Z]

I SO WISH members lived closer, i would gladly do this work for them and save them a tone and get it done right...



Todd Z

 

[Bob McDonald]

Gee, Todd. It's in the 70's today here in SoCal. You sure you don't want an excuse to leave the snow for a while? LOL :banana:

 

[Bob McDonald]

When I picked up the Trac after getting plugs replaced, I told them That my understanding was that it was not necessary to pull the intake manifold to replace the thermostat (including the housings).



They weren't convinced that their 'finest' mechanic could be wrong. Needless to say, I wasn't about to have them do the work. I think I will try doing it my self. That write-up that EddieS'04 linked to this thread looks pretty straight forward. I think the hardest part will be capturing the old coolant without spilling too much, and trying to squeeze my fat hands down in front of the engine.



I already have a new serpentine belt, along with a new tension idler, waiting to get put on. I may just start by pulling the old belt off to see if it provides any extra room to work with.



I am going to start assembling the needed parts this week.

 

[Yardsale]

Try Firestone on Placentia and Yorba Linda.



I was on vacation when mine started leaking, so I called them and had a friend drop it off. They use the Ford part (not that it's worth bragging about, but it's what's available) and, as I recall, they charged me $99 labor (this seems about right for a 1.5 hour job). I have been there a handful of times since I got the ST and have not been disappointed.



BTW - you can bargain a bit for parts prices at Fairway (talk to Ken "Speaking").

 

[Bob McDonald]

Thanks Yardsdale. I live about a mile from them. I will stop by for a quote. Their 1.5 hour job would probably take me all weekend.



I could even have lunch at the Dell Taco next door while I wait. LOL

 

[swshawaii]

I think the hardest part will be capturing the old coolant without spilling too much

Should you decide to do the repair yourself, there is a drain petcock on the passenger side. (Step 2) To avoid stripping the soft nylon use a 5/16"

allen wrench, or better yet an allen hex socket. Shouldn't need to drain more than one gallon to get the coolant level below the lower t-stat housing.

 

[Bob McDonald]

The Trac is going into the shop tomorrow morning to get the thermostat (and housings) replaced.



In the mean time, last night, I replaced the serpentine belt. I have had it for a while and finally got around to replacing it. I installed the one that was a 1/2 inch shorter that OEM, I was pleasantly surprised that the routing of the belt didn't require having to thread the belt over the fan. Sure made it easy. Having a specific tool to hold back the tension idler spring was also helpful. Made me glad I bought one several years ago. I replaced the tension idler spring assembly while I was at it and glad I did after removing the old one. The bearing was pretty loose and rattled when I free spun it.



One last thing I did was replace the hood lift pneumatic tubes. They were weak enough so that occasionally, the hood would want to drop under just the weight of the drop-cord light hanging from the latch down hook. Not cool when your head it sticking under there.