How can i find my thermostat and

[robfusion06]

my engine light came on and i recieved some codes one said that my coolant in operating below temp, well i have no leaking or disconected hoses and the other code said something about my secondary air injection malfuction now wat i what to know is were can i locate the thermostat and the coolant sensor and were is the secondary air injection system located

[texan818]

my engine light came on and i recieved some codes one said that my coolant in operating below temp, well i have no leaking or disconected hoses and the other code said something about my secondary air injection malfuction now wat i what to know is were can i locate the thermostat and the coolant sensor and were is the secondary air injection system located

 

I've got the same light on and just bought a new one. Anyone know where it is located at before waste time searching for it?

 

Thanks

[2010SEL]

Dumb question: why would you guys buy new thermostats if you don't even know how, or if, you will be able to change it?

[wydopnthrtl]

They are almost always in the engine out side of the coolant system. And usually thats the top rad hose. So.. look for the top rad hose and follow it to the engine. The aluminum thing that the hose connects to is usually also the t-stat housing.

 

(this is true on approx 99% of the cars in America today)

 

Rich

[06 fusionman]

my engine light came on and i recieved some codes one said that my coolant in operating below temp, well i have no leaking or disconected hoses and the other code said something about my secondary air injection malfuction now wat i what to know is were can i locate the thermostat and the coolant sensor and were is the secondary air injection system located

 

 

I have the same problem.code p0128 (collant below temp).went to advance auto and used there scanner. i have a 06 with 61k on it. bought it in 07 with 23k on it. first problem i had with it.

[aspen007]

I just replaced the thermostat and thermostat housing on my 2006 2.3l engine. You can't just replace the thermostat. I bought the part (Motorcraft RT1193) for $35 from an online parts supplier. What's normally a 15 minute job on most engines took me about 2 hours including a five minute break to cuss out the engineers who designed the 2.3 engine thermostat location and one-piece housing/thermo design.

 

The job on the 2.3l engine is a real pain compared to other engines since the thermostat housing is located on the front side of the engine under the power steering pump. My first attempt was to try and access the three bolts holding the thermo housing from below. I could get to two of them but not the third.

 

I decided to remove the power steering pump (don't need to unhook the power steering hoses) and move it a little to the side in order to access the thermostat housing from above. The top two bolts on the p/s unit are easy to get to, but getting to the third lower bolt is a challenge. I was able to get a 6-8 inch extension on the bolt and position my rachet wrench inbetween the a/c hoses near the radiator.

 

The biggest problem for me was getting the hose clamps off the two hoses connected to the thermo housing. Since the thermostat is part of the housing, you can't just pull the thermo housing away from the engine, remove and replace the thermostat, and then reinstall the housing. You have to disconnect the hoses and replace the entire thermo housing.

 

With hindsight, I think I would have tried harder to unbolt the thermo housing from below and then pulled it down towards the bottom of the engine with the hoses still connected. Then I would have worked on the hose clamps with a lot more room. However, on my engine the wire leading to the a/c compressor clutch was in the way and I couldn't figure out how to disconnect that wire.

 

I highly recommend you replace the original hose clamps with adjustable hose clamps. It makes the reassembly a ton easier.

 

Good luck.

[Dyoct]

I just replaced the thermostat and thermostat housing on my 2006 2.3l engine. You can't just replace the thermostat. I bought the part (Motorcraft RT1193) for $35 from an online parts supplier. What's normally a 15 minute job on most engines took me about 2 hours including a five minute break to cuss out the engineers who designed the 2.3 engine thermostat location and one-piece housing/thermo design.

 

The job on the 2.3l engine is a real pain compared to other engines since the thermostat housing is located on the front side of the engine under the power steering pump. My first attempt was to try and access the three bolts holding the thermo housing from below. I could get to two of them but not the third.

 

I decided to remove the power steering pump (don't need to unhook the power steering hoses) and move it a little to the side in order to access the thermostat housing from above. The top two bolts on the p/s unit are easy to get to, but getting to the third lower bolt is a challenge. I was able to get a 6-8 inch extension on the bolt and position my rachet wrench inbetween the a/c hoses near the radiator.

 

The biggest problem for me was getting the hose clamps off the two hoses connected to the thermo housing. Since the thermostat is part of the housing, you can't just pull the thermo housing away from the engine, remove and replace the thermostat, and then reinstall the housing. You have to disconnect the hoses and replace the entire thermo housing.

 

With hindsight, I think I would have tried harder to unbolt the thermo housing from below and then pulled it down towards the bottom of the engine with the hoses still connected. Then I would have worked on the hose clamps with a lot more room. However, on my engine the wire leading to the a/c compressor clutch was in the way and I couldn't figure out how to disconnect that wire.

