The thermostat on your 1993 Thunderbird although small has the sole responsibility of making sure the engine cools correctly. As the engine heats up the thermostat opens to allow coolant to pass through it to the radiator in order to reduce the engine's temperature. A damaged thermostat that doesn't open will cause the engine to overhea,t leading to mechanical failure. If your thermostat has become inoperable, it must be replaced immediately. The repair can be done at home with a few tools in less than 45 minutes.
Instructions
- 1
Remove the radiator cap and place a coolant drain pan underneath the radiator. Open the drain plug on the radiator and drain 1/4 of the coolant into the coolant drain pan. If you count to 60 while the coolant is draining, 1/4 of it will have drained by the time you're done counting. Then, quickly close the drain plug.
2Follow the top radiator hose over to its connection on the thermostat housing. Use a socket wrench to loosen the retaining clamp bolt holding the hose in place. Slide the clamp back on the hose 5 inches. Some engine models use a spring-tension clamp to secure the hose to the thermostat housing. To loosen the spring-tension clamp use a pair of pliers to squeeze the small metal tabs on the clamp together while moving the clamp back on the hose.
3Pull the top radiator hose off the thermostat housing. As soon as the hose comes off immediately, lift the hose end vertically. This will allow any remaining coolant in the hose to back-fill into the radiator instead of leaking on the ground.
4Loosen and remove the two retaining bolts holding the thermostat housing in place. Remove the housing from its mounting position.
5Flip the thermostat housing over and you will see the thermostat inside of it. Remove the thermostat by rotating it counter-clockwise to unlock it from the thermostat housing.
6Scrape off all of the old sealant and any remaining pieces of the gasket with a plastic putty knife. Do not use anything sharp to do this not even a flat-head screwdriver.
7Wipe the thermostat housing dry with a shop rag and insert the new thermostat into position. Lock the thermostat in place by turning it clockwise until it stops.
8Apply a bead of ATV sealant around the flat mounting surface of the thermostat housing and then place the gasket onto the bead of sealant on the housing. Place another bead of the ATV sealant directly onto the gasket then place the thermostat housing back onto its mounting position on the engine.
9Tighten both of the thermostat housing's bolts by hand until they're snug. Set your 3/8-inch-drive torque wrench to 18 ft-lbs. and then secure the bolts in place.
10Reattach the top radiator hose to the thermostat housing and return its clamp securely into position. Refill your radiator will the coolant from the drain pan and then return the radiator cap. Allow the sealant to set up for 2 to 3 hours then start the Thunderbird's engine and check the thermostat housing for leaks. Once the engine reaches normal operating temperature and there still aren't any leaks, take the car for a test drive.
