Someone please help! Thermostat gasket issue. Housing broke. Emergency!

[98_Q45]

Worst s*** I've ever seen in my life of thermostats...

So bought thermostat, didn't come with gasket. Verified across store so who said to just use silicon. Silicon doesn't work. Won't stick properly. Leaks

So I then get a composite one that nearly fits. Still leaks. Then in the process of tightening it, The friggin housing (luckily the one attached to the hose not the engine). So now I've got to get a lyft to the yard and grab a new housing.

This is crazy. I've never had this much issue with a thermostat. Funny thing is, when I did this yesterday and took it off, there was no thermostat there...which explains the long warming up issue. Unless I'm in the wrong pipe which I doubt it. I put it back together without the thermostat and without the sealant and it seemed to hold up without leaking too much.

So I'm just at a lost. Can someone please give me some insight.

[EdBwoy]

The best I can offer when it comes to these things is to crosscheck with an OEM Nissan part.

Like you, I believe thermostats do come with gaskets. The Nissan ones I've handled have a rubber one that goes over the edge of the housing.

There was a statement in your post that doesn't seem complete.

Then in the process of tightening it, The friggin housing (luckily the one attached to the hose not the engine).

Did the housing break?
Do you have pictures to post so that people can give some guidance with a visual background of your issues?

[98_Q45]

I was able to quickly find a new housing at the yard. Yes, the housing broke. Basically cracked and shattered while tightening.

The issue is im putting on the sealant, and it simply keeps leaking. I looked at an OEM thermostat at the yard, and it had grey sealant but the Nissan thermostat has a rubber ring around the thermostat itself.

I'm reading it takes 24 hours of cure time. But, I'm seeming to only have this issue with the thermostat installed. Seems like I can get away with no thermostat and it won't leak.

Now I'm seeing why previous owners may have left thermostat out. Not sure what's going on here. No other cracks were detected on the other end of housing either.

[04pathse]

Maybe this will help...

From Partsgeek website:
""Nissan does not use a gasket between the thermostat cover and the thermostat housing (use the appropriate gasket sealant instead). This is the upper gasket between the thermostat housing and the water outlet pipe.""

https://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/WC ... 7433964812

[98_Q45]

Thankyou!

But, I only removed the actual thermostat housing tube. On the Maxima97, it comes with thermostat in a housing and the gasket. Not sure why there isn't one available for this one.

Just when I thought I was making progress, did the sealant (but only waited 1 hour), it still is streamline leaking from the bottom. This is leading me to think the thermostat itself needs to be "glued" in place as I'm thinking it's not staying in place and keeps falling when it's time to fit, and maybe I'm not catching it.

Was able to drive for a mile with the new thermostat in...water pouring all over belts and such. Such a mess

[EdBwoy]

I was able to quickly find a new housing at the yard. Yes, the housing broke. Basically cracked and shattered while tightening...

Well, doh!
I assumed as much, but it's in the title as well. I should have caught that.

[Skibane]

Factory Service Manual says no solid gaskets - Use "Liquid Gasket" instead.



My guess is that you're not allowing the gasket to dry long enough before replacing the coolant.

[my12by60]

I changed the thermostat in my 2000 AE this summer and the re-install was a bit of a pain because the housing and t-stat mount vertically. I used only sealant (no gasket) and have had no leaks. The t-stat has to be properly seated in the housing before pressing the housing against the other surface. The t-stat wanted to fall out of place each time I went to press the housing on. So I put a dab of silicone on the t-stat to get it to sit in its proper place in the housing, then pressed the housing on the mating surface. That worked with no leaks.

I did a t-stat on a GM engine around the same time and the job took about 10 minutes because the t-stat just sat upright in the engine block. Then I could just place the housing over the t-stat without trying to balance the t-stat in the housing.

