I replaced my rad but is my thermostat working?!!!

[ruggles]

My rad split on the top plastic last night so I got a used one from Rising Sun this morning, Thanks Steven! Anyways I put it in filled it up and let it idle but it was taking for ever to warm so I took it for a 5 min-10 min drive. the temp went up to almost half by the time I got home. I felt the bottom hose and it was still cold. Is my thermostat effed? How long does it take to open and should the bottom hose be warm? It was cold and easy to squeeze. ALSO IS THERE A THERMOSTAT I CAN GET FROM CANADIAN TIRE OR LORDCO TO PUT IN? I NEED THIS THING DEALT WITH ASAP! THANK YOU ALL. as a side note its running much better than ever before. Nice and smooth.

Thanks

[ruggles]

Anyone? i have heat in the cabin so am I good?

[Diver]

Did you bleed the system from the plastic bleeder bolt on the bulkhead above the battery?
(Cold bottom hose perfectly normal btw)

[davidwwc]

Hi Ruggles,

Yes you should bleed the system as Diver mentions. Run the engine and open the bleed bolt until you see rediator water comes out( be careful ) . Ocassionally rev up the engine so more liquid comes out ,it should be warm ,then getting hotter. The bottom hose should be cold as it has been cool down by the fans or incoming air while driving. It will be a problem if it is hot.

The heater settings should be at maxium both front and rear. If this is not working, you need a new thermostate which you can get from Rising Sun. I got from him last time .

DC

[mac_stang]

Your lower rad hose will remain cool until the thermostat opens up, then your cooling system is circulating, leaves motor-enters upper rad-cools while being drawn down through rad-re enters engine block from lower rad hose etc.

Usually(although NOT always) a thermostate fails by remaining open at all times. Then your engine never seems to warm up to any where close to normal operating temp.

Brad.

[jaggedfish]

If you want to test your thermostat so you are 100% sure it is working (or not), remove it from the vehicle and put it in a pot of hot water so you are able to see the part that opens. You should see the thermostat open once the water is hot enough. If it does not open and the water has reached the boiling point the thermostat is hooped. Also, look over the thermostat when you remove it from the vehicle... if your engine is cold and the thermostat is open, it is also hooped.

It's a bit of a task to do this test (removing thermostat) but it is worth it to relieve the thoughts of the unknown.