Replacing the thermostat

[mike_latorrelovesnissan]

Hey guys i want to completely flush my system so that means I should take out and replace the thermostat right? Well could someone please tell me where it is located lol, I already have the radiator out so im guessing that will make things a lot easier. Thanks

[GAZ32]

PITA let me tell ya. Its basically like replacing your water pump. You'll have to pull some belts, definitely get some long handle right angle needle nose pliers, you'll need em. You pretty much have the hard part done so it shouldnt take too much longer.

[93blackfairlady]

the thermostat is in the lower water neck. Its 2 nuts and one bolt. I suggest when you put it back together use gasket sealant not a actual gasket. You will have to take off your water pump pulley and fan clutch to get to it. Its a easy job.

[mike_latorrelovesnissan]

dang i was hoping it was gonna be a simple fix, but nothin with this car is lol. but i guess ill give it a whirl tomorrow. can i buy the replacement thermostat at napa or autozone or a place like that?

[93blackfairlady]

Ya you can but I recomend nissan stuff. everything that I have replaced was oem. I think I paid 10 dollars for my thermostat at nissan and at napa you will probally pay around 5. Its all personal preferance.

[mike_latorrelovesnissan]

Ok so then bye an oem one off the internet? And uhh the thermostat is where in that elbow pipe that connects to the bottom of the radiator?

[GAZ32]

If youd want to spend the extra money you can get the NISMO one that opens sooner.

[mike_latorrelovesnissan]

lol ive never bought nething off the internet. It will prolly only take a couple days right? and umm where is the thermostat, in that elbow hose that connects to the bottom of the radiator or somewhere else?

[GAZ32]

Depends on where you buy it from, like 2-5 business days is normal...And it's behind the inlet water hose going to the engine.

[izmyttz]

Ok ok.....let someone that's recently done this to jump in.......there are 2 water pipes on the front of your motor.....the thermostat is behind the lower one.....but first you have to remove the fan from the clutch.....there are like 4 or 5 10mm bolts that hold the fan on ...remove them and the fan comes off easy. Then you don't have to remove any belts or water pump or anything. Also you may want to invest in some allen wrenches...the long ones from Home Depot. I had to use vise grips to lock down on the end of the allen wrench to turn the bolts. I believe 1 bolt has the allen wrench hex head. There are 2, 12 or 13 mm nuts to remove. Use a small flash light and stick your head down there to see the bolts so you can reference to what I'm talking about." DO THIS WITH THE CAR OFF!" Fan will cut your face if it's moving! Lol..The lower pipe will come off with the upper still on.....you actually have to put the upper one on before the lower one if you take them off....i made the mistake of doing this in reverse and putting the lower one on....after i painted them....then i scratched the paint and saif F it! and got them chromed.....besides the point.....When you get the lower raditor pipe off then you can clean all the old sealant off....Make sure you use Nissan or Water Sealer Gasket from your Local Hardware store. Pull the thermostat out and toss it.....then before you put the new one in clean all the residue of the old gasket off where the thermostat goes. Get the new thermostat ready and make sure the little jiggle valve on it is on the top. Put a bead around the thermostat and make it thick enough it will seal when you put it back on the motor. After you get the thermostat in then you can put a bead of the liquid gasket on the lower water pipe and push it back on to where it goes. Then just tighten it down and reconnect the lower radiator silicone hose to it. I'd wait over night before you ran the car just to let the gasket cure and not leak. Then fire it up and check for leaks. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge in the car to see if it over heats.....if not......then you're ok. I have pics for reference if you need.

From this picture you can see where the thermostat goes....and how it comes off and the bolts And from this actual picture you can see if you unbolt the fan from the clutch you can get to the lower hard pipe to unbolt it

......don't remove any pullys or belts~!!!!!!! But then again you best wait a day so if you get coolant or liquid on the belts that they will dry before you run it. Also you may want to pick up some antifreeze to top off the radiator and make sure you burp it to prevent air in your system.....air in the system is a great way to blow a coolant hose that is weak. Trust me. I'm dealing with it right now. Well I hope this helps. If you have any questions just ask.

BTW It should take you about 2-3 hrs if you have the tools and the light to do it.

[mike_latorrelovesnissan]

Ok thanks for the help man, ill tell you how it goes. Guess I should have bought a thermostat before I took out the radiator haha

[izmyttz]

Naw it makes it easier. Also I got the NISMO one from Ebay..new in the box for around $60 here's one for $48.50 with like $6 shipping..better deal that what i paid.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWD1V

Ok thanks for the help man, ill tell you how it goes. Guess I should have bought a thermostat before I took out the radiator haha

[BigTDogg (MA)]

IMO, unless you run hot now, OEM Nissan thermostat is perfectly fine for your application. Order and recieve quickly from http://www.czp.us

[izmyttz]

IMO if he runs hot now with a stock thermostat that is functional he has bigger problems than replacing it with a NISMO one

IMO, unless you run hot now, OEM Nissan thermostat is perfectly fine for your application. Order and recieve quickly from http://www.czp.us

[BigTDogg (MA)]

IMO if he runs hot now with a stock thermostat that is functional he has bigger problems than replacing it with a NISMO one

Correct

[mike_latorrelovesnissan]

Yes I am running hot but Im posotive my radiator needs to be replaced, it has two very small leaks and its just a mess lol. Thats why I took it out because I am going to replace the radiator too and I just thought I might as well replace the thermostat while its out.