[amc49]

When using silicone only with no gasket you MUST wait at least 12 hours to let the silicone fully cure to solid rubber, and it helps to use a quality brand of the denser type like Permatex gray, lesser brands WILL leak as they are not as good adhesive wise. Your sealing flats MUST be clean and bone dry or give up! I use acetone followed by isopropyl alcohol and allowed to fully dry. Even a single drop of antifreeze on a seal surface and it will leak.

You often can custom cut out a simple flat gasket material made of bulk flat sheet gasket 1/16" thick to seal perfectly as well.

Any 'jiggle valve' like shown in the blowup MUST face straight up as the engine bleeds air out through it, and I commonly carefully break the inner valve out of the stat to simply leave a bleed hole to not get corroded and the valve then sticks shut.

ANY composite (plastic) housings are pretty much torque down to the solid hit ONLY, they butt solid if using sealer only and you WILL break it if trying to get it tighter, how they sell so many housings today. You do not look to torque them up like in the old days unless you want to break them and it can be a problem if using a gasket there as you have to sneak up on the tightness very carefully and evenly.

If a stat keeps falling out of place then use a couple dabs of contact cement to hold it in place, if the sealing flats are clean like the job demands it works perfectly. The denser silicones hold them in place pretty well too.

I've sealed joints like that a hundred times in several ways with zero issues, you just have to consider the parts and design you are working with.

[Skibane]

The t-stat wanted to fall out of place each time I went to press the housing on. So I put a dab of silicone on the t-stat to get it to sit in its proper place in the housing, then pressed the housing on the mating surface.

Yep.

The thicker and stickier the silicone, the better.

Another trick is to temporarily tape the thermostat in place while your tiny dab of silicone is curing. A few hours later, that thermostat ain't going nowhere!

[98_Q45]

Well thanks for replies. I ended up buying a bulk set of 4 gasket material. I used the rubber composite one. Traced and cut it out like in elementary school taught lol. I thought everything was good, even held the Tstat in place with the permeated grey and let it sit for like 3-4 hours. Didn't see any leaks, but then when it began to fizz out water from the top. Also the t stat will not stay in place. There's still a small gap in there.

It must be bad because in driving the belts just squealed all the way home. This is just horrendous. Not sure what else to do besides remove the thermostat. I think I'm going to go back and get the OE thermostat from the yard and see about fitting the rubber seal around the Murray one.

I can't use the liquid sealant because I can't not drive my car for 12 hours. If I had my other car with I would, but I have to get to work and also my work space just happens to be at a storage unit that closes at 7 and makes everyone leave :-(

[amc49]

Hey death exists at only one car and why I've had two running and usually three or four for the last 35 years. At some point it is ridiculous to think a car will not strand you due to not doing the work right.

Something else is wrong there, engine not right or broken parts or other, there is no magic there. Fizz once the joint gets better sealing says a crack, they can be very hard to see in the plastic parts, I often sand them with fine sandpaper, wash off and let dry then the cracks show up instantly.

[98_Q45]

@ amc, that's exactly why I gambled and bought this as a 2nd car, too many close calls of getting stranded...and sucks even more when it's a simple maintenance that could have been avoided to a later time. There's preventive and also avoidable maintenance lol.

The good news is...after driving around with leaking and squeaking past couple days I FINALLY got it to stop for good. The thermostat was glued with permeated and the gasket was rubber. I think I didn't notice 1 bolt not torqued down properly. I was being so careful not to break the housing again...but at the same time if it's even a tad bit loose, it'll leak.

So stopped the leak and put some dielectric grease on the fan belt as I think it was getting too dry there. No squeaks no leaks! Not even the tiniest bit of fizz. And all the reattempts helped me flush out all the green silicate coolant in exchange for red.

But one other issue: the radiator isn't sucking water out from the reservoir?? I almost overheated the other day because of it.

[EdBwoy]

...
But one other issue: the radiator isn't sucking water out from the reservoir?? I almost overheated the other day because of it.

Bad radiator cap?

And thanks for the update, glad it's all working out.