 

I highly recommend you replace the original hose clamps with adjustable hose clamps. It makes the reassembly a ton easier.

 

Good luck.

 

Holy #$&*#(*@$& $(@&(@$&@( $&@(&@$@ This is by far the worst repair experience ever. I hereby curse the Ford/Mazda engineers on that design as well and hope they sleep well at night knowing that because of this issue this will be my last Ford. As for the upper left bolt, that has to be taken from the top per the Ford book. The other two are from the bottom. They are fairly easy to get out however the hoses are the real PITA. The Ford instructions aren't much help here, it's 2 pages and states that after the housing is unbolted you manuever it to get easier access to the hoses and "disconnect" them.

 

How did you get that one hose clamp off? It seems to be different style whereas it does not have the two prongs to press to release and slide out. I was thinking of the pulling the intake manifold to make this easier or just taking the stupid car into my local dealer who quoted me $230. I am leary though because he did it off of the book time. My former dealer/employer charges $500 for the job so I'm going to call my local dealer to confirm if they in fact can do this for $230. I ended up rebolting the thermostat housing back but lost the left upper bolt and cannot find it. I'll be picking up a bolt, putting it back together and looking into pulling the manifold or biting on $230.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Dyoct

[Nbm602]

So you do have to replace the entire housing? STUPID design!! I couldn't find the t-stat for the life of me, and when I took it to a mechanic he wanted almost $300 to replace it because he said you have to replace the housing, not just the thermostat! I laughed at him and walked out. I thought he was full of s..., but I guess he was right. I think I'm gonna have a pro do this job just because I'm afraid I'll destroy my car.

[Dyoct]

:happy feet:

 

Finally got 'er done! Talked to a former co-worker and he said you gotta unbolt the pump as mentioned in the previous post. The Ford WSM isn't detailed enough.

 

Safely raise vehicle, secure rear wheels, jackstands etc.

Drain coolant, a red petcock can be found the driver side lower radiator. I used a small rubber hose (maybe 3/8"?) to attach to the drain to run through to my catchpan.

Remove the splash shield on the passenger side wheel well that covers the crank pulley.

With the use a 13mm wrench/belt tensioner tool release the slack on the belt and remove.

Undo the 3 bolts (10mm) on the power steering pump. The top left one will remain with the pump whereas it cannot be completely removed because it is obstructed by a line. Top right bolt will be removed. The lower bolt can be taken off of with a small box wrench.

Move the pump and reservior assembly to the side. (2006 models that do no have ABS will have addtional room where as the ABS module is in the vicinity here) you can also unbolt (8mm) the filler neck for the washer fluid reservior for some more space.

You have access now to the thermostat housing assembly.

Remove the two coolant hoses. A plier hose clamp spring loaded tool is VERY recommended here!

Now you can remove the 3 thermostat bolts (8mm). The top one on the passenger side can be accessed from the top. The two driver side bolts (top and bottom) can be accessed from under the vehicle. This is the only useful step from the Ford book. :do what:

Remove housing.

I flushed some more distilled water through the system. I undid the upper hose and flushed distilled water through the block.

Installation is reverse of removal. Ha, again from Ford manual.

Before you add in the new coolant/water mix, open the relief valve. It is a small platic capscrew located by the brake master cylinder. I think on AT models the trans dispstick is in that area too (not sure since mine is an MT).

Fill with coolant, eventually some will start to come out of that valve.

Run engine, get up to temperature, run heat on high, inspect for leaks and check coolant level.

 

I wish I had taken some pictures, but hope this helps.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Dyoct

[twiggy144]

So you do have to replace the entire housing? STUPID design!! I couldn't find the t-stat for the life of me, and when I took it to a mechanic he wanted almost $300 to replace it because he said you have to replace the housing, not just the thermostat! I laughed at him and walked out. I thought he was full of s..., but I guess he was right. I think I'm gonna have a pro do this job just because I'm afraid I'll destroy my car.

 

The 4 cyl Fusion's thermostat that comes with the housing sells at Autozone for $27, which is about $10 more than the plain thermostat sold for the 6 cyl Fusion, if you factor in the gasket required. My 2 daughter's Mazda3's also have a "thermostat within the housing design". This design is not unique to Ford.

[Photi_G]

The 4 cyl Fusion's thermostat that comes with the housing sells at Autozone for $27, which is about $10 more than the plain thermostat sold for the 6 cyl Fusion, if you factor in the gasket required. My 2 daughter's Mazda3's also have a "thermostat within the housing design". This design is not unique to Ford.

