Thermostat-no weep hole

[dr jazz]

I just bought the more expensive "superstat" ($7) at NAPA for my 95 Explorer. It looks fine, but there is no weep hole in the housing to be positioned at 12 o'clock. Should I get a different one? Drill a hole (what size)? Or is it really necessary?

Thanks in advance,

John

 

[Maniak]

If it were mine, I would drill a 1/8" weep hole in it.. This helps let the air through (to help purge the system) and keeps the temp from fluctuating so much.. as it allows the hot/warm water to mix slowly... You get less heat shock to the system

~Mark

 

[BradE.]

I also had a SuperStat from NAPA, mine didn't work. My X would never get up to temp. I had to end up getting a regular thermostat and installing it, that one worked.

I would also drill a small hole in it, it helps burp the system.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

I agree with the 1/8" diameter hole, positioned in the 12 o'clock position. It helps to expell air out of the system.

 

[RealXP8]

Go buy a real ford thermostat or a mr. gasket, I don't trust any of those replica thermostats, half the time they don't work the other half they stop after a year. The 1/8 in. hole also seems to be the thing to do.

 

[BradE.]

The "real" Ford thermostats are junk. Aftermarket parts are not "replica" parts, in this case they are better than OEM.

 

[RealXP8]

brad ,
Ever have an autometer water temp gauge? Well i have. Those thermostats are inconsistant, temps will go up and down, never staying at the temperature they are supposed to be at. Iv'e even had them come apart. Now i understand if you put a 160 in the cooling system may have trouble keeping up. And they do break more often than not.

 

[BradE.]

In this case it's a Stant thermostat, one of the largest thermostat makers in the world. Many members have used Stant products without problems. I currently have a Stant thermostat in my Explorer and it works just fine, better than the Ford part.

Try a search for Thermostat threads here, there are tons of problems with Ford OEM thermostats. Even Ford Techs say they are junk. The reality is you are going to find bad parts in OEM and aftermarket alike. Nothing is perfect.

 

[RealXP8]

Guess you have a point that there will be defects in all products, doesn't really matter thought because i prefer the mr. gaskets thermostats anyway. If you haven't tried one, they are completely different in style. They are only about 8 or 10 bucks and the quality far surpases ford and stant.

 

[MyExpWork]

I had a stant w/weep hole go bad on me. So I replaced the new Stant with a Jet 160 degree t-stat with no weep hole. I thought it was weird at first to, but I have had for about a year and the temp gauge stays right at the N or O letters 90% of the time even when towing.

Sooooo, I am not worried. I believe (sp) that the engineers at Jet would not sale this T-state if it really needed a weep hole for fear of liability if nothing else.

Brian

 

[dr jazz]

Thanks for the replies. I haven't looked at a Ford t-stat, but I am assuming it has some kind of a check valve. Anyway, they want $16 for one around here. A check valve makes some sense to me, as I assume you get the burpability without the fluid backflow. If you drill a hole it seems you defeat part of the purpose of the t-stat - it seems like it would take longer to get up to temp. I guess 1/8" isn't much on the surface area of the unit, though. One friend who is a good mechanic suggested just putting the Stant in the way it came, as it was obviously designed that way. I may just try that. At least they are cheap and easy to replace if it doesn't work.

It's kind of funny how low-tech a t-stat is, with all the computer systems in these vehicles. Makes you wonder if there might not be a better system!

John

 

[Bottomlesspit]

John,
Just another suggestion about the thermostat. I have used the Robert Shaw thermostats for years in multiple vehicles and have never had a problem. I get them at Auto Zone with a lifetime warrantly. They are made of brass and include the check valve. I believe the one for my Explorer was about $8 Auto Zone sells 2 Robert Shaw stats, I get the more expensive one...can't remember what the difference is between the two. Anyway, they are high quality and have that lifetime replacement right on the spot.
Good luck with the thermostat swap.
Ken

 

[dr jazz]

Ken,
Thanks for your reply. On your recommendation (and I saw the name mentioned in another thread) I did buy and install a Robertshaw t-stat from Autozone today. I got the more expensive 195 degree one for $7. For a dollar less you get a 180 degree version. Brass w/ check valve just as you described. It worked great; temp gauge about 1/3 of the way from C to H, where before it stayed way down at the lower line.
Thanks again,
John

 

[Bottomlesspit]

That's way cool John! Man...I hope yours stays working, I'd hate to eat crow here!!! I found these RS thermostats were popular in the Mustang crowd back in my "fast and furious" stang days. I had one in my hot running stang for 4 years without a problem. I had an Auto Meter temp guage hooked up right behind the thermostat and I could see when the stat opened and got a good accurate look at the temps. The guage read exactly the rated stat temp for the 4 years...never fluctuated once.
My Ford stat in the Explorer gave up with only 10,000 miles on it. My stock guage would not even register, let alone give me any heat.
Glad it works for you!!! I think these stats are built well and should last forever.
Ken