I am replacing the tstat in my ram and I was wondering if you guys put rtv or some other kind of sealant on it along with the gasket or just the gasket.Mine leaked with just the gasket and I am wondering what I should do.

 

I used rvt

 

just a thought....last time my tstat got changed, somehow the bolts got mixed up....one's longer than the other, at least on mine. make sure the right one is in the right hole, otherwise one won't seat and it'll leak. easiest check is to take the housing off and bottom the bolts LIGHTLY and make sure the heads touch the manifold. i used gasket eliminator or some stuff, not rvt (but still with a gasket), i think it's 518 loctite? not leaking, at least...

 

I used just the gasket, no RTV.

 

I used a light layer of sealant to hold the gasket to the thermostat housing but none on the other side where it mates to the manifold.

 

I still havent got the tstat changed all the way.I keep getting leaks.I bought 2 new gaskets so Im gonna try again.Do you have any pointers that could help me.Does the lip that says front have to slide under anything?

 

tab/lip does not go under anything. the tab is useless and just gets in the way. if you have a grinder, grind off the tab that says front. it makes it easier to get on and off.

do this. the t-stat sits in a sort of a recessed well. clean out that well real good. scrap the manifold surface with a putty knife and remove all prev gasket and/or rtv. surface should be nice and clean and slick with no serious pitting or gouges. grind off the tab that says front on the top neck thing. clean that surface the same way. wipe everything clean and DRY with a clean rag. put t-stat down in the well, temp sensor down in the manifold. coat both sides of a new gasket with a light to med-light coat of rtv. assemble and torque to spec (not sure about probably about 20-25#). let it dry for a couple of hours. put on hose and anything else and your done.
tip from somewhere.. drill a small 1/8-3/16 hole in t-stat plate to let air out. you have to drill it close to the center or the well flange covers it up.

 

Drill a hole in the t-stat plate to let air out? Why? I have never heard of that, and it doesn't make much sense to me. Could you explain that to me

 

If you have a lot of air in your system ... the thermostat may not actually be touching the hot water to make it open. If you have a small hole to let the air escape ...

 

I now use a 'cigarette paper thin' layer of Blue RTV sealant
on both sides of the thermostat gasket
and wait at least 12 hours for the Blue RTV to cure
before restarting the engine.

DO NOT USE Red high temperature Permatex Form-A-Gasket

DO NOT grind off the two little '****' on the flange.

DO NOT ask me how I learned these things
or how many times I have changed thermostats on a 1995 Magnum 5.9V8

Do not expect any significant performance or pinging from a change from 195 to 180 thermostats.

Do expect a slight decrease (less than half a MPG) in fuel economy
and do expect your bore walls will wear a little bit faster at cooler coolant temperatures.