My thermostat has failed open too.......

obthomas · **Joined:** Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:29 pm **Posts:** 28

It has cooled off here in Texas and my thermostat is failed open. I know this because of all the good information about this problem on LOST.

Naturally I ordered a new one for about $112 and will put it in in about a week when it arrives.

I have two questions that all my reading on LOST does not seem to answer and they are: Why the high rate of failure of these thermostats? and will the new one fail at the same rate as the origional?

Anyone with an understanding more than just a guess pleas answer.

OB

06 Liberty Sport, 60K, EHM, EcoTune

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:12 pm

I'm not sure that there is necessarily a high failure rate. Most of the ones I've heard of failing had at least 75,000 miles on them. That's not exactly horrible service life for a t-stat.

Also, what you should have done is order the t-stat that Kapelcinski or whatever his name is makes. His thermostat fits the factory position like a glove, and allows you to simply change out the t-stat in the future instead of the entire housing. This means the next time you buy one, it'll be $15 and not $115.

obthomas · **Joined:** Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:29 pm **Posts:** 28

Not wishing to sound argumentative but the fact that the thermostat is a continous subject on this forum lends credibility to its high frequency failure.

I would like nothing more than to buy Kalpenski's modification, but have you read that topic lately? They can't find him and the record shows he may have delivered one, and it has problems.

Nevertheless I plan to take my old thermostat and using Kapenski's work alter it to be my next replacement.

tworock · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:35 am

Brought the CRD to the dealership Saturday for an oil change and confirmation of the failed thermostat. The thermostat is on order. Does anybody have an idea of how long this may take for the dealership to get? (Using dealership because of extended warrantee "Diesel Care" oil service.)

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 11:30 am

The OEM t-stat only takes a couple days to get here in Kentucky. You should get one pretty fast.

Took me about an hour to install it in my driveway. So I would think they could get you patched up quickly.

tworock · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 11:52 am

Thanks Liberty, I will report back. (Here's a funny little note: Service Manager said the thermostats weren't readily available because, "they seem to never wear out." Now, that's funny!)

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:38 pm

tworock wrote:

Thanks Liberty, I will report back. (Here's a funny little note: Service Manager said the thermostats weren't readily available because, "they seem to never wear out." Now, that's funny!)

Not funny, it's sad he has so little experience with it. Mine told me that opening at 158f was close enough to the correct 176f :banghead:

Since my extended warranty has a $100 deductable per trip and the thermostat was not much more then that I replaced it myself and flushed the coolant because it's going on 5 years since it was built. He said that's "normal maintenance" and he quoted $500 for it :ROTFL:

TJ2 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:42 pm

My t-stat was bad when I bought my CRD. It was springtime so it took a little while to show up. When the weather warmed, I found out the fan clutch was bad also. I went from driving cold to overheating.

CATCRD · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:06 pm

Both of my thermostats failed by 45,000 miles and open at about 150 now.

tworock · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:18 pm

Joe, you are absolutely correct. Re-reading my post, it doesn't convey my sense of the absurd. Once I had joined this forum, way back when, I was ALMOST OK with my original dealership in Countryside. Of course, Chrysler, in it's infinite wisdom, pulled their franchise. So, I'm always having to decide which Dodge dealership (who were supposed to be awarded the Jeep franchise) I'll allow to do whatever it is that I have usually diagnosed thru the graces of this forum.

I am NOT a hands-on kind of guy. If any Chicago area members have a suggestion as to what dealership service department in the Chicago area seems to be nearly satisfactory, please, PLEASE, let me know who they are.

What in the world has become of the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealerships that were supposed to happen? I noticed that one local has finally hung a blank banner over the JEEP part of the sign he gambled on when he opened his new location.

tworock · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:35 pm

One other thing as promised. My thermostat came in today, and it is scheduled to be replaced Friday. (3 days to get it, not the worst I suppose. Of course, better would have been the parts department pulling it out of stock so it could have been done in ONE TRIP!)

tworock · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:40 pm

And I'm going to ask for the switched out old thermostat just in case anyone wants to go into the business of duplicating, or furthering, the work of Kaplzinski. Let me know if you need it.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:47 pm

tworock wrote:

And I'm going to ask for the switched out old thermostat just in case anyone wants to go into the business of duplicating, or furthering, the work of Kaplzinski. Let me know if you need it.

Bingo I'll take it!

flash7210 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:46 am

Days like today make me think my t-stat has failed too.

18 mile commute
viscous heater disabled
32 deg F ambient temp

My engine temp never got above the first 1/4 on the gauge.

Is it worth changing the t-stat for the sake of a few cold mornings here in FL???

jmoomaw · **Posted:** Thu Dec 02, 2010 5:20 pm

Geeze flash7210...you could have typed my message. I drove last night and everything worked fine. Then today, it never went above 1/4. The heater blew warm air more on the cold side. It is as if the thermostate is open from start up....

tworock · **Posted:** Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:24 pm

You've got it, Sam. Check your email.

tworock · **Posted:** Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:35 pm

Here's a question that has occurred to me. Why don't cars blow out warm air continuously, even at idle or at a stop light the way cars used too? I've noticed this on my last few cars, and now, on my new Transit Connect (which I wish was offered in this country WITH A DIESEL!!!) When I was a kid, you could park in the local forest preserve parking lot all night with your sweety, and keep toasty (sweaty) warm!

jmoomaw · **Posted:** Fri Dec 03, 2010 6:28 am

Short of cash with all the previous repairs. Except for the cold air and cool engine temperature, can I put off getting the thermostat changed for a month without risking damage to my engine. I know it will run colder. Would sure love to be able to just unscrew the damaged t-stat and screw in the new one instead of taking it into the shop.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:07 am

Failing thermostats are a normal thing on motor vehicles. It's normally simple and inexpensive to replace while doing a coolant flush :lol:

What makes the CRD different is the complexity and cost of it :dizzy:

Mine started failing around 32k miles but that's over 4 years of opening and closing of a simple little part that normally retails for $5 :lol:

But ours is buried inside a aluminum otipus housing :-)r

Just another joyfull item of owning an exotic vehicle :BINGO:

mikey1273 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:04 am

mine only heats up to one little line above 1/4. I get some heat and thankfully have heated seats to warm me some in the mornings. I really want to get mine fixed but would prefer to have one of Kap's thermostats.

How do you all cover your Rad's with cardboard and keep it in there? zip ties to the grill?

My thermostat has failed open too.......

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