How do you replace the thermostat located on a 2001 Chrysler Sebring 2.7L V6?

Answer 1

Jack the car up and put it on jackstands. take off the right front wheel. remove the plastic cover from the alternator belt by pulling out the little plastic buttons. loosen the idler pully and take off the serpentine belt. drain the radiator (you may want to skip this step and just let the coolant come out when you pull off the goose neck because I had to pull the nose off the car to reach the valve on the bottom of the radiator). the nose cowl comes off easily though by removing three screws in each fenderwell and all the plastic button fasteners (about ten or twelve) then pull the cowl straght forward off the locater dogs to remove it and unplug the fog lights if any. then you can get to the radiator drain valve. remove the electrical connections from the alternator(my son called it a "amputator") and the three bolts that hold on the alternator and pull it out. It comes out the top if you move the wire harness to the side(rear actually). the thermostat cover is on the block behind the alternator. pull three bolts and voila. put the thermostat in spring-toward-the-engine and ball bearing valve at the top. do not overthighten the housing(gooseneck for us older guys) because its plastic, also because there is a nice rubber seal instead of the old paper and goo type gasket. Open the bleeder screw on top of the engine passenger side( it is by the engine coolant temp sensor (ECT) and fill the system back up with 50/50 water/ethylene glycol antifreeze. see if you can borrow or buy one of those tools that pump up your radiator to check for leaks(it snaps on where the radiator cap goes and has a hand pump) (you'll know why I say this after you shoehorn the alternator out) stock up on socket swivels because the bottom bolts on the goose neck and alternator are hard to get to. and get a good mirror. I had to dust off my swear word dictionary too. I thought the thermostat was supposed to go on top of the engine not down where the frost plugs are supposed to be. if any Chrysler engineers are reading this...thanks (not) Hey bud. I understand about half of what you tried to explain about changing the thermostat. I have worked on so many cars since I was about 7-8 years old, now turning 44. It is very hard to work on these newer model cars. I think that most guys don't understand the terms that you use......trying to help. But, "frost plugs, goose neck and nose cowl" have even left my memory. They are probably much younger and don't understand what you mean. I know you have very good intentions. Thank you very much. You helped me...but try to keep it just a little more simple for the young guys. Thanks, your advice helped me. Rick