whopper

Maybe he will luck out, or maybe he won't. It gets kind of frustrating when asked for advice, great proven advice is given, and it's ignored. But oh well - good luck with it.

I thought this was going to be a problem right off, when the thermostat housing could not be located.

Oldblue

Mine is easy to see, once you remove the air filter box.

donbrew

The following is parody:

NO, it is absolutely NOT doable! Smoke Wagon was taking pictures and giving instructions that are patently false. Don't believe any advice you get from people who have actually had experience and have read most posts on this site over the the last 10 years, they are all stupid.

You would be better off paying a GM shop $300 - $400 the R& R 2 bolts. At least they never make misteaks.(sic)




There is no need to drain & fill the coolant.

Jpak88

Thanks to everyone who replied. I got the after-market thermostat in just fine, burped it for a while, drove around and let it burp itself, topping off as needed. Everything is swell now. On the highway I range between 189-192, in town just a couple degrees higher, and at a light or any other full stop, no higher than 205. Everything is back how it used to be.

As for the critical comments on my choice of parts, I understand the ACD part is a much more permanent solution. I DIDNT realize that when I purchased what I did. I appreciate the concern, but not so much the occasional snide tone I was getting.

As I said, now that I've done it once- if I suffer the consequences of getting the less durable part in a few years- it's a relatively easy fix I can do myself. The car is an 06 that I got in 2014 with 30k on it. Now it's at 63700, and this is just happening with what God can only assume was the original t-stat. I'll probably be alright for a while.

And to whopper, it's not that I flat out ignored the advice. I had already purchased the aftermarket part when I made the post. I work weekdays, and the weather has been generally crap where I live, as per the season. Today, it was 50° and cloudy, the best chance I had to do the job anytime soon. I couldn't just return the part and get the right one off Amazon and do it next week (for several reasons). Like I said I appreciate the concern, it just wasn't possible for me at this time.

Again, thank you for the replies.

whopper

I think we were expecting you to return that one purchased, and get one that is well proven. Hopefully you will have good luck with the one you installed.

At least you know how to swap it out - not a super hard job, but is a bit fussy perhaps.

Glad you didn't have any problems with the "burping" afterwards. I know a lot of others have encountered problems that sometimes drives them crazy getting it to work properly.

Jpak88

I guess I didn't exactly explain upfront why I HAD to do it today. It was definitely a weather/work week situation. And the burping took a little while. We filled it up, let it run and heat up, topped it off and went for a short drive. It was temping hot, and we saw the coolant level went down so we topped it again, drove again repeat... Took maybe an hour? But it's good now.

whopper

Cool. I never had a problem with mine either - just kept topping it up for a while once it got warmed up, make sure the expansion tank had enough and away we went. Checked it after a few miles and all was good. We lucked out I guess.

Oldblue

For the record what brand thermostat did you use?

whopper

he said it was this one: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...erm=Thermostat

According to their site: "Chevrolet HHR LT
◦OE Exact Thermostat; Temperature: 180 Degrees; With Seal Included; OE Temperature

RJ_RS_SS_350

But also from that page

"Please note: Advance Auto Parts is proud to carry comparable exact-fit parts from multiple vendors, as such, the item you receive may be one of two quality brands. Both brands meet the same fitment requirements and are equal in their performance and specifications."

So I have the same question as Oldblue. Did it come in a "carquest" box, or Stant(or other) box with part number?