Sealing a Thermostat housing?

[hatchsub]

Hey all. Ive never had this problem before but now it seems that i cant make my Thermostat housing seal up to the manifold. The first time i tried it i put the gasket in dry like i always do and it didnt seal. Second time i tried i used some permatex on the manifold side. Sealed for a few minutes then started seeping by. Any suggestions? The only thing i can think of now is to put a good amount of permatex on both sides of the gasket and stick it on there and let it sit up overnight before i start the car.

[GLCraig]

Make sure both surfaces have all of the old gasket removed. Sometimes the Thermostat will slip out of the recess that is sits in and that will prevent the housing from sealing properly.

[4WDFrenzy]

As GLCraigGT said, there is a little lip on the inside of the housing that the thermostat sits on. It is recessed, so that the thermostat sits flush with the mounting surface. The gasket goes between that and the thermostat housing. You can use silicone on it if you like. I use it anytime I have to use a paper or cork gasket. Oh, and as long as you let the silicone sit for about 10 minutes prior to installation, you should be good. Just make sure that the bolts are tightened, but not overtightened(don't want to snap a bolt).

 

*Make sure that the back of the thermostat(the long part that contains the spring) goes into the engine block and the front faces up, toward the housing.(Trust me, I've seen it done the other way before and the results weren't pretty!). I just thought that I would throw that little bit of info out there, and no, I'm not saying that you are stupid and would do that.*

 

Patrick

[hatchsub]

Thats the thing..i made sure the thermostat was in the groove that it was supposed to be in and that it was facing up and in the right direction but still it does not seal. Im begginging to wonder if maybe the manifold is a bit warped but i cant see that being the case. Should i put the permatex on both sides of the gasket and let it sit up for 10 minutes..then put it in and let it sit overnight? Or should i just put it on one side and let it sit ten minutes and then install it and let it sit over night. Whatever your response is im going to do.

[hatchsub]

Ok went and held the housing up against the manifold with no gasket on it and wiggled it back and forth. There was a gap. It had room to move so i figured out what area was high and took it down on the housing. Now it sits flush so tomorrow im going to put the gasket in and seal it up. Now should i just stick the gasket on the housing (it has built in adhesive) and then put some permatex on the manifold side of the gasket or should i just put permatex on both sides just to be safe?

[jeffast]

i vote both just to be safe permatex is good stuff

[hatchsub]

Well i tried something just for the hell of it. I put the gasket in dry again and tightened down the housing and i could actually see the gap between the manifold and the housing. Something is seriously wrong with either the manifold or the housing. I dont have time to mess with it anymore seeing as how im going back to school on monday so i give up and am having the shop finish it for me. It just ticks me off that i get it up and running..and running really great for that matter and then i cant drive it because of a thermostat housing not sealing and throttle cable thats too short. For once i wish i could finish something on my own but i always run into some weird stupid thing that keeps me from finishing. Sorry to run on but im just a little pissed is all.