I did the 180 degree thermostat change last Sunday. It took me about 1 =
1/2 hours. It would have been 1/2 hour, but one of the thermostat =
housing bolts fell in front of the radiator and down into the front =
bumper valence into oblivion. I spent at least a half hour trying to =
find it, but after tearing up my hands, I gave up. I then went to Lowes =
and found a 5/16 X 1" bolt that worked well. I didn't remove anything =
but the t-stat housing itself. I drained some fluid out of the =
radiator, but I still made a mess on the garage floor with the =
antifreeze that was in the top hose. It was worth it for not having the =
hassle of removing the A/C, alternator, etc. I put a heavy duty Stant =
180 t-stat in. The new t-stat looked much better than the stock one, =
like Sean said in his article. The stock one looks cheap in comparison. =
Anyway, I bolted everything back together, no leaks, and a much cooler =
engine. But the main benefit is NO PINGING!! (so far on 89 octane =
Shell). The OBDII computer hasn't complained about the lower coolant =
temp, and driveability is fine. When I bought the t-stat at Pepboys, =
the parts guy didn't want to sell it to me (It takes a 195 only he =
said). Well, I told him about all of your results with the 180 t-stat, =
and he decided to let me have it. Sometimes it's a real pain when the =
parts guy thinks he's smarter than you when he doesn't have all of the =
facts. I also ordered the K&N drop-in air filter. How much H.P. does =
it add? Thanks for all of your helpful advice!
Michael Reynolds
'98 Dakota 4X4 CC 5.2L
Flame Red (but running alot cooler!)
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