I replaced thermostat today, no rtv used and looks like no leaks. My symptoms were the van would overheat but cool back down within 30 seconds or so. One of my rad fans wasn’t working either so I replaced that first but it still was overheating. Van had 244k on the clock so I figured why not just replace tstat for 10-15 dollars seeing it was original. Seemed like the old one was showing symptoms of sticking/getting lazy. Seems to have fixed the issue as it used to go up to halfway mark before cooling down even before the overheating issue, now it’s 1 tick under halfway when the tstat opens. Used gates tstat and fel pro gasket and no rtv/gasket maker just cleaned surfaces pretty well. Had to file down edge of new tstat a tad bit since it wasn’t fitting in the old housing perfectly, a new housing might have been a slightly better route but the van has 244k and I spend about 90 on the new rad fans so wanted to keep the bill around 100. Hope this helps someone if u have same symptom of overheating then cooling down pretty quickly
Thanks for the vid, the tips were excellent. I plan to go in and preventively replace my water pump with an AC Delco unit (cast metal impeller) and do the thermostat/coolant while I’m at it. I used a cheap socket set (SAE & metric) that I got at harbor freight while I was in school and it worked fine.....40 years later I passed it on to my son to keep in his car for emergencies.
Awesome - Just an observation - The original gasket is orange instead of blue , I think that the thermostat that you replaced did not come with the van it was replaced before , I say this because it had the blue metallic gasket. as well as there was sealant - there is no sealant , its just the orange gasket and using sealant just makes the job a little more difficult the next time you replace the thermostat , you really need to clean it out.
The hose is on backwards. There are both long and a short sections on either end. The long section of hose (before the bend) goes towards the engine and the short section of hose (after the bend) goes towards the radiator Taking pictures before you disassemble everything (and as you go) will help you get things back on correctly. If he'd have done this the thermostat housing also would not have been installed backwards.
The temp gauge is behind the coil slightly below just un do coil two nuts tie up so its up out of way, no need to drain rad it will leak but it will seal ,do not over tighten it don't bead to be turned to tight. Undu red locking clip.. Cheers
Just so you know the original gasket that you took off is a reusable gasket that made to use multiple times the one that you brought is a cheap car you can only use one time
Hey bud, when you bought that thermo, did it offer 2 different kind? Cause the one I got for my 09 caravan 3.3l, mine came with an o-ring around the thermostat. They didn't show me anything without one. Just asking.
Folks that own a 1997, 1998, 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan w/ 3.8 eng disregard this video as to location of the upper water hose and location of the housing that contains the thermostat.
I had a pin hole in my housing. Problem of my over heating losing water really quick. Yes I know 50/50 is more correct . When fixed it be more coolant. Changed housing and thermostat and external gasket and now we fought and it leaking on the right side and so close but not fixed yeat. Hope to hear from you.
zoefaith120 mine leaked when I used the cheap paper gasket. I fixed it by getting the blue and metal gasket. No leaks. I used some sealer to ensure no leaks too.
paper gaskets don't work, ran into the same problem!! buy the inner blue gaskets and lower temp. and fail safe thermostats work well!! if a Fail Safe Therm. fails it will stay open keeping the engine from overheating !!
You don't need to flush the radiator. Unless you haven't done it in forever, then it's just good practice. I'm sure a service manual or something would tell you what the bolts should be torqued at. I have never used or needed a torque wrench. I do everything by feel and haven't had issues.
@@ore83 thanks that did the trick. Now a new problem. I forgot which way the thermostat was positioned. And my small town only had that felt gasket... so all I did was keep the old gasket. And just put the felt over the old one. It leaked at first so I tightened it more. Doesnt leak.. I hope it doesnt later. BUT now my check engine light is on 😥
Felt gasket failed for me. Maybe order the nice one and swap it out in the future, they're pretty inexpensive. This job shouldn't have thrown a check engine light. You can always check the code at home, or at AutoZone. There's RUclips videos out there that show you how to check your code from the vehicle.