 

Well, technically, the Duratec 23 in 06-09my fusions is the same as the 2.3L Mazda MZR/L engine. When Ford had a large controlling interest in Mazda, they took their designs for the 2.3L and 2.5L MZR/L engines, and a few other 4 cylinders, while Mazda borrowed some V6 designs, having none of their own. Anyway, because of their partnership, Ford and Mazda 4 cylinder engines are very similar, so this thermostat-in-housing design is exclusive to those two manufacturers. I hope this never happens to me. I'll just take it to the shop if it does. :P

[vans]

I just changed out Tstat in my daughters 2006 Milan, I agree with all the above-"What a Pain in the *ss"

 

My afternoon started out with a half hour search just to figure out how to loosen tension on serpentine belt,

 

I removed power steering pump and that itself took some time getting at fasteners

 

I would say I was at it for 4 hours total

 

Purchased my replacement at local NAPA store

[dennisw]

Holy #$&*#(*@$& $(@&(@$&@( $&@(&@$@ This is by far the worst repair experience ever. I hereby curse the Ford/Mazda engineers on that design as well and hope they sleep well at night knowing that because of this issue this will be my last Ford. As for the upper left bolt, that has to be taken from the top per the Ford book. The other two are from the bottom. They are fairly easy to get out however the hoses are the real PITA. The Ford instructions aren't much help here, it's 2 pages and states that after the housing is unbolted you manuever it to get easier access to the hoses and "disconnect" them.

 

How did you get that one hose clamp off? It seems to be different style whereas it does not have the two prongs to press to release and slide out. I was thinking of the pulling the intake manifold to make this easier or just taking the stupid car into my local dealer who quoted me $230. I am leary though because he did it off of the book time. My former dealer/employer charges $500 for the job so I'm going to call my local dealer to confirm if they in fact can do this for $230. I ended up rebolting the thermostat housing back but lost the left upper bolt and cannot find it. I'll be picking up a bolt, putting it back together and looking into pulling the manifold or biting on $230.

What a rediculous thing to say. ALL FORDS DO NOT HAVE THIS LOCATION. Most any FORD is easier to work on than most all other brands. this post shows your lack of knowledge. Buy something else then go bash that brand on their board.

[Photi_G]

Holy #$&*#(*@$& $(@&(@$&@( $&@(&@$@ This is by far the worst repair experience ever. I hereby curse the Ford/Mazda engineers on that design as well and hope they sleep well at night knowing that because of this issue this will be my last Ford. As for the upper left bolt, that has to be taken from the top per the Ford book. The other two are from the bottom. They are fairly easy to get out however the hoses are the real PITA. The Ford instructions aren't much help here, it's 2 pages and states that after the housing is unbolted you manuever it to get easier access to the hoses and "disconnect" them.

 

How did you get that one hose clamp off? It seems to be different style whereas it does not have the two prongs to press to release and slide out. I was thinking of the pulling the intake manifold to make this easier or just taking the stupid car into my local dealer who quoted me $230. I am leary though because he did it off of the book time. My former dealer/employer charges $500 for the job so I'm going to call my local dealer to confirm if they in fact can do this for $230. I ended up rebolting the thermostat housing back but lost the left upper bolt and cannot find it. I'll be picking up a bolt, putting it back together and looking into pulling the manifold or biting on $230.

 

If you think that's a PITA, go buy a Toyota Camry instead, and spend half an hour removing 9000 plastic covers just to get to the oil dipstick.

[Sports-car-list]

:happy feet:

 

Finally got 'er done! Talked to a former co-worker and he said you gotta unbolt the pump as mentioned in the previous post. The Ford WSM isn't detailed enough.

 

Safely raise vehicle, secure rear wheels, jackstands etc.

Drain coolant, a red petcock can be found the driver side lower radiator. I used a small rubber hose (maybe 3/8"?) to attach to the drain to run through to my catchpan.

Remove the splash shield on the passenger side wheel well that covers the crank pulley.

With the use a 13mm wrench/belt tensioner tool release the slack on the belt and remove.

Undo the 3 bolts (10mm) on the power steering pump. The top left one will remain with the pump whereas it cannot be completely removed because it is obstructed by a line. Top right bolt will be removed. The lower bolt can be taken off of with a small box wrench.

Move the pump and reservior assembly to the side. (2006 models that do no have ABS will have addtional room where as the ABS module is in the vicinity here) you can also unbolt (8mm) the filler neck for the washer fluid reservior for some more space.

You have access now to the thermostat housing assembly.

Remove the two coolant hoses. A plier hose clamp spring loaded tool is VERY recommended here!

Now you can remove the 3 thermostat bolts (8mm). The top one on the passenger side can be accessed from the top. The two driver side bolts (top and bottom) can be accessed from under the vehicle. This is the only useful step from the Ford book. :do what:

Remove housing.

I flushed some more distilled water through the system. I undid the upper hose and flushed distilled water through the block.

Installation is reverse of removal. Ha, again from Ford manual.

