(Rant) Thermostat Housing Leaks...

[SpeedThrills]

...are still a thing?!?!

Forty years ago, I ran into several cheap aftermarket chrome housings that would leak after sanding flat, torquing carefully, greasing gaskets and even siliconing them.

Almost 30 years ago, my partner and I gave up on the chrome junk housing on our race car.

I always "fixed" them by using a factory housing.

I've owned a 5.0 Mustang since '87, always kept the factory housing, no problem ever.

So I bought a D150 in '09 for the drivetrain, which I put in my Duster a couple years ago. I never touched the chrome housing (which was siliconed almost beyond recognition), until recently; to install a cooler stat.

It leaked. I tried sanding flat, siliconing, etc. I even tried a "Real Gasket", which I read about on here. Torqued to their spec, leaked.

Torqued to "my spec", (may have involved some anger), leaked.

I put an original type on it, no more leaks. (Four Seasons 84830, small block)

I've heard this same story from others. On here, too.

Rant over.

 

[Kendog 170]

 

[toolmanmike]

"cheap aftermarket chrome housings " nuff said!

 

[12many]

Factory, cast alloy aftermarket, stamped steel, billet seen em all, never have leaks as they are all sanded flat on plate of glass, use a gasket and an even thin skim coat of Ultra Black silicone on both sides of gasket. Wrench tightened til good and snug. Only the tiniest beading of silicone ever shows (not mountains of silicone spooged out slathered everywhere) Left to fully cure before any coolant is poured in. Never ever a leak. Still trying to determine what I’m doing wrong.

 

[Dana67Dart]

My intake was pitted from decades of leaking.

I bought a aftermarket factory style housing

I used a Real Gasket and followed ALL the directions.

Not a drop in 5 years and I run a full pressure 16 lb cap.


One thing I did do was cleaned out the depth of the bolt holes.

I suspect sometimes the holes are full of crud and prevent the housing from being torqued to spec.

Also due to gorillas tightening bolts on older housings cracks might exist that are only visable when tightened.

Also I suspect that Most do not follow the directions on gasket sealers.


I too replaced a t stat housing and a water pump with stock parts.

I let everything setup overnight before adding g coolant no leaks, 96 318 with 250,000 miles, stamped steel t stat housing (new)

 

[RBConvert]

The chrome ones always leak. Had one that was machined flat, installed with only a gasket, gasket and a little sealer, gasket with a lot of sealer, didn't matter.
Finally installed a stock housing from Mancini and leak more.
Plus I think the engine color housing looks better anyway.

 

[Alan J Odze]

I bought a Billet chrome housing from Summit. I called them and toward the end of the conversation the guy said there is a caption on Edelbrock manifolds to use factory housings.