This is hands down the best video for a 3800 thermostat replacement out there. Thank you so much. I was able to replace it thanks to you. $15. I did spill a little dexcool though even after pushing the hose many times but a little loss is okay. That thermostat was stuck in there pretty bad I had to beat the crap out of it and its gasket to get it out. Works like a charm now. Thank you!!
Great video. I’m replacing the thermostat tomorrow! Took a few days spraying penetrating oil on the 10mm bolts beforehand. They loosened up for me without much resistance! Thank you for the guidance
Very informative! I plan on changing out my thermostat soon. Just bought a 2004 GTP Comp G, and will do this just for piece of mind. It’s been kinda neglected, maintenance wise. 93,400 miles on it
Yeah when I bought my 2007, it was a neglecterino as I like to call it. Needed a little bit of everything but I'm happy to report it's been running absolutely great in the year and a half I've had it now 😀
Great, informative and thorough video. Just changed this out on my ‘02 Grand Prix. All good after initial road test…and getting much better heat too. Totally worth DIYing it!
Yeah luckily I did this on mine just before it started getting really cold, it has done me well as far as having excellent heat. It's also nice seeing the temperature gauge stay in one place 😁 Glad I could help, and thanks for the feedback!
It is sad that GM discontinued perhaps one of the best engines they ever designed. It's replacement, the 3.5 overhead cam V6, is nothing but problems. I'll be keeping my Grand Prix for as long as I can keep the thing running LOL
Not even five minutes into this video, you were covering so much useful material and so clearly, I stopped and subscribed. Your visual and audio production quality is top notch-- I never had to re-run the video to discern what you said. Your professional mike surely helps, but the video is also exceptionally well-done, and the little colored arrows and inset circles draw attention instantly to the area being discussed. And how many of us would know to ask for a new thermostat rubber seal? 😃
My thermostat gauge is fluctuating slightly after replacing the thermostat, no air came out of the bleeder valve, air did bubble up slowly backwards into the reservoir after first test drive. Any ideas on fluctuation of gauge?
You might be looking at a failing water pump. It's not too difficult to do on the 3800, but if you do find out that that's what it is, do yourself a favor and upgrade to the metal elbow connectors that go to your heater hoses because the plastic ones will disintegrate when you remove that pump. Now if you're getting decent heat, then you might just still have air trapped in the system. In that case I would try cracking that bleeder after running it for a little while and see if air or steam comes out rather than liquid...
@@SUETV940 are you talking about a paper gasket on the housing itself? In this particular type of setup that's unnecessary, the rubber gasket that goes around the thermostat creates all the seal that you need. I have seen people put one on anyway, or use RTV silicone sealant, but as long as you have the rubber gasket, no coolant should reach the gap between the housing and the cylinder head...
As far as I am aware, all 3800 V6 engines have the bleeder valve. Other vehicles, or other engines, often have the coolant reservoir at a higher point than where the thermostat is, in which case a bleeder isn't necessary. A cooling system will always bleed out air at the highest point of the system. It's just that the large V6 in a medium sized car makes it to where you have to have somewhere to bleed it at the uppermost part of the system and in this case it happens to be the thermostat. In other words, if there is no bleeder valve, you probably don't need it. You can just run the engine for a while and keep topping off the reservoir. It will naturally burp out any air trapped in the system
If that is a question, I actually don't have an answer for you. I've never had a V6 Camaro... I had a 1984 Camaro with the 305 V8 many many years ago LOL. You should be able to tell just by looking though. Or, ask on different car forums if it's there but maybe a little more hidden. Annie case if it has a bleeder it will be somewhere at the highest physical point of the cooling system. I actually think that 3.8 is the older version before the "3800" series was introduced but I could be mistaken...
Just to follow up on my last comment, I did it on an older Buick regal that had the other version of the 3.8 engine, and it did not have that bleeder. But that's not to say the Camaro does not, I can't say with any certainty which engine specifically came in that car or it's orientation. Usually on a larger car you don't have a bleeder because the reservoir sits higher than everything else. The only reason for the bleeder is when they cram a pretty large engine in a rather small engine bay.
