water pump or faulty tstat..??

[indecloudzUA]

well, i posted yesterday about my X's thermostat goin up to the H..with no signs of leakage i thought it was a faulty tstat..now im no genius with cars but can you tell the difference between the tstat going out and the water pump going out...the upper radiator hose seems hot to the touch..any suggestions on how to go about fixin this prob without buying parts that arent needed??
thanks
chris

 

[checkedout]

I'm no expert. But a tstat is only a few bucks and easy to change.
With no leaks or coolant loss you have to first look at the tstat and second, the water pump.

 

[indecloudzUA]

cool...think i will try to change that tonite...how long does it usually take to change the tstat???i have a haynes to guide me thru but are there any other probs that you may have run into that arent in the haynes???also, how big is that buck on the back of your X??

 

[Papa]

Just make sure your gasket surfaces are clean and free of the old gasket and it will not hurt to wipe the new clean surface with some alcohol before assembly.

 

[checkedout]

Just pay attention when you take the old one out and look at the new one, it should have a hole or a stamp on it that needs to go against the engine or to the top. Whatever the package from the new one says. It was a nine point, 155lbs dressed. Pretty good for here.

 

[indecloudzUA]

thanks...i think ill be doin that tonite after work then..thanks for the info!!nice buck...we got the same deer as you guys in AL since a lot of ours were stocked from deer in that area...

 

[indecloudzUA]

hey guys...i changed the tstat tonite and it fixed the prob!!thanks for all the helpful info...i ran into some probs when i tried to drain it since the genius's at Ford decided to make that plug out of cheap plastic...it broke so had to loosen the bottom hose and let it slowly drain from there...and then when i tried to put the clamp on the bottom hose back on...but with some creative thinking and some elbow grease was able to get it back on...but again..thanks for all the advice!!