GM 3.1L,3.4L Thermostat Replacement.
GM 3100,3400 Thermostat Replacement
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31003400, Replacement, thermostat
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GM 3.1L,3.4L Thermostat Replacement.
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Anyway- thanks for the vid Rich- it was quite helpful
I used every cuss word and phrase I could think of, even called up a Navy Chief AND a Marine Gunny Sgt and they couldn’t help with any new cussing I hadn’t thought of. Do yourself a favor and take the Aztek to a shop. Not a bad car so far- bought it w 35k at auction several years ago for only $1850 (re-built title) so I’ve sure got my money out of it and not many probs but a real firkin hassle under the hood. Maybe time to sell it and get an old pickup truck! YEE YEE
Got that bottom bolt out- not a big deal but took some monkeying around. Getting it back in….. If you own an Aztek don’t even try it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not get that bottom bolt in. After trying everything I could think of and spending several hours both yesterday and today, I just put it back together with the top bolt only and it seems to be ok for the moment but that’s not a good fix. Maybe my mitts are too big.
After trying numerous times in replacing the housing. I noticed that the new thermostat I bought which was a stant superstat was noticeably taller (the cone) than the original one. I swapped this superstat with a standard stant thermostat which was shorter and was able to finally get the housing back on. It took a few tries, but I was able to clear the thermostat and get it back on. I removed both bolts when removing the housing.
I had no luck with the bottom bolt in place wish i did.
having the same prob. got the housing off with the bolt still in but seems a real pita to get it back. taking a break till the am…
I do not blame you for not touching the exhaust.
Great video and very informative. I only have one hint. If you noticed when he removed the thermostat housing the spot for the bottom bolt was a SLOT and not a HOLE. This makes it unnecessary to completely remove the bottom bolt. You only should have to loosen it a couple of turns. Lighten up on GM, they’re working with you… a little.
I normally take my time – the exhaust is in the way but the bolts look rough and I didn’t want to touch them. So I took off the hose off the fuel rail and removed the sensor above it from the throttle body giving my enough room to get my wrench in and loosen that infernal second bolt.
Great Vid by the way – thanks for posting!
lol
if you have the dog bone type upper motor mounts, you can remove them and actually rotate the engine forward a little. One of the after market tool makers like KD has a device that you install in place of one of the dog bone engine mounts so you can use a wrench to crank the engine forward and back again…I think it is called an engine tilter not to be confused with the device for an engine crane.
IMO in the long run it is much better to disassemble anything in the way like the exhaust crossover and any coolant lines that’s just me though. If you do remove the exhaust crossover squirt liquid wrench on the bolts.. when filling the coolant back up use distilled water, its something like 75 cents a gallon, keeps all the stuff out left behind by tap water.
Greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Benjamin
Glad to see that even folks who are in the business have a hard time with the poor engineering. Buy American…lol.
I can’t agree more. GM should go under, they design thier cars to keep the do-it-yourselfer from working on them and they design thier cars to take hours to do a simple tast. These buicks and more so the 3.1 are the biggest lemons I’ve ever seen and I’ve bee doing this for 3 decades.
I can’t agree more. GM should go under, they design thier cars to keep the do-it-yourselfer from working on them and they design thier cars to take hours to do a simple tast. These buicks and more so the 3.1 are the biggest lemons I’ve ever seen and I’ve bee doing this for 3 decades.
I can’t agree more. GM should go under, they design thier cars to keep the do-it-yourselfer from working on them and they design thier cars to take hours to do a simple tast. These buicks and more so the 3.1 are the biggest lemons I’ve ever seen and I’ve bee doing this for 3 decades.
I can’t agree more. GM should go under, they design thier cars to keep the do-it-yourselfer from working on them and they design thier cars to take hours to do a simple tast. These buicks and more so the 3.1 are the biggest lemons I’ve ever seen and I’ve bee doing this for 3 decades.
i could not agree more, i watched this vid about 3 months ago trying to do the thermostat. it got done, if i remember correctly it took like 3 hours. i eventually just took stuff off till i could get to it. Now im watching videos again trying to find a way to access o2 sensor. which of course is just out of reach and blocked by about 5 different things.
I do not know if yours works like this but i have seen some were the second fan comes on when the temp is real high.
Rich, off subject question. my 96 cutlass supreme has the 3.1l and a/c. I’ve noticed since day one when I got the car back in 07 that only 1 of the 2 electric fans runs, the one on the drivers side when the need arises. Are they both suppose to come on together, or is this normal? I’ve never seen the other come on. The fan does work though.
You sound like Peter Griffin at times.
Hey, Rich- THANKS for the video! BTW- next time- it’d be more informative to actually show the placement of the new thermostat, and to make a visual and a verbal note of how to position it correctly in the bore- so that the air bleed hole is facing upward at 12 o’clock. Everyone here might not be aware of this important procedure.
Good to know that there is a problem with the superstat….glad you got it fixed.
Rich, Finally got one to install correctly. Initially I bought a stant superstat. After comparing it to the one being replaced noticed that the upper part of the cone was a bit taller than the original. Replaced the superstat with an original stant which had roughly a 1/8″ smaller cone.
If it has a jiggle valve that goes up but the ones i replaced did not.Did you compare the new to the old one to make sure it was the right one before installing.
Rich, Is there any particular way the thermostat must be positioned to replace the water housing? I seem to not be able to clear the thermostat while trying to replace the housing. Any ideas for me to try?
Make sure the area were the gasket contacts is clean.
Rich, I finally got the housing out after fiddling with the thermostat to keep it in place.
Question, When installing the new thermostat and replacing the water outlet, is there anything to be aware of beforehand?
thanks,
-tom-
I would tray to push the thermostat back in place with something thin while you remove the water outlet.
Rich, Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately the thermostat didn’t stay in place. With that said, is it still possible to remove the housing without taking the motor mount off? What are my other options? Thanks, -tom-
I do not know what to say other than make sure the thermostat stays in place while you are removing the water outlet.
Rich, I have the 3100 and I am experiencing difficulty in removing the thermostat housing cover as well, and its on a 96 olds cutlass supreme. Same symptoms as sportskings is having with his monte carlo. Any suggestions? I really do not want to remove the motor mount just adjacent to it on the side of the engine. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and waiting for your response. -tom-
very good video. thanks
Are you working on the 3100 3400
what is the name of the thing the thermostat is in. Bc install my Coolant temp sensor and i guess i screwed it in too tight and and the part that screwed the sensor is cracked around my sensor and i need to replace it but idk what the part is called
There was no heat inside the cabin.
How did u know it was the Thermostat?
Thanks for the vid Rich, I was able to change out my thermostat (2x actually) on my 2003 Rendezvous from watching your video. It was a pain in the ass though.
Removing the crossrover exhaust pipe would give you all the room you need but that can open a can of worms.
I can not get that bottom bolt… Is there anything i can do to make it easier to access… Just can’t get the leverage to loosen the bolt.
Boston must have the most literate mechanics in the world. How about some guest appearances with Click and Clack?
On the 3100 3400 there is just the o ring for sealing.
good video.. i was frustrated with that bottom bolt.. now I know how to get on it, thanks!
Hi RichPin06A, I gotta change a thermostat on a 2006 Buick Rendezvous. Is it just the O-ring and the thermostat that goes in there? No gasket and no silicone?
So.Cal. Imports and ebay are two places.