I ended up with a thermostat from O'Rielly and installed it this morning. I tested the car in the driveway and it seemed ok. I took it for a drive and the t-stat failed to open and the engine began to overheat. I had to park the car and get a ride back to the house to get the original tstat to install. Almost the most expensive tstat I have ever bought. Who would have ever thought one could fail out of the box...

Does anyone know if Dodge dealers sell a Mopar Thermostat, so that this will not happen again ???

 

That is actually not that uncommon. It happened to me often enough back in the day that I never instasll a Tstat in any engine without testing it on the stove. Place it in a pan of water and use a thermometer to see what temp it opens at. It only takes a few minutes and saves your labor every time.

 

that video was great .helped install mine 2 days ago .hey mangointx damn shame you didnt video tape yours maybe you could help me with my install later this month ....now that i think of it ,that video could be an excellent idea ,how about a forum or seperate website with videos of repairs that for a small fee can be downloaded ..

 

Would you have to run the fan mod to get the full benefit of the 170 or 180 deg.stat?

 

I about fell over when I saw Powerwagon's video a few months ago. I never used a plastic baggie to catch the spill over. I would let it spill and clean-up/add distilled water after it was done. That was one of those KISS (keep it simple… stupid) techniques.

I’m always ready to help out, just let me know.

baldyloxs - The fan mod is useful when at the track or in stop-n-go traffic. At the track after a run leave the fan on to help cool her down for the next run. Same thing when in stop-n-go traffic, just flip the switch so the baby stays cool. This works regardless of the degree of T-stat your running.

 

Ok I just thought the fan wasnt kicking on till 200+ since the cars run so warm.I realize the theromsats open at whatever temp is in there,but dont know what temp the fan kicked on .thanks 'Marty