Before you add in the new coolant/water mix, open the relief valve. It is a small platic capscrew located by the brake master cylinder. I think on AT models the trans dispstick is in that area too (not sure since mine is an MT).

Fill with coolant, eventually some will start to come out of that valve.

Run engine, get up to temperature, run heat on high, inspect for leaks and check coolant level.

 

I wish I had taken some pictures, but hope this helps.

Excellent instructions by Dyoct, worked good for me also, as well as aspen007 mentioning that (don't need to unhook the power steering hoses) and aspen007 said "I highly recommend you replace the original hose clamps with adjustable hose clamps. It makes the reassembly a ton easier." Is also good advice. Any how since I did not see any pictures on the internet relating to this process and Doyct mentioning, he wished he took some pictures. I figured I may as well take some pictures so people can get a visual on the thermostats location etc. Also helpfull to buy the new hose clamps before taking the car apart, I did'nt have new clamps so i had to pick them up the next day. Here are a few pictures, if you want to see all the rest of the pictures, 28 of them you can check them out here. http://www.sports-ca...mostat-replace/

Edited March 6, 2012 by Sports-car-list

[Weezybby]

This helped a lot! I'm sure it saved me time that I would have wasted if I hadn't read this beforehand. Thanks alot

[boatnfish]

Okay, so in the coming weeks I will be replacing the thermostat on an '08 4 cylinder. Can someone tell me the torque specs for the thermostat housing and the power steering pump? The instructions posted look to be great to get ready for the job.

 

Not looking forward to it, but you do what you gotta do. My truck with a 5.4l was so easy. 15 minutes and I didn't even bother to top off the fluid as I don't think I lost more than a cup.

[dennisw]

Okay, so in the coming weeks I will be replacing the thermostat on an '08 4 cylinder. Can someone tell me the torque specs for the thermostat housing and the power steering pump? The instructions posted look to be great to get ready for the job.

 

Not looking forward to it, but you do what you gotta do. My truck with a 5.4l was so easy. 15 minutes and I didn't even bother to top off the fluid as I don't think I lost more than a cup.

 

Look at post #4 on the thread Water Pump on this forum.

[Elguapo]

Dyoct and Sports car list,

I just wanted to say thanks for posting. I recently had a P0128 on my 08 Fusion. After reading you blog I'm not afraid to tackle this job myself. Yes it'll still be a PITA but much less after reading your posts. El Guapo

[Blueblood]

Just changed my thermostat and would like to thanks all those helpful post with excellent details , tips and pics. What more could you ask for ? (except for easier access to the thermostat).

Thanks again fellow fusioners !

[fusion60933]

my engine light came on and i recieved some codes one said that my coolant in operating below temp, well i have no leaking or disconected hoses and the other code said something about my secondary air injection malfuction now wat i what to know is were can i locate the thermostat and the coolant sensor and were is the secondary air injection system located

hey on the coolant thermostat its located behind ur power steering pump and under left side of headers on a 2.3L engine . i have the same code coming up and the thermostat is stuck open keeping motor from reaching operating temp. im having it changed tuesday for like 130.00 from a goodyear store my boss's son works at and i have the thermostat provided and gold antifreeze its longer life than green antifreeze its 17.00 a gallon from dealership il let u know if that corrects the light but im sure it will but il let u know bro fusion member in virginia

[pvanhoudt]

Excellent instructions by Dyoct, worked good for me also, as well as aspen007 mentioning that (don't need to unhook the power steering hoses) and aspen007 said "I highly recommend you replace the original hose clamps with adjustable hose clamps. It makes the reassembly a ton easier." Is also good advice. Any how since I did not see any pictures on the internet relating to this process and Doyct mentioning, he wished he took some pictures. I figured I may as well take some pictures so people can get a visual on the thermostats location etc. Also helpfull to buy the new hose clamps before taking the car apart, I did'nt have new clamps so i had to pick them up the next day. Here are a few pictures, if you want to see all the rest of the pictures, 28 of them you can check them out here. http://www.sports-ca...mostat-replace/

Dude, you outdid yourself this time. I spent 20 minutes just trying to lay eyes on the thermistat! Your post will help much when I tackle this (over Christmas). Props to Dyoct as well.

[08 fusiontom]

Is the "Gold Antifreeze" available aftermarket or only at a Ford dealership? Does it need dilution?

[bbf2530]

Is the "Gold Antifreeze" available aftermarket or only at a Ford dealership? Does it need dilution?

 

Hi fusiontom. :D It is available "afermarket". Get the Ford specification from your Owners Manual and purchase a brand that meets that Ford spec. Like most antifreeze specs nowadays, it may be available both unmixed/undiluted or mixed/diluted. Therefore, read the directions on the container of the particular brand you purchase and follow them.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited December 23, 2012 by bbf2530

[FusionDiffusion]

Look for G-05 type coolant.