Another Thermostat / Housing question.

[kc0r8y]

I originally purchased this neck and this T-Stat for my SB. It came as a kit.

Mopar Performance P4286759: Chrome Thermostat Housing Fits All Slant Six, Small-Block, Big-Block & HEMI Engines 1978 & Prior | JEGS
Mr Gasket 4367: Hi-Flow Thermostat Chrysler, Dodge | JEGS

I drove the car twice and on the 2nd run the T-Stat wouldn't open. So I pulled it.

I then went and purchased this T-Stat for my SB.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/snn-45358

The T-Stat sits fine in my Edelbrock Performer intake manifold.

Could be a tad wider but none the less it fits.

The problem I am having is the housing I now have has a has like a groove that isn't allowing the housing to push again the T stat and hold it in place.

When I put the T-stat down on top of the intake the T-stat moves around in there.

Now here is my question:

Will this housing (link below) work with the T-Stat I have? There is no pics of the under side of the housing for me to judge it. Just looking if anyone else has any experience with it.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bsp-90820/overview/

In the end I just want a housing and 180 t-stat that works without spending $100 for a housing.

Thank you in advance.

 

[mullinax95]

Does the thermostat housing fit inside the water neck lip in picture #2?
Mine looks the same as yours. I put a small dab of cooper rtv inside the ring and "glue" it to the thermostat. Not a bunch just enough to seal it to the thermostat housing.
Does the thermostat "towers" that goes toward the radiator hit inside the housing? My aftermarket aluminum housing would hit on these towers. I notched the neck a little bit with a dremel too in order for the thermostat to fit the water neck. If not it would wobble around because it was not seating fully in the waterneck.

Comparing the two water necks I believe the new one your looking at will leave you in the same boat as the first. I think those are the same water neck.

 

[clementine]

Is it possible to machine the one you have flat? I like to check my t-stats in a pan of water, bringing it to a boil, to see if it opens, eliminating any possible guesswork that it is the culprit of overheating. (even if they are new). It appears the t-stat housing you have has enough material to have it turned down. There is the jerry rig method which isnt totally awesome......make sure t-stat works.....use RTV liberally on that inside edge..(RTV sculpting...Ha Ha!) and a gasket....get bolts started....let RTV start to set up (do not use so much ART-T-V that it spooges into the t-stat...this is a JUST ENOUGH situation) ......and then do a final tighten of housing bolts 20 min after. This will hold until you meet a machinist that will turn that puppy down for you.

Before I get beat up too bad on my rigging suggestion, Id like to say that its not a forever fix.......just a year or two..Ha!

 

[kc0r8y]

The T-stat fits inside the lip of the housing easily. It actually wobbles around in there.

Do I just have the wrong t-stat? I'd much rather get the correct t-stat and/or housing then start modding or sculpting mine.

Thank you

 

[mullinax95]

You want it to sit flat inside the lip.... perfectly... it suppose to fit tight in the lip. Is it not seating flat in the lip or just moving side to side? If you can get it to fit inside the lip, glue it in, place gasket on manifold, and place thermostat housing with thermo on top of gasket and then tighten it down.
Everything you have will work.

Take a pic of the thermostat sitting in the thermo housing.

 

[RedFish]

here's a silly question... What difference would it make? I can't imagine the small amount of water slipping past it would make a difference. You wouldn't need to drill a small vent/bleed hole in it either.

 

[kc0r8y]

here's a silly question... What difference would it make? I can't imagine the small amount of water slipping past it would make a difference. You wouldn't need to drill a small vent/bleed hole in it either.

I'd be worried about it wiggling around in there. I really prefer to just do it the right way.

 

[harrisonm]

Can you post a picture of the bottom of the thermostat housing with the thermostat in it pointing the right way. I am curious to see how much slop you are talking about. Probably nothing to worry about. They should fit snuggly, but a little wiggle room is not a problem. When you mount the housing, seat the thermostat into the groove in the housing, put a wire with a hook bent in it through the top of the housing, hook onto the thermostat and pull up on the thermostat (through the top of the housing) until the housing bolts are at least finger tight. That will keep the thermostat from slipping outside the groove during installation. Believe me when I say that if it does slip, that won't help it to seal better.

 

[kc0r8y]

I think I'm just going to take the housing down to the parts store today and find the proper T-Stat that fits it correctly. Thank you all for your help.

 

[kc0r8y]

here's a silly question... What difference would it make? I can't imagine the small amount of water slipping past it would make a difference. You wouldn't need to drill a small vent/bleed hole in it either.

The more I looked at it the T-stat bearly covered the hold on the housing. it would have taken way too much RTV to stop it from moving.

 

[Johnny Dart]

On top of your thermostat problem,those chrome housings have been known to leak. You would be better off with an original style housing.

 

[RedFish]

And maybe they suspected the thickness off the thermostats flange was causing the housing to distort and leak. So a deeper recess might cure it.
My thinking... What forces will cause how much movement? 4 tiny silicone rubber pads on the bottom of this laptop prevents its sliding off the table. In event of earthquake?!?!? They wouldn't prevent its sliding off my lap. Your thermostat is totally encased. It cant go anywhere even during earthquake. But anyway... Good luck with it.

 

[jimjimjimmy]

I had the same housing and t stat all I done was put in my lathe and turned about 0.050 off so the t stat would seat and the o ring still had a groove to set in . been 5 years no leaks . its a very easy fix . the rubber o ring holds the stat from moving .

 

[AJ/FormS]

Chrysler has used two sizes of stats over the years; a large in most of the LAs and a small one later in life, apparently 1979Up. There are just the two sizes.
Your intake accepts the one you have which appears to be the small one.
The housing you show, appears to want the large one.

The older intakes did not have the receiver groove,which was in the stat-house.
The later intakes had the receiver groove in the intake, and none in the stamped steel stat housing.
You simply have the wrong stat-house.

FWIW
I never use RTV sealer here, it's a royal pain to clean up. If the parts fit right, there is no need for it, Use the proper non-universal gasket without the slotted holes. Better yet make your own gasket out of thick gasket-paper. Something around .030 minimum thickness, thicker is better until you get to .062 maximum . Those slotted gaskets are junk;if they don't leak on day one, a 15psi cap will squeeze coolant into there in a short period of time and then it will come up the bolt threads. That's another reason I run a 7psi cap.
And only a light torquing. Actually all of my aluminum manifolds get studs in this location, and I bet you can figure out why. For starters they have NF threads on top and require less torque to stay tight. But more importantly;with bolts,if they leak, the first go-to is to make it tighter, and eventually the threads will give up and pull out of the soft aluminum, and then you are walking. I hate tow-truck rates.
And I use those exhaust manifold end-stud washers, that Chrysler put on there. They distribute and retain the clampload.I use no lockwashers and no flatwashers, only these special washers.
Using these tricks,I almost never have a leak at this location, sometimes going for ten years or more.
Good luck to you.