THERMOSTAT REPLACEMENT

By Biginuf

Here are the new parts you’ll need. I got mine from Napa for about 7 bucks total, I chose to go with the 180° Thermostat to replace the factory 195° T-stat because Jet Performance calls for a cooler T-stat to go with their Stage II chip to get the full benefits. You will also need some blue RTV sealant, I had some lying around from other projects.

Using pliers on the butterfly clamp, take the upper radiator hose loose from the radiator.

Drain the contents of the upper hose into a bucket, pull the hose down as low as possible to get as much coolant from the hose.

Using a flathead screwdriver loosen the screw on the clamp at the rear of the airbox, and then remove the airbox and intake tube.

There is a clip on the upper radiator hose, near the turn down, free the 2 lines running through it from the clip.

Now you need to take the alternator support bracket off. You’ll need a 9/16" socket.

First loosen the backside bolt on the support bracket and remove the bolt.

Then remove the front side nut,

and you will see a bracket for the AC lines, with a flathead screwdriver remove the screw on the line bracket above the alternator that holds the AC lines together and remove this bracket, slight bending of the bracket may be necessary for removal.

Now remove the last bolt holding the alternator support bracket down. Now you have a clear opening to access the upper radiator hose where it turns down and bolts to the intake manifold, using a 13mm socket with one short and one long extension remove the 2 bolts down at the base of the upper radiator hose

Lift the hose and housing with the bolts still in the housing straight up and out. Remove the old thermostat. Clean the old Thermostat seat completely. Some brake cleaner on a rag may help, after getting the seat cleaned of the old black gasket material wipe it down with a clean dry rag. Clean the Thermostat housing of any old black sealant. There is a tab on the front of the Thermostat housing labeled (FRONT), to make installation of the housing easier, grind away that tab. Put the new 180° Thermostat in place, stick the new gasket to the Thermostat housing and run a bead of RTV sealant around the gasket. Drop the hose with housing back down to the top of the intake manifold and tighten 13mm bolts back to 17 ft/lbs. Note: I took a piece of tape stuck it into the socket and jammed the bolt in, so I could use the extensions and socket to start my bolts. Replace the alternator bracket and AC clamp. Replace the Air box and intake tube. Replace the upper radiator hose. I waited till the next day to top off the coolant and start the truck, I wanted to wait at least 12 hours to allow the RTV sealant to completely dry. I have no leaks to report and the truck runs a lot cooler now. Here are all the tools I used to complete this project.