METERSF

need advise on how to install the t-stat on my c6z, and approx time of install. thx....................sorry for dupe thread if was posted already

'06 Quicksilver Z06

I just installed a 160* stat in mine a few days ago. This is the way I did it. Not saying its the only way though.

I put a pan beneath the car to catch the antifreeze I would lose by removing the bolts to get to the thermostat. It was one of those pans you use for roasting a turkey.

If you squeeze that hose, you can see antifreeze move in the reservoir. You don't want any air pockets when doing this.

Once you get the bolts out, antifreeze is going to be running out pretty quickly, remove the old thermostat and align the new one into place. There are a couple of small notches on either side of it.

Make sure that rubber gasket is in place and flush when you get it into the housing. Take your time. Dont worry about losing coolant. Thats what the pan is for. Put everything back in place and tighten it up.

All that antifreeze you caught, drag it from beneath the car because you will be putting it back into the overflow reservoir.

Some of that antifreeze would have splattered over the block, the frame, the pulleys, the spring, some you will spill getting the pan from underneath the car. Go ahead and take your hose and wash that all off before you start the car. You don't want to be driving around smelling antifreeze evaporating off the hot parts underneath your hood... Wash it all off real good.

Fill the reservoir about halfway, to 2/3 of the way up, using a bucket or pitcher with a funnel or snout on it so that you can pour without getting antifreeze all over everything. Leave the cap off the reservoir. Add about another cup or two of a 50/50 Dex Cool antifreeze/ water mix to your pitcher or bucket to account for the lost antifreeze that didn't make it into your pan.

Leave the cap off. Start the car up. Some people turn the heat on too. I didn't. And watch the level in the reservoir. When the car reaches about 160* that antifreeze in the reservoir is going to start sucking out. Thats when you want to start pouring with your pitcher. Pour in such a way as to not let all of the antifreeze drain out of the reservoir. You want to pour just fast enough to keep it about half full at all times. Pretty soon, you would have poured back all that came out of the car.

Put the cap back on the reservoir and you should be good to go. If you squeeze the hose now, again you should see antifreeze back up into the reservoir.

**Some have mentioned doing the entire thermostat install procedures outlined above on ramps, raising the car in front, in an attempt to avoid an air pocket, by making it rise to the top a bit easier.

Either way, if you get an air pocket, you can damage your engine. You will want to watch your coolant temps closely for the next several days and if you start seeing the temps rise excessively high or very quickly, or if the car runs hot, immediately stop driving it. You probably have an air pocket.

LTC Z06

Ttt

The Clevite Kid

Good write-up, DSOM Z51.

For those who did not read it carefully, there is NO NEED to pull the radiator hose off of the thermostat housing. As instructed, just unbolt the housing, move it enough to extract the old thermostat and install the new one, keeping close track of gaskets, and slip it back in place, hose firmly attached.

I foolishly followed the shop manual rather than doing a search here on the CF, so I fought the hose off of and back on to the nipple on the housing. Totally NOT necessary. Live and learn.

Gary Jordahl

Is there a gasket, or is the rubber seal around the thermo the gasket?
I just bought one of these too, and it did not come with a gasket so I figured there wasn't one, that the rubber ring was the seal........don't want to get into it and find out I don't have a gasket I need. Can someone confirm?

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Rubber seal. I should not have referred to it as a gasket as that could cause confusion.

But yes, that rubber seal, make sure that it fits flush into the housing and does not twist. You want it flat/flush because it will try to come off the rim of the thermostat when you go to put it into the housing. Make sure it stays on the rim of the thermostat and fits flush when you put it into the housing.

There should be a little notch or two, depending upon whose thermostat you bought, on the side(s) of the stat which corrospond to a small notch in the housing. Line that up.

The spring in the stat will give a little back pressure when you go to reassemble everything.

When you start the car up, bring up your coolant temps on your DIC so that you can see the reading standing outside the car because you want to be ready to start pouring antifreeze when you need to.

When it hits 160, you'll hear the stat open up and thats when the water in the reservoir will start to drain. Don't let it drain all the way out.

Evilways

Good write up. Glad they don't require the entire housing for a change anymore . Alot cheaper!!

C6VetteMan

If you want to drain the antifreeze from the radiator, which way does the valve turn - CW or CCW? Thanks.

Gary Jordahl

Thanks for confirming DSOM, and will watch the reservior as you noted. May do this today.

METERSF

Dsom Z51 Thx For The Great Write Up. Ill Be Installing Stat Today.

