2004 Thermostat will not open

[soflaman]

Hey everyone. I just replaced my radiator and thermostat. I completed the job and ran the car. Problem is bathe thermostat will not open. Am I missing something? Is there air stuck in the radiator? I have checked the overflow and I burped the system but still nothing. I ran the car for a good half hour and still nothing.
Thanks
Ken

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[Ronhbcc]

Hey everyone. I just replaced my radiator and thermostat. I completed the job and ran the car. Problem is bathe thermostat will not open. Am I missing something? Is there air stuck in the radiator? I have checked the overflow and I burped the system but still nothing. I ran the car for a good half hour and still nothing.
Thanks
Ken

Greetings...after replacing my cracked thermostat housing I also bought a new thermostat from a local auto parts store; my 2003 then would heat up quickly when driving and the ac fan etc. and the car sounded like a jet engine after a few miles of driving. I finally went back to my old thermostat and wow everything is fine, car runs cool even in Florida; so be sure the aftermarket thermostat is not the problem. Good Luck, Ron H, Tequesta, Florida

 

[soflaman]

Thanks Ron, I bought a Motorcraft replacement thermostat.

 

[biddle]

Please include the model of your car in the subject of future posts. I edited it for you on this post. Thank you.

 

[HKS]

Hey everyone. I just replaced my radiator and thermostat. I completed the job and ran the car. Problem is bathe thermostat will not open. Am I missing something? Is there air stuck in the radiator? I have checked the overflow and I burped the system but still nothing. I ran the car for a good half hour and still nothing.
Thanks
Ken

Air in the heater coils. Did you open the heater hose next to the Degas botle, left side by driver with heater running full blast?

 

[soflaman]

Air in the heater coils. Did you open the heater hose next to the Degas botle, left side by driver with heater running full blast?

Nope. Although I did turn the heat on full blast. I will try that today.
Thanks HKS

 

[soflaman]

Air in the heater coils. Did you open the heater hose next to the Degas botle, left side by driver with heater running full blast?

Well I tried what you told me to do and there was no air in the system when I ran the heater full blast. Do you think the thermostat is bad? I saved the old one. Should I switch it back?

 

[HKS]

Well I tried what you told me to do and there was no air in the system when I ran the heater full blast. Do you think the thermostat is bad? I saved the old one. Should I switch it back?

Did antifreeze come out the bleed hose?

 

[soflaman]

Did antifreeze come out the bleed hose?

Yes, it was hot and also the antifreeze in the overflow was hot. Tomorrow morning I’m going to put the old thermostat back on and see what happens. If it still doesn’t open then I will have to take ii to a pro.

 

[HKS]

Yes, it was hot and also the antifreeze in the overflow was hot. Tomorrow morning I’m going to put the old thermostat back on and see what happens. If it still doesn’t open then I will have to take ii to a pro.

When you do this heater bleed you need to have the radiator filler cap off so you can replace antifreze ad it goes down

 

[soflaman]

When you do this heater bleed you need to have the radiator filler cap off so you can replace antifreze ad it goes down

Ok H. I will try that first. Thank you for all the help so far.

 

[soflaman]

So I ran the car yesterday for an hour with the heat on high. I took the radiator cap off and opened the bleed tube. I felt no air coming out of the tube and no antifreeze either. I added a little fluid to the system and is started to gurgle out of the radiator cap. I put the cover back on. Long story, it didn’t work. The thermostat never opened.

 

[soflaman]

Well I changed out the thermostat today with the old one. I bled the line and drove it around the block. The temp gauge went up to high, so I put the heat back on and it dropped to three o’clock. I shut the heat off and it stayed there until I got home. I checked the return line from the radiator and it felt hot. I think I fixed it. I will take it back out in the morning for a longer run and see what happens.
I got a good hot stream when I opened the bleed screw.
Wish me luck!

 

[Mach5]

I've changed a number of thermostats in the past. I always test them in a pan of water on the stove before installing to make sure the open correctly and fully - usually just before the water starts the tiny bubbles before beginning to boil. (Top tip - only do this when the wife is out.) 😀

 

[Elsie]

I'm having same problem with my 03, thermostat not opening. Put new thermostat in year and a half ago and it worked fine until recently - now I have no heat. Upper radiator hose hot - return hose cool. Upper radiator hose is reading like 155 on outside of my cheap laser thermometer. Electric radiator fans are running full blast after car gets hot. Does anybody know what temp radiator fans come on? I'm guessing thermostat is a 190 degree thermostat, maybe car isn't getting hot enough for a 190 degree thermostat to open, but then why would electric cooling fans come on before thermostat opened????? Any ideas??

 

[Gus Gutz]

The heat in my car will not come on. I burped the system,but no hot coolant going through the heater core. Took it to the dealer and they said the dual coolant control valve is bad. The valve is located on the passenger side of the radiator about halfway down. It has four coolant lines and an electrical connector. You can burp the system all you want but if that valve does not open, your wont get heat in your car. Check the output lines and if they are cold, it is bad. that part is readily available, just hard to replace.

 

[Elsie]

Hose on one side of my thermostat says it is reading 155 on outside of hose, radiator hose on other side of thermostat is reading like 80 degrees, so that is telling me thermostat not opening, but yet it is getting hot enough for electric fans to come on and run full blast. Does anybody know what temp electric fans are "suppose" to come on? I replaced thermostat a year and a half ago, with new housing. I see Auto Zone has a thermostat with housing for $50, wonder why you just can't buy thermostat?? Can't believe housing would be bad after year and a half.

Gus - how big are the coolant lines in diameter to this coolant valve? Is the actual name of part "coolant Valve" and is it just a Ford part or can be purchase at an auto store?

 

[Gus Gutz]

The dealer calls it the dual coolant control valve. The manual calls it the dual coolant flow valve. The dealer part is 300 dollars. Autozone says it has the part. ok.. so maybe it only has three coolant lines connected to it.

 

[Elsie]

The dealer calls it the dual coolant control valve. The manual calls it the dual coolant flow valve. The dealer part is 300 dollars. Autozone says it has the part. ok.. so maybe it only has three coolant lines connected to it.

Okay thanks Gus. I found a YouTube video on the coolant valve on an 03 Lincoln LS. Think I will fix the leaks first before I tackle that problem.

The weather was pretty nice today and seen people out riding their motorcycles so I was wanting to take the Tbird out. Haven't driven the thing since September because of the leaks. Why am I paying insurance on a car I can't/don't drive? I guess it is time to bite the bullet and let somebody else have a crack at fixing it. I'm afraid to even approach dealer after they quoted me a price of $5500 to replace front suspension. I ended up doing that myself for less than 1/5 of what they wanted.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Gus Gutz]

Well if it was a GM I would say go down to the dealer and get the "pills" I had a leak in my 03 Sonoma pick up. I tried everything. New hoses, water pump, thermostat, radiator, water pump, etc. Nothing worked. My neighbor who owned a repair shop said to go down to the Chevy dealer and ask for the pills that you drop in the radiator. I crushed one up, dropped it into the radiator and it never leaked again. Now I have no idea what is in those pills, but my neighbor said it's the only thing he found that stops the leaks in GM's. it was a 5 dollars solution that cost me about 600 in parts and service.