I installed a Motorad thermostat in my Corolla this summer and it's been fine until temps get cold. It won't get to operating temperature sometimes at all or it takes a very long time. Anyone else have this problem with Motorad thermostats?
Faulty Motorad thermostat
- Thread starter Drew99GT
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Well it is made in India.
That's why I stay with OE toyota thermostat.
Q.
Q.
A few years ago I had a problem with a Motorad thermostat I bought at Canadian Tire. It also would not let my car warm up at all in the cold weather. I took it out and tossed it in the garbage and reinstalled another Motorad thermostat from Canadian Tire. This one worked properly.
It's a good idea to suspend a t-stat in a pot of hot water on the stove & use a thermometer to see when it actually opens & closes (& whether it opens & closes fully too)-QC is not really good on some of the cheaper ones!
Consider the time/effort to drain the radiator, undo the thermostat housing, take the thermostat to a boiling pot of water (w/ thermometer) and check for openings, and then re-install (sometimes you may have to buy new O-rings (honda) or replace paper gaskets, etc.) refill the radiator with coolant, purge air bubbles trapped inside engine water jacket, warm up the engine until the thermostat opens up and then top up coolant, etc.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
Actually I meant testing the NEW thermostat before (wasting) the time to put in a possibly bad one! Usually if you use a brand name they're OK, but a bad one does turn up occasionally.
I thought they fixed that years ago.. went thru 3 back in 2002 with my old Festiva. My buddy worked at O'Reilly even he said the heck with it and we went to Autozone and got a Stant. I reluctantly got motoraid radiator cap today. I'm not holding my breath. In other words run from anything made by motoraid!
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
Well it is made in India.
The one I installed was made in Israel. I thought they were a high quality product, but apparently I was quite wrong!
Well it is made in India.
The one I installed was made in Israel. I thought they were a high quality product, but apparently I was quite wrong!
Originally Posted By: Quest
Consider the time/effort to drain the radiator, undo the thermostat housing, take the thermostat to a boiling pot of water (w/ thermometer) and check for openings, and then re-install (sometimes you may have to buy new O-rings (honda) or replace paper gaskets, etc.) refill the radiator with coolant, purge air bubbles trapped inside engine water jacket, warm up the engine until the thermostat opens up and then top up coolant, etc.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
I agree a 100% I see aftermarket garbage put on all the time just to save a few bucks,but in the end it will cost you more.
Consider the time/effort to drain the radiator, undo the thermostat housing, take the thermostat to a boiling pot of water (w/ thermometer) and check for openings, and then re-install (sometimes you may have to buy new O-rings (honda) or replace paper gaskets, etc.) refill the radiator with coolant, purge air bubbles trapped inside engine water jacket, warm up the engine until the thermostat opens up and then top up coolant, etc.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
I agree a 100% I see aftermarket garbage put on all the time just to save a few bucks,but in the end it will cost you more.
I called that "penny-wise, pound-foolish".
Been there, done that. Never would I resort to aftermarket thermostat again unless under 1 condition: OE is no longer available in this whole wide world for that particular vehicle I'm servicing.
Q.
Been there, done that. Never would I resort to aftermarket thermostat again unless under 1 condition: OE is no longer available in this whole wide world for that particular vehicle I'm servicing.
Q.
Originally Posted By: Quest
Consider the time/effort to drain the radiator, undo the thermostat housing, take the thermostat to a boiling pot of water (w/ thermometer) and check for openings, and then re-install (sometimes you may have to buy new O-rings (honda) or replace paper gaskets, etc.) refill the radiator with coolant, purge air bubbles trapped inside engine water jacket, warm up the engine until the thermostat opens up and then top up coolant, etc.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
+1 although I will use a Superstant or one of their caps. They are usually good.
Consider the time/effort to drain the radiator, undo the thermostat housing, take the thermostat to a boiling pot of water (w/ thermometer) and check for openings, and then re-install (sometimes you may have to buy new O-rings (honda) or replace paper gaskets, etc.) refill the radiator with coolant, purge air bubbles trapped inside engine water jacket, warm up the engine until the thermostat opens up and then top up coolant, etc.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
+1 although I will use a Superstant or one of their caps. They are usually good.
