For a while, i have been having trouble with my chevy trucks with them running cool. I replace the thermostat and it fixes it for a small amount of time like 6 months or something. I have been fighting this issue in my 1500 for a while. Well today i drove my wifes blazer today and the temp only went up too one click above 155 which would be about 168 on the gauge and the OP was slightly higher at idle so i believe it was actually running cool. I called GM and one of the mechanics told me my issues were most likely caused by cheap thermostats that have weaker springs that wear quickly. He recommended going to Napa and getting the premium superstat by stant. I did so and it definitely feel better than the cheap ones i have been using. I put it in an went for a drive and it did fix the issue. Im just wondering if others have run into this with cheap Tstats including the failsafe brand which really was not all the cheap.
Thermostat quality
- Thread starter jstutz
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I went through 3 Stant rad caps in a year, all leaked after after a few months. Went to the dealer and that one has been fine for 2 years. So I'm not mucn on Stant.
John
John
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I haven't bought a cheap thermostat in a long time. The "standard" has been lowered with the price. Now you have to pay a premium for a good stat. Soon you won't be able to find good stats.
I bought a cheap AutoZone (Duralast) 170F Thermostat for my car and it's been working fine for 3 years. The OEM lasted 11 years or so.
Funny, on Saturns there isn't much out there that is good quality, but the STANT I have in my car is holding up well.
The dealer one does too, but its got a lower rated temp than the Stant does.
The dealer one does too, but its got a lower rated temp than the Stant does.
Originally Posted By: jstutz
For a while, i have been having trouble with my chevy trucks with them running cool. I replace the thermostat and it fixes it for a small amount of time like 6 months or something. I have been fighting this issue in my 1500 for a while. Well today i drove my wifes blazer today and the temp only went up too one click above 155 which would be about 168 on the gauge and the OP was slightly higher at idle so i believe it was actually running cool. I called GM and one of the mechanics told me my issues were most likely caused by cheap thermostats that have weaker springs that wear quickly. He recommended going to Napa and getting the premium superstat by stant. I did so and it definitely feel better than the cheap ones i have been using. I put it in an went for a drive and it did fix the issue. Im just wondering if others have run into this with cheap Tstats including the failsafe brand which really was not all the cheap.
I have been using NAPA stant supertstats for a while. Made in USA and they work awsome.
For a while, i have been having trouble with my chevy trucks with them running cool. I replace the thermostat and it fixes it for a small amount of time like 6 months or something. I have been fighting this issue in my 1500 for a while. Well today i drove my wifes blazer today and the temp only went up too one click above 155 which would be about 168 on the gauge and the OP was slightly higher at idle so i believe it was actually running cool. I called GM and one of the mechanics told me my issues were most likely caused by cheap thermostats that have weaker springs that wear quickly. He recommended going to Napa and getting the premium superstat by stant. I did so and it definitely feel better than the cheap ones i have been using. I put it in an went for a drive and it did fix the issue. Im just wondering if others have run into this with cheap Tstats including the failsafe brand which really was not all the cheap.
I have been using NAPA stant supertstats for a while. Made in USA and they work awsome.
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i ran into that issue many times i remember i went to the Cadillac dealer hoping to get a good quality thermostat but when i looked inside the box it was the worst one i have seen for twice the price with my commercial discount i had my parts guy order me a really nice one but i forget who makes it
I've had 2 new vehicles end up over heating when the OEM thermostats stuck shut. The last one a 08 mazda5 had less then 5k miles at the time.
I just had to change the thermostat in my Grand Caravan before christmas when I noticed it was running cold. When I pulled the old stat out it had broken the frame holding the stat together on one side so it would never fully shut.
I just had to change the thermostat in my Grand Caravan before christmas when I noticed it was running cold. When I pulled the old stat out it had broken the frame holding the stat together on one side so it would never fully shut.
I've had many problems with aftermarket Thermostats over the years, and won't use them anymore. I've used top of the line Stant, and other brands and ended up changing them out because of them not working properly. Now I go to the dealer and buy OEM, for the few dollars more it is well worth it IMO.