@@ore83 yikes 3 codes showed when I did the trick on showing why my engine sign is on. The first 2 codes relate to cylinder misfire.. that could be because I unplugged those 3 spark plugs? To unscrew the thermostat. And the 3rd code is coolant fan? I hope that's just the relay needs to be replaced. Safe to say I did it myself although I possibly created more problems.. haha 😥
yo recomiendo que si va a canbiar el tesmostato cambie el Housing. si lo ve con desgaste por dentro, puede. que por fuera lo vea bien y por dentro tenga fisuras por la corrosion y luego que monte el tesmostato le acasione doble trabajo el Housing cuesta menos de $20 dolares y trae la junta .la forma corecta de soltarlo es sacando la manga para que la estencion le trabaje directa use silicone para Housing aun siendo nueba la junta una capa fina en ambos lados no es nesesario torque despues de poner termostato ponga el silicone luego ponga la junta y pongale silicone a la junta no es nesesari pegar a donde va el Housing ya con tener la junta es sufisiente luego centralize los tornillos y ponga la pieza y va apretando lado y lado parejo luego apriete asta que ajuste bien sin exeder y por ultimo ponga la manga y apriete la brasalera luego el anti free prenda sin el tapon para que fluya y echele sin desbordar luego ponga el tapon y listo
I replaced thermostat today, no rtv used and looks like no leaks. My symptoms were the van would overheat but cool back down within 30 seconds or so. One of my rad fans wasn’t working either so I replaced that first but it still was overheating. Van had 244k on the clock so I figured why not just replace tstat for 10-15 dollars seeing it was original. Seemed like the old one was showing symptoms of sticking/getting lazy. Seems to have fixed the issue as it used to go up to halfway mark before cooling down even before the overheating issue, now it’s 1 tick under halfway when the tstat opens. Used gates tstat and fel pro gasket and no rtv/gasket maker just cleaned surfaces pretty well. Had to file down edge of new tstat a tad bit since it wasn’t fitting in the old housing perfectly, a new housing might have been a slightly better route but the van has 244k and I spend about 90 on the new rad fans so wanted to keep the bill around 100. Hope this helps someone if u have same symptom of overheating then cooling down pretty quickly
Thanks for the vid, the tips were excellent. I plan to go in and preventively replace my water pump with an AC Delco unit (cast metal impeller) and do the thermostat/coolant while I’m at it. I used a cheap socket set (SAE & metric) that I got at harbor freight while I was in school and it worked fine.....40 years later I passed it on to my son to keep in his car for emergencies.
The Fix-it books can be so dam unclear, bless you for making this video.
Appreciate the video. Especially the info on ok installing the gasket incorrectly. Couple of the edits made me 😂
Good tips. For the viewers I would add never use an adjustable wrench on your car. Hoping you got a socket set for Christmas.
Thank you this video helps me out a whole lot I’ve gotta 2006 3.8 I’ll be working on in a few days thanks again for the video
Awesome - Just an observation - The original gasket is orange instead of blue , I think that the thermostat that you replaced did not come with the van it was replaced before , I say this because it had the blue metallic gasket. as well as there was sealant - there is no sealant , its just the orange gasket and using sealant just makes the job a little more difficult the next time you replace the thermostat , you really need to clean it out.
The hose is on backwards. There are both long and a short sections on either end. The long section of hose (before the bend) goes towards the engine and the short section of hose (after the bend) goes towards the radiator
Taking pictures before you disassemble everything (and as you go) will help you get things back on correctly. If he'd have done this the thermostat housing also would not have been installed backwards.
The temp gauge is behind the coil slightly below just un do coil two nuts tie up so its up out of way, no need to drain rad it will leak but it will seal ,do not over tighten it don't bead to be turned to tight. Undu red locking clip.. Cheers
I recommend a ratchet instead of a wrench to remove the bolts holding the thermostat housing to the engine.
Thanks so much for this!!! Awesome job friend 😊
Thank ypu ull helped me save my van for my company! U rock great vid
Joshua Boone you’re welcome and thank you!