Gary Jordahl

Got'er done. Pretty much like you said DSOM. I was a little concerned whether the coolant would ever stop coming out, but the pan I used was just the right size. Not sure why GM thinks those housing bolts need to be 4 feet long....

Anyway, notch in the housing matched the stat, sewed her back up and turned her on. Watched the temp guage creep past 200 and shut her down, then the reservoir tank started taking the fluid. Started it back up and finished it. Took her out and shook out the bubbles, works great, temp gets to 180 or so then drops again back to about 165. Cool (literally).

wratran

how do you get air pocket out of the coolant system?...
Should i be worry about this?

maj75

My temp went up to an indicated 235 before the overflow tank began to empty. I assumed it was an air pocket.

The original 160 install resulted in a very slow leak at the thermostat housing. Apparently, the rushed attempt to install the thermostat, while the coolant leaked out, resulted in the rubber seal not getting properly aligned. They removed the thermostat and putin a new 160 and no leaks since. They did proceed much more carefully the second time.

Lesson, don't worry how much coolant you lose into the pan, get the rubber seal aligned and installed properly

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Check the C5 section, do a search for "air pocket" and you will come across several posts addressing this. How to avoid it and how to deal with it should you get one.

Good luck.

cbrf4i1

if you got air pockets, fill the resevior to full mark and hold the rpm at 2k, watch the fluid go down in the reser and fill it again.

cthusker

Now this is good stuff.. very good stuff. I'd venture to say many members will now feel confident enough to change out that stat. Thanks to DSOM for an excellent write up........

haljensen

Rather than dump coolant all over I drained 2 gallons off into old 1 gallon jugs using the petcock on the radiator. Very little spill when I removed the t'stat. I then added a gallon of fresh antifreeze and a gallon of distilled water after I installed the new t'stat. No mess to clean up.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Nice. So you did the install on ramps? Where is the petcock on the radiator and which way do you turn it to open it?

Someone asked this before in another thread and it was never answered. Turning it the wrong way can break it so it is important to make sure.

cbrf4i1

lower passager side. if you are looking at it turn it counter clock wise to drain..

ZO6 Fan

[QUOTE=DSOM Z51;1560314275]I just installed a 160* stat in mine a few days ago. This is the way I did it. Not saying its the only way though.

I put a pan beneath the car to catch the antifreeze I would lose by removing the bolts to get to the thermostat. It was one of those pans you use for roasting a turkey.

If you squeeze that hose, you can see antifreeze move in the reservoir. You don't want any air pockets when doing this.

Once you get the bolts out, antifreeze is going to be running out pretty quickly, remove the old thermostat and align the new one into place. There are a couple of small notches on either side of it.

Make sure that rubber gasket is in place and flush when you get it into the housing. Take your time. Dont worry about losing coolant. Thats what the pan is for. Put everything back in place and tighten it up.

All that antifreeze you caught, drag it from beneath the car because you will be putting it back into the overflow reservoir.

Some of that antifreeze would have splattered over the block, the frame, the pulleys, the spring, some you will spill getting the pan from underneath the car. Go ahead and take your hose and wash that all off before you start the car. You don't want to be driving around smelling antifreeze evaporating off the hot parts underneath your hood... Wash it all off real good.

Fill the reservoir about halfway, to 2/3 of the way up, using a bucket or pitcher with a funnel or snout on it so that you can pour without getting antifreeze all over everything. Leave the cap off the reservoir. Add about another cup or two of a 50/50 Dex Cool antifreeze/ water mix to your pitcher or bucket to account for the lost antifreeze that didn't make it into your pan.

Leave the cap off. Start the car up. Some people turn the heat on too. I didn't. And watch the level in the reservoir. When the car reaches about 160* that antifreeze in the reservoir is going to start sucking out. Thats when you want to start pouring with your pitcher. Pour in such a way as to not let all of the antifreeze drain out of the reservoir. You want to pour just fast enough to keep it about half full at all times. Pretty soon, you would have poured back all that came out of the car.

Put the cap back on the reservoir and you should be good to go. If you squeeze the hose now, again you should see antifreeze back up into the reservoir.

**Some have mentioned doing the entire thermostat install procedures outlined above on ramps, raising the car in front, in an attempt to avoid an air pocket, by making it rise to the top a bit easier.

Either way, if you get an air pocket, you can damage your engine. You will want to watch your coolant temps closely for the next several days and if you start seeing the temps rise excessively high or very quickly, or if the car runs hot, immediately stop driving it. You probably have an air pocket.[/Q

Thanks for the 411 bro!