dumb question

[dman1982]

is it possible to put the thermostat in upside down? before i put my intake on my heater worked and the temp stayed at 190 now it stays at about 130 or 160 at most, did i put the thermostat on upside down?? guess thats what ya get with a case a beer and a project sometimes haha

[C10wip]

I haven't tried, but you probably could. I would think that if it was upside down the metal element would be on the cool side and it would take longer to open and get hotter before it opened.
Mine wouldn't get hot because the PO took thermostat out... sure the thermostat isn't under the case of Bud? Anyway, if you are going to pull it out to check, you might want to drill a 1/8" hole in thermostat; I saw a bunch of posts on this and it did it.

[Rich84]

Case of beer for a thermostat?? You'll need a keg for a head gasket..

[dman1982]

what does drilling a hole in the thermostat do? I've heard of people doing it but can't remember why

[dman1982]

Originally Posted by Rich84

Case of beer for a thermostat?? You'll need a keg for a head gasket..

i should have been more clear....haha...i drank the case of beer!!!

[Rich84]

The hole helps prevent spikes in the temperature.

[dman1982]

gotcha, i went a flipped it around, that sure was the problem, heats blowing real hot now buddy...still gotta figure out my other heat problem tho

[geezer#99]

Originally Posted by Rich84

The hole helps prevent spikes in the temperature.

Partly right.
THe hole helps bleed any air out below the thermostat.

[C10wip]

Ha ha. Sorry, I meant under the emergency backup case of beer.
I think the hole is supposed to ensure a little flow past the thermostat and also helps get rid of any air pocket which might slow down the thermostat response as well as the response of the other temperature switch and temp gauge inputs which are mounted at the top of the thermostat housing; you might see this more if you had drained the whole system like I had.
Does it make a difference? Not sure, but some say yes, and it was fast and easy to do with little likely downside.

[dman1982]

no worrys haha...always have to have that backup case on standby haha

[old Rusty C10]

just as long asyou didn't consume the case of beer THEN go for a test drive... that would be bad

[dman1982]

Originally Posted by old Rusty C10

just as long asyou didn't consume the case of beer THEN go for a test drive... that would be bad

nah...lol...had to wait for the gasket maker to fully cure haha

[LONGHAIR]

I have always drilled the hole too, it does help.

The "old school" thing I was taught back in the day was to force it open and wedge it with an aspirin tablet. The theory is that it does the same thing as far as bleeding off the air, but then dissolves on contact with the coolant/water.
I'm just not so sure that I want dissolved aspirin cruzing around in there?.....not a fan of forcing on the t-stat plate either....... an 1/8 to 3/16ish hole is much better.

I have also heard of guys filling the system w/o the thermostat and housing installed, allowing the air out, then installing it when the coolant starts to come up in the manifold....seems like a pain to me?

[dman1982]

i think ill do that tomorrow after i figure out my defrost issue, i can't get the heat to come off the floor, going down the road tonight my windshield was freezing...not safe at all

[Rich84]

I think some of the thermostats for newer cars come with a small hole..

My truck would spike to 220* or so ..Then the t.stat would open and you could watch the needle fall on the temperature gauge. Two 1/8 holes and it just warms up to 180* and stays there.

[TheBlueBomber]

Like everyone else is saying, it could be an air bubble. I was driving the '96 the other day after I replaced the thermostat and the temp shot up to like 260 with no heat... touched the top radiator hose and it was cold after running it for like 15 minutes...

Cooled the truck off popped the cap and cranked it back up again... 30 seconds later and bubbles started coming out. Added fluid as necessary and havent had a problem since.

[dman1982]

it turns out i put the thermostat in upside down, i flipped it and my heat started working...sorry about the late reply but i was trying to work other issues....as you can see in my other post haha...but i really appreciate the help..im gonna drill a hole in it tomorrow, i gotta clean my garage I've been super busy in there lately

[rs74]

What about installing something like this. You can get them from a vehicle at the junk yard or buy new. Just not sure if the housings on these trucks would be thick enough to drill and tap for it.

http://www.1aauto.com/1A/ThermostatH...FctcMgod9nYAUA

[dman1982]

to put on the assembly over the thermostat?

[rs74]

This is/was my thought. This pic is of an extra grand prix we have with the 3800 engine. Not saying it would work on these thermostat housing or not but I like the idea of them. I just got done redoing another grand prix last night and it makes bleeding the system a whole lot easier.

[Oldriginal86]

I thought the reason the bleeder was on the thermostat housing was to bleed air from the highest point in the system. On some cars, the radiator inlet is located lower then the thermostat housing. Don't see a need for it on our trucks. It won't bleed the air from under the thermostat.

[rs74]

Originally Posted by Oldriginal86

I thought the reason the bleeder was on the thermostat housing was to bleed air from the highest point in the system. On some cars, the radiator inlet is located lower then the thermostat housing. Don't see a need for it on our trucks. It won't bleed the air from under the thermostat.

I believe it will. The radiator sits higher on the car that I just worked on. You crack the bleeder open with a dry system and start putting your antifreeze in and you will start to hear the air escaping out of the bleeder. I actually get antifreeze start to come out of the bleeder before the antifreeze even hits the top radiator hose. At least on these cars that is the way it works and I have done alot of them. The top of the radiator sits higher than the thermostat on these anyway.