Did this solve your overheating issue I’m having a similar problem only overheats sometimes then comes back down to regular temp in a short time
Burp radiator system better
Just so you know the original gasket that you took off is a reusable gasket that made to use multiple times the one that you brought is a cheap car you can only use one time
Hey bud, when you bought that thermo, did it offer 2 different kind? Cause the one I got for my 09 caravan 3.3l, mine came with an o-ring around the thermostat. They didn't show me anything without one. Just asking.
Imagine how fast this would have been if you had a decent set of sockets to use. 🙃🙃
Folks that own a 1997, 1998, 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan w/ 3.8 eng disregard this video as to location of the upper water hose and location of the housing that contains the thermostat.
Did you get it fixed?
Yep, they didn't push that hose on all the way. Probably why it's kind of bulging
I had a pin hole in my housing. Problem of my over heating losing water really quick. Yes I know 50/50 is more correct . When fixed it be more coolant. Changed housing and thermostat and external gasket and now we fought and it leaking on the right side and so close but not fixed yeat. Hope to hear from you.
zoefaith120 mine leaked when I used the cheap paper gasket. I fixed it by getting the blue and metal gasket. No leaks. I used some sealer to ensure no leaks too.
Good job👍
paper gaskets don't work, ran into the same problem!! buy the inner blue gaskets and lower temp. and fail safe thermostats work well!! if a Fail Safe Therm. fails it will stay open keeping the engine from overheating !!
yetor K10 benton fail safe thermos almost always fails and say bye bye to heat! Lol
I'm not sure if maybe the gasket isn't turned the right way
No need to apply the proper tourque on the thermostat housing screw? And do you really need to flush the radiator everytime you change the thermostat?
You don't need to flush the radiator. Unless you haven't done it in forever, then it's just good practice. I'm sure a service manual or something would tell you what the bolts should be torqued at. I have never used or needed a torque wrench. I do everything by feel and haven't had issues.
Hi. Ok so I cant take the hose off myn.. it's like fused on even though I took the clamp off. Any suggestions to get it loose?
John W use pliers to squeeze the hose and rock the hose back and forth till it breaks loose
@@ore83 thanks that did the trick. Now a new problem. I forgot which way the thermostat was positioned. And my small town only had that felt gasket... so all I did was keep the old gasket. And just put the felt over the old one. It leaked at first so I tightened it more. Doesnt leak.. I hope it doesnt later. BUT now my check engine light is on 😥
Felt gasket failed for me. Maybe order the nice one and swap it out in the future, they're pretty inexpensive. This job shouldn't have thrown a check engine light. You can always check the code at home, or at AutoZone. There's RUclips videos out there that show you how to check your code from the vehicle.
@@ore83 yikes 3 codes showed when I did the trick on showing why my engine sign is on. The first 2 codes relate to cylinder misfire.. that could be because I unplugged those 3 spark plugs? To unscrew the thermostat. And the 3rd code is coolant fan? I hope that's just the relay needs to be replaced. Safe to say I did it myself although I possibly created more problems.. haha 😥
did you reuse clamps?
Yes
yo recomiendo que si va a canbiar el tesmostato cambie el Housing. si lo ve con desgaste por dentro, puede. que por fuera lo vea bien y por dentro tenga fisuras por la corrosion y luego que monte el tesmostato le acasione doble trabajo el Housing cuesta menos de $20 dolares y trae la junta .la forma corecta de soltarlo es sacando la manga para que la estencion le trabaje directa use silicone para Housing aun siendo nueba la junta una capa fina en ambos lados no es nesesario torque despues de poner termostato ponga el silicone luego ponga la junta y pongale silicone a la junta no es nesesari pegar a donde va el Housing ya con tener la junta es sufisiente luego centralize los tornillos y ponga la pieza y va apretando lado y lado parejo luego apriete asta que ajuste bien sin exeder y por ultimo ponga la manga y apriete la brasalera luego el anti free prenda sin el tapon para que fluya y echele sin desbordar luego ponga el tapon y listo
for some reason it's still overheating
Try changing the radiator cap.
doesnt look like you know WTF you are doing!
Why don't you show the correct housing orientation, waste of 13 minutes
To much yakin
Rude
Na some people want to hear the issues instead of a straight forward repair video, helps other people diagnose their issue