The "failsafe" stats work as advertised but seem to have a wider (working) range than an ordinary stat. I DO use them tho as I have two high end motors in my collector cars. I'll trade off a few degrees of control for the safety factor. Yes, the modern stats seem to be of poorer quality.. John--Las Vegas.
Were seeing Chinese made Napa stats at the shop now. I can't recall if any were Super stats or not.
We used to use Motorad. They were made in India. Out of 300 installed I only had 1 come back as defective.
We used to use Motorad. They were made in India. Out of 300 installed I only had 1 come back as defective.
A thermostat is one of the few things that I will gladly buy from the dealer.
If not, then it is the BEST one that I can get at NAPA, and only NAPA.
My confidence in Stant has been shaken a bit since they went through bankruptcy last year...
If not, then it is the BEST one that I can get at NAPA, and only NAPA.
My confidence in Stant has been shaken a bit since they went through bankruptcy last year...
I've heard of a few cases where the OEM replacements were junk too.
One guy went through three or four of them before finding one that worked as it should.
One guy went through three or four of them before finding one that worked as it should.
Originally Posted By: dwendt44
I've heard of a few cases where the OEM replacements were junk too.
One guy went through three or four of them before finding one that worked as it should.
You can get a bad one from time to time. But I've found buying OEM the chances of getting a bad one, or one that doesn't operate properly is greatly reduced. YMMV
I've heard of a few cases where the OEM replacements were junk too.
One guy went through three or four of them before finding one that worked as it should.
You can get a bad one from time to time. But I've found buying OEM the chances of getting a bad one, or one that doesn't operate properly is greatly reduced. YMMV
Originally Posted By: TaterandNoodles
I've had 2 new vehicles end up over heating when the OEM thermostats stuck shut. The last one a 08 mazda5 had less then 5k miles at the time.
I just had to change the thermostat in my Grand Caravan before christmas when I noticed it was running cold. When I pulled the old stat out it had broken the frame holding the stat together on one side so it would never fully shut.
what did you replace them with?
I've had 2 new vehicles end up over heating when the OEM thermostats stuck shut. The last one a 08 mazda5 had less then 5k miles at the time.
I just had to change the thermostat in my Grand Caravan before christmas when I noticed it was running cold. When I pulled the old stat out it had broken the frame holding the stat together on one side so it would never fully shut.
what did you replace them with?
Originally Posted By: Torino
The "failsafe" stats work as advertised but seem to have a wider (working) range than an ordinary stat. I DO use them tho as I have two high end motors in my collector cars. I'll trade off a few degrees of control for the safety factor. Yes, the modern stats seem to be of poorer quality.. John--Las Vegas.
I was just looking thru my records and the failsafe was what i put in the blazer about 20k miles ago, and have noted that it fixed my running cool problem. It looks as HD as the supterstat i just bought so im surprised it only lasted 20k miles. Im not sure if failsafe offers a premium and regular one, i seem to remember them only having one at AutoZone but i don't remember. I Paid 11.59 for it though. I keep a spreadsheet of all my maintenance so i can remember stuff like this. Now that i have two young boys, i couldn't tell you what i did last week let alone when i changed a thermostat
The "failsafe" stats work as advertised but seem to have a wider (working) range than an ordinary stat. I DO use them tho as I have two high end motors in my collector cars. I'll trade off a few degrees of control for the safety factor. Yes, the modern stats seem to be of poorer quality.. John--Las Vegas.
I was just looking thru my records and the failsafe was what i put in the blazer about 20k miles ago, and have noted that it fixed my running cool problem. It looks as HD as the supterstat i just bought so im surprised it only lasted 20k miles. Im not sure if failsafe offers a premium and regular one, i seem to remember them only having one at AutoZone but i don't remember. I Paid 11.59 for it though. I keep a spreadsheet of all my maintenance so i can remember stuff like this. Now that i have two young boys, i couldn't tell you what i did last week let alone when i changed a thermostat
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