got a 180 today, and am going back tomorrow to check about something else, and thought since it's winter time, will my heater still work as good as with the 195? i'm thinking now about getting the 195 instead since it's cold.

Also the t-stat i pulled out has a rubber ring around the outer edge which gets compressed into the recess it sits in when the housing is bolted down, so it is sealed around edge of the hole. The new one i bought has no rubber ring, and when the housing is bolted down, the t-stat won't be completely tight in there. Is this bad or should i worry?

 

make the new one look exactly like the old one.

 

i have a 180 and my heat works ok

 

Haven't removed the thermostat before, but it sounds like you're talking about a o-ring. You should take it back and ask if it should come with one. I don't see why it shouldn't. If not buy a new one. It's not a good idea to reuse a seal anywhere.

 

Ok, yea that ring is the seal for the whole thing. Went down and picked one up. I also wussed out and got a 195. If it had been summertime i probably would've got the 180. Now i must put it back together

 

Quick tip; drill two small holes, almost at the edge of the t-stat, "north and south" of the center. This'll help any trapped air bleed off.

And it has a side benefit of lowering the car temp a few degrees. Not many, of course... just enough to notice on the gauge.

 

actually even with the 195 ( thought about drilling the holes but didn't, just filled coolant to top and then put it in) the car is now running about 20-30 degrees cooler than before. was always on 220, and now is halfway between first mark (160?) and 220.

also for all who read this, make sure you have a 3/8 drive u-joint extension. much heartache resulted due to lacking this particular item. i had to change a few things around to get it back together