Thermostat or manifold

[Nessiejean]

I have a 2001 sport trac. The other day my truck started overheating and when I went to start it to get it somewhere to have it looked at, it didn't want to start. One place thought it was the thermostat (they said it had no water or antifreeze), but they didn't work on them. The other place says it is a plastic piece between the manifold and something else and it's around 350.+, not including labor. I have no clue, does this sound like it's legit.

 

[Team Chepsk8]

There are many threads on this, as it is a common problem, though not simple to fix.

The "O"-rings fail on the plastic housings, or sometimes the housings themselves fail. Over time, the cooling system empties itself out, and then it runs hot. Let it go long enough, overheat a few times, big damage to the aluminum heads.

Do a search, there are many threads. I posted one recently showing my repair, and the problems I encountered and fixed.