How to Change a Thermostat on a 1997 Chevy Malibu

Iskandar Blogger 1:33 PM
How to Change a Thermostat on a 1997 Chevy Malibu

The 1997 Chevy Malibu may be a large departure from the high horsepower 1970s Malibu but the routine maintenance that must be completed on the newer Malibu is the same as its 1970s counterpart. The cooling system must be maintained properly which means routine inspection and replacement of the engine thermostat. If the thermostat fails it can cause expensive damage to the engine, which can cost far more then replacing a few dollar part.

Instructions

    1

    Remove the Malibu's top radiator hose from the thermostat cover by removing the clamp that holds it into place. This is done by popping the clamp's retainer clip with a flat head screwdriver. Once the retainer clip has been removed, the hose can be pulled off of the thermostat cover and then pushed off to the side. Place a towel into the radiator hose to prevent any anti-freeze from leaking out of the hose.

    2

    Remove the bolts that hold the thermostat cover onto the Malibu's engine with a 10mm wrench. Because of the constant heating up and cooling down of the bolts they can be hard to remove. Caution should be taken as not to strip or break the head of the bolts off. Once the bolts are removed, the cover can be lifted off of the engine.

    3

    Pull the thermostat out of the engine and plug the hole with a towel. Scrape the old gasket off with a razor blade. A razor blade will cut close to the metal surface and remove all of the old material. Check the bottom of the thermostat cover and remove any old gasket material from it as well.

    4

    Place RTV silicone on the flat surface around the hole for the thermostat. It will act as a gasket. Give the RTV 15 minutes to stiffen up before proceeding.

    5

    Remove the towel from the hole the thermostat was in and replace it with a new thermostat. The thermostat must be orientated correctly. It is marked to denote the top. the top of the thermostat should stick out of the engine.

    6

    Place the thermostat cover back onto the engine and tighten it down with the old bolts. Do not over tighten the bolts as this can crack the soft metal the cover is made from. If this does happen, a new cover should be obtained.

    7

    Pull the towel out of the radiator hose and reattach it to the thermostat cover. Tighten the hose to the cover using the clamp that was originally used.