Hi,

looking like im going to have to replace the thermostat on the weekend....and its -20

can i do it without removing belts or fan / rad??..i searched for a writeup on it...found one on autozone...but its a little vaugue on that section

any other tips or tricks involved?

oh, i realize this is a complete newbie question, but when topping up coolant..do you fill up the rad itself?...or fill up the overflow tank to the line?

thanks

Paul

 

What engine do you have, if it's a V6, 3.0 or 3.4 then the thermostat is at the engine end of the lower rad hose. You should be able to get to it without removing anything except the housing.

And fill the radiator up first. Then run the engine until it's warm enough to open the thermostat and keep topping the rad up.

 

its the 3.0

and I'm not sure if the thermostat is faulty yet...but i got no heat..and it overheats after 15-20 min

so i'm topping up on coolant first...

 

yeah top the coolant up, get the truck running for a little while so its at least warm so your hands dont hate you, then pop the old thermostat out and quickly stuff the new one in with a new gasket, and remember to get one with the bypass hole so it wont over heat next time the thermostat dies on you. Just work quickly and get coolant to replace what spills out.
good luck