Progress Thread Finally got my first Fox Body - 1988 GT

General karthief said:

Pull the housing back off, check that the t stat didn't fall below the housing lip, as for the plug, take it out (easier when the housing is still attached to the manifold), a little rtv on the threads and snug it up.
A couple helpful hints:
If you can, let the assembly sit for over night if not an hour or so at least, some t stats have a small hole, some have a little nub thingy in the hole, that goes at the top. Put the t stat in the housing making sure the weep hole is at the top and it faces the right direction, then some rtv to stick the gasket to the housing and let it sit for a while (I like an hour or so, I'm not in a hurry) a little rtv on the manifold side, stick it together and snug it up. Should not have to be tightened down like a head bolt, just pretty snug, no 'ugga duggas' needed.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed response. I didn't even think of the possibility of the thermostat possibly being directional up and down. Haven't had any time this week to pull the housing back off but might try tonight after work.

By "a little rtv on the threads", do you mean add the gasket maker to the the bolt threads? Or could I use something like blue loctite?

Steel1 said:

Great advise right there, getting the T-stat , gasket and housing to all line up can be pia.
Stant offers an adhesive gasket for these that helps eliminate the gasket slipping out of position.
Also like karthief said, don't He-Man the bolts, housings are cast aluminim and crack fairly easily ,
if that happens it can be hard to tell that the actual housing is leaking.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the warning!

nickyb said:

On another note,those qwik lift things aren't needed to do a t5 R&R . I'm older and probably in worst shape then you and I just pulled my t5 on Jack stands, all I used was a small trans.Jack from harbor freight.

Click to expand...

I probably wasn't specific enough in my post (or in my video rambling) - Since I saw the Kwik Lift - I imagined that being a less painful way of dropping the T5 on the Fox, among other things. It seems to have less of a side space issue than the Quick Jack, but the idea of paying $1400+ for something that still requires use of a jack is not very appealing. I like to idea of having something like the Quick Jack for oil changes, exhaust work, and in particular, getting my 2014 Mustang more than a few inches off the ground (mostly for shifter related stuff - since I've now changed my shifter setup a few times), which is a pain in the butt. That all being said, you've sufficiently shamed me into considering trying to do the T5 with a jack and jackstands, lol.

90sickfox said:

The quick Jack's will be in the way doing a t5 in a mustang. You need to have the sides open so you can swing your legs around outside the car. They're great for suspension, brake work, and oil changes.

Click to expand...

Thanks for weighing in as well - I really wish I had a garage big enough for a four post lift but yeah, your point about needing the sides open is very much noted.

General karthief said:

I agree with them on the quick jack, amateur hour, waste of money.
I drive my gt (when it was running) up on a 2x12 and that gives me enough room to run the jack under the k member, you may have to bounce front to back a couple times to get it up as high as you can but your time is free and you can buy a few jacks for the price of something that limits your working space.
Oh, and I man handled my trans out and back in with a floor jack but that was a few years ago, I'm considering a trans jack unless I can befriend someone that already has one, how often does a hobbyist pull a trans?
Maybe 'go fund me' with a couple local guys and pass it around like a hooker.
maybe I shouldn't say that
hooker lives matter

Click to expand...

Definitely interested in getting a trans jack soon. I have a plan sort of similar to your 2x12 approach - basically want to get a couple of pieces of lumber that are long enough to help drive the cars more easily onto the ramps and also give an extra 1.5-2 inches of elevation. I have the measurements, just need to go to the lumberyard. My wife and I are taking a road trip soon so I won't be working on the Fox for a couple of weeks. Will probably try the modified ramp approach when we get back.

Mustang5L5 said:

I agree it's good for work in the wheel wells (if you get one that picks the car up from the body vs lifts the wheels) and fluid changes. I was debating getting one as I HATE jacking up cars and would love something to make oil changes and other fluid changes easier.

For T5 work though, use 4 jackstands and buy a cheap Harbor Freight trans jack.

Click to expand...

Also getting tired of jacking up cars. I really prefer the ramps but sometimes they just don't get you high enough and I feel more comfortable driving onto the ramp when I have someone in the garage to watch and make sure I'm not going off to one side or the other.