thermostat orientation in the housing...

[gcretro]

I put in a new t-stat (gates superstat) in my 04 Neon. I noticed that the t-stat sits in the housing only in particular position

Looks like the t-stat isn't exactly circular. Am I missing something here?

(In some other ford cars, the t-stat had a jiggle valve that had to be at 12'O clock position in the housing). I didn't really find that jiggle valve in this gates super-stat for the neon.

[Paul56]

I put in a new t-stat (gates superstat) in my 04 Neon. I noticed that the t-stat sits in the housing only in particular position

Looks like the t-stat isn't exactly circular. Am I missing something here?

(In some other ford cars, the t-stat had a jiggle valve that had to be at 12'O clock position in the housing). I didn't really find that jiggle valve in this gates super-stat for the neon.

The jiggle valve needs to be in the top position.

If the t-stat you installed has no jiggle valve then purging
the air out of the system will be difficult.

[occasional demons]

If the valve is off center, position it so it is at the lowest point. Usually that is how the bleeder valve ones are set up. Without that "jiggle" bleeder, you are going to have a fun time getting the air out of the head, and you may overheat the engine. Without coolant contacting the t'stat due to the trapped air, the t'stat will not open when it should. I would drill a small hole in the top most point possible. And I mean small. A 1/8" hole will flow enough to really slow down warm up times.

Edit: See, we old farts have been there, done that.

[g_force58]

The Haynes manual for my 2000 ES says to install the t-stat with the jiggle valve at the 1 o-clock position as you look at it from the front. Must have been right, didn't have any trouble after installing that way. I suppose there are as many opinions on this as there are Neon's. Just my 2 cents.

[gcretro]

This is the one I got... hmm it says jiggle "pin". But it fit only in a specific orientation on the housing. i didn't exactly pay attention to where this pin was.

GATES Part # 33849S Premium Thermostat; 195º Superstat (1 13/16" x 3/4" x 61/64") w/Jiggle Pin

I let the motor idle with radiator cap open for ~15 mins. At times I had to close it since coolant would started oozing out... then I again slowly opened, kept adding coolant mix till bubbling stopped & level constant. It was swirling. (Heater was on high all the time and I had good heat) after the first 5 mins or so.

Question:
Is the temperature gauge telling the truth? I mean, if I have not got all the air out or the t-stat is incorrect and motor is overheating... will this gauge show the temperature rising?. I even drove the car about 16 miles and temps didn't cross the 1/4 mark. (same as before). Never crossed the 1/4 mark since I have had the car for last 2 months.

[gcretro]

Bump

[occasional demons]

About 1/4 to 1/3 is fairly normal. Mine rarely goes near 1/2 gauge. If you really want to know the temp, you will need to tee into the heater hose. The one that comes out of the cylinder head.

If there was enough air trapped in there, the temp gauge would not be reading as hot as the engine really is, and the t'stat would open late. It would then boil over.

If the upper hose is getting hot, then the t'stat is opening. Your best bet is to let it cool, and check the level at the cap. And be sure the cap is functioning, so it will bleed the air to the expansion tank, and draw coolant back to replace any air in the system.