On my Jeep, the OEM t-stat is a Stant, so I've got no issue with putting a plain old Stant unit in, regardless of where it came from.
Originally Posted By: stuntboy79
Originally Posted By: Quest
Consider the time/effort to drain the radiator, undo the thermostat housing, take the thermostat to a boiling pot of water (w/ thermometer) and check for openings, and then re-install (sometimes you may have to buy new O-rings (honda) or replace paper gaskets, etc.) refill the radiator with coolant, purge air bubbles trapped inside engine water jacket, warm up the engine until the thermostat opens up and then top up coolant, etc.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
I agree a 100% I see aftermarket garbage put on all the time just to save a few bucks,but in the end it will cost you more.
+1 A good example is the thermostat that goes in my GMC 6.2 (& the 6.5s)-the factory & Delco one is 3 times the depth of the junk aftermarket, and has a bigger opening when hot-using the wrong one & not paying attention to coolant temps could easily cause a blown head gasket/warped head, or even a cracked #8 cylinder wall on a 6.5. Just to save $10 on a thermostat. NOT WORTH IT!!!
Originally Posted By: Quest
Consider the time/effort to drain the radiator, undo the thermostat housing, take the thermostat to a boiling pot of water (w/ thermometer) and check for openings, and then re-install (sometimes you may have to buy new O-rings (honda) or replace paper gaskets, etc.) refill the radiator with coolant, purge air bubbles trapped inside engine water jacket, warm up the engine until the thermostat opens up and then top up coolant, etc.
The time it takes to do all that: I would rather spend 20bux and install a brand new OE thermostat instead and be over with it, instead of dwelling on an inferior (did I say "cheep") quality thermostat...
My time worths more than a new thermostat, you know (If I were you).
Q.
I agree a 100% I see aftermarket garbage put on all the time just to save a few bucks,but in the end it will cost you more.
+1 A good example is the thermostat that goes in my GMC 6.2 (& the 6.5s)-the factory & Delco one is 3 times the depth of the junk aftermarket, and has a bigger opening when hot-using the wrong one & not paying attention to coolant temps could easily cause a blown head gasket/warped head, or even a cracked #8 cylinder wall on a 6.5. Just to save $10 on a thermostat. NOT WORTH IT!!!
My vehicle has the standard multivehicle 2 1/8 inch t stat. I've replaced it many times, always using the stant or superstant.
This time I used the a made in Israel Motorad. It came with a little toggle air bleed in it.
This made burping the system much easier then the half dozen top ups required with the superstants.
My engine seems to warm up just as fast or faster than with the superstant.
By many of the comparison photos I've seen on this site between aftermarket T stats and the OEM, the OEM certainly looks to be superior. On my vehicle I have no basis for comparison with OEM, unless the first one I replaced was OEM. If it was then the appearance was nearly exactly like the Stant.
This time I used the a made in Israel Motorad. It came with a little toggle air bleed in it.
This made burping the system much easier then the half dozen top ups required with the superstants.
My engine seems to warm up just as fast or faster than with the superstant.
By many of the comparison photos I've seen on this site between aftermarket T stats and the OEM, the OEM certainly looks to be superior. On my vehicle I have no basis for comparison with OEM, unless the first one I replaced was OEM. If it was then the appearance was nearly exactly like the Stant.
I'm a firm believer in using OEM thermostats. A few times I posted endorsing OEM I was criticized. The truth is OEM is the only way to go with a thermostat, at least IMO. I got burnt a few times using aftermarket, I won't use them again!
The Motorads for Saturns are cheap looking, and include the housing.
The Stants look like OE and do not include the housing (which you do not need)
I run a Stant in my car, and its been good for over a year.
The Stants look like OE and do not include the housing (which you do not need)
I run a Stant in my car, and its been good for over a year.
When I bought my 01 focus (used,) i dumped the coolant, took the t housing out, saw a motorad threw it as far as I could and got a US made superstat, got a superstat in my jeep, sierra, chevy, and all my previous cars.
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