Thermostat install

[ALBERTAN]

Is there a site out there with pics of the installation/swapping of a thermostat in a GN? I've been told that its a little different assembly retained by an O-ring and I'd like to see what I'm up against ahead of time. Some say its easy, some hard. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[rob nolan]

it's fairly easy the o-ring goes around thermostat inlet tube not the thermostat

 

[blackbuick87]

The only hard thing about it is if your thermo has been in there a long time it will be corroded and stuck. Also the "cylinder" (for lack of a better term) that the thermostat is inserted into is weak and can come apart during removal.

 

[ALBERTAN]

Hmmm....well its Friday and I'd hate to break "cylinder"/neck on it this afternoon and be down for the weekend. Any problems with running a Thrasher 92 or Reds 93 chip with the stock T-stat in? I know the fan will probably run constantly but will it hurt anything? Thanks.

 

[Roc87]

I just replaced mine thermostat/ and housing on my Iroc. Spend the extra $ for the billet housing, it's worth it. My original housing on it ('86 T-type) was horrilbly corroded. It took a pair of pliers to pull/twist it out. It bent it out of shape bad, don't know if I could have reused the original one or not. Pushing the new billet housing and o-ring back in was a bit comlicated too, the o-ring wanted to slip out just a bit on one side just as the housing was about to go all the way in, finally used a bit of grease and a piece of wood to get some leverage and it finally went back in. Good luck, wouldn't use a custom chip if you don't have a 160 thermostat, these engines like being cool

 

[BJM]

The stock thermostat housing is made from a thin walled tube. I went to GM and bought a replacement. The replacements are now cast iron with at least a 1/8" wall. They are indestructible and cheap. The o-ring land (groove) is much better on the cast piece too. It would be hard to not get it in right. Buy a new o ring while you are at it.

The design of the thermostat location is ridiculous, the designer responsible should have been fired.

 

[scottyb]

I destroyed the water neck on mine when I did it. A new one from NAPA was cheap and much better with o-ring. Also, they didn't stock it for Buick Turbo, but they did for 89 TTA. Go figure!

 

[G McCall]

Originally posted by ALBERTAN
Is there a site out there with pics of the installation/swapping of a thermostat in a GN? I've been told that its a little different assembly retained by an O-ring and I'd like to see what I'm up against ahead of time. Some say its easy, some hard. Any help would be appreciated.

Depends on if your running stock or after market turbo and throttle bdy etc. I'm getting old and and can't get get into "tight places" as in the past My PT72 and 70 throttle body create hose configurations that make it difficult to reach the thermostat.

 

[ALBERTAN]

Mine is pretty much stock. I don't think I'll have that problem...yet. Thanks for the info guys. I'm thinking I should just sit tight on it for now until I get a new neck. Like I said I'd hate to not have it at all this weekend. Just have to fight the urge to pop in the RA93 chip I guess.