halloweenz28

hey my thermostat housing seems to be leaking so im going to change the gasket and thermostat

let me know what you usually do
these were some of the choices that i was thinking, but please add suggestions

1)$.89 regular gasket

2)$5 permadry

3)permanex specially formulated silver gasket maker (its a little
squeeze gray thing that says thermostat housing gasket maker)

4)RTV silicone black

5)a combination

6)other

darbleinad

6. Other.

i bought a thermostat housing with an O-Ring seal in it. I have had it on two motors and it has not leaked yet. No other gasket or RTV was used. This particular one happens to be chrome, but that is not why i bought it, i bought it because of the O-ring seal. Seals better and no mess to clean when you remove it. I believe the one i have is a Mr. Gasket piece.

br()bert

Yup me too

JA_Formula_89

I use the regular ($0.99) gasket with some gasket sealer on both sides. Check the torque, it varies based on engine model. My '89 5.0 TPI mine is 25 ft/lbs I think they list some others as around 18 ft/lbs.

Be careful if you buy the Stant gasket (possibly some others), it has an adhesive backing. If you don't pull the backing off it will leak for sure. (More lessons learned the hard way!)

My intake is starting to get corroded around the thermostat housing, so at some point I expect I could have some trouble. If yours is like that you might want to find a way to clean it off.

Go quick and cheap for now unless you are having trouble. Technically, I don't even think you should need sealer.

The O-Ring thermostat housings are nice, but only necessary if you plan on going in there a lot or are having some other troubles.

MrDude_1

first thing you need to check, is WHY yours leaks.

most likely, the stock thermostat housing warped.
if thats the case, you should get a new housing... i reccomend the cast iron generic replacement parts counter one if its a daily driver... it will last forever.. kinda ugly though.

for a nicer one, a regular replacement, or even the cheapie MrGasket one will do... if it isnt a O ring style and needs a gasket, you can use a gasket, or permatex, either will work.
i wouldnt use regular RTV on anything though... permatex stuff is far superior.


if it is warped, and you can try to sand and file it smooth, then make up for the warp by running two gaskets or some permatex and a gasket...

MrDude_1

btw, i recall giving a better and longer reply before... if you do a search im sure it'll come up.

fb305svs

replace the housing too - trust me, u'll be glad you did... add another vote for the mr gakset oring housing - no leaks here altho i did apply somevery small amounts of rtv to the oring areas to make sure it sealed the best it could.