[Canyoncarver]

Personally, I think you'll be fine with a good name brand T-stat. The Stant brand is top-of-the-line. Keep in mind that Nissan isn't in the business of making t-stats, so you're not getting one made by them anyways.

If you just want to flush your system and replace the old coolant, you don't need to change the t-stat. If you're having cooling problems, it's just as likely that your problems are with the radiator, cap, fan-clutch, leak, or other motor problem, as it is with the t-stat. With cooling problems, you should do some troublshooting before you arbitrarily start replacing parts.

[izmyttz]

I just figured that since it's a PITA to do you may as well do it NISMO the first time...but if you don't have the extra $50 then I wouldn't worry about it....I think one of our sponsers has a better thermostat....let me look....LOL Yeah SPL has one for $110!! LMAO

Billion thermostat

The Billion high-flow thermostat features a high flow valve (shown below, stock valve on left, Billion high-flow on right), and lower temperature (65degC) operation.



Note: we recommend this over the Nismo thermostat because of the high flow valve.

Correct

[wetvelvet]

Thank you to izmyttz for the info.. let me just add to it.. did mine last night:Confirm the following:

*Remove fan shroud - 4 screws (also release clips (3) to allow wrap-around to be removed.

* Remove Fan (leave clutch on). 4 x 10mm bolts from front of fan.

* Remove inlet and outlet radiator hoses (4 clamps)

* Remove top aluminium outlet pipe 3x 6mm (allen key) bolts. You will need a 6mm allen key wrench about 5 inches long. Before you try and remove these bolts spray some CRC or wd40 (AVOID BELTS.). You will need a locking wrench to clap on the spring clamps that keep the 2 small rubber hoses (both about 3 inches long) attached to the outlet pipe. Be gentle and patience. If you cant pull it off.. then you will need to remove the 2 flanges that the hoses bolt into that take the return water from cylinder head. You will need a 10mm socket on a long neck..about 6 inches. Each flange has two bolts.

* once you have removed the outlet pipe, 2 x 3inch rubber hoses and flanges, you can then remove the inlet aluminium pipe. 2 x 12mm bolts and 1 x 6mm allen key bolt. Once again, spray some CRC or WD40 first being sure to avoid the belts.

* word of advice, just dont replace or remove the thermostat.. but be sure to inspect the aluminium pipes for corrosion.. they are sacrificial and designed to corrode before other metals in the head or block.. mine were corroded so have to replace.

* MUST replace the 2 x 3inch rubber hoses.

* Use high temp silicone gasket

* One would think that assembly is reverse of above.. but given the 2 x 3 inch hoses.. i would put the top pipe (outlet hose) first.. this allows you to get the 2x3inch hoses to sit firmly.. use rubber sealant between hoses and pipe. Once top hose on, then place the inlect pipe back in place.

* BE SURE TO GIVE THE COOLING SYSTEM IN THE HEAD/BLOCK A GOOD FLUSH (FORWARD AND REVERSE) WHILST YOU HAVE ALL THE GEAR OFF.



Modified by wetvelvet at 3:45 PM 11/22/2008
Modified by wetvelvet at 3:46 PM 11/22/2008

[evildky]

twon things, first you don't have to pull the thermostat to flush your coolant system, second, why are you flushing your coolant? most people that take on such tasks are trying to solve e problem and going about it the wrong way

[wetvelvet]

The aim isn't to take the thermostat out so that you can flush the cooling system.. The aim is to replace or remove the thermostat... and if you are going to do that, its a good time to flush the COOLING SYSTEM (meaning all the channels that the coolant flows)

[REDWINTERZ]

How do you "burp" the system? I will be doing this VERY soon.

[DCaff300ZX]

How do you "burp" the system? I will be doing this VERY soon.

With the radiator cap off and engine cold/cool, fire up the engine and turn on your heater to max temp and max fan.Exit and top off the radiator with the little plug on the raised section near the inlet hose of the radiator out, making SURE that there is no air in the system (the raised section allows any air out) by pinching the inlet hose with your free hand. Fill the radiator completely until nearly overflowing and give time to ensure NO bubbles in the fluid.This will also allow you to see any surges in the moving fluid that could be caused by a blown head gasket.Please note that you need to be careful to avoid the spinning fan, and that anyone with a aftermarket radiator may not have the raised section and burp hole. If not, this procedure can only be done at the fill spout.Once there is no bubbles showing at the cap opening and burp hole, put the burp hole plug back in then cap the radiator.Take the car around the block or however long it takes to get up to operating temp, making sure the temp gauge says all is well...if not, park her and let her cool off to repeat the process.This will tell you if there is a leak somewhere that lets air in that causes an overheat or higher operating temp, or if all is well...
Modified by DCaff300ZX at 9:49 AM 9/11/2009

[SlickRick90TT]

twon things, first you don't have to pull the thermostat to flush your coolant system, second, why are you flushing your coolant? most people that take on such tasks are trying to solve e problem and going about it the wrong way

It is also worth noting that the coolant temp sensor can be faulty or making a bad connection causing the engine to overheat.

[REDWINTERZ]

Thanks a ton!!