Progress Thread Finally got my first Fox Body - 1988 GT

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I got the old thermostat housing off but still need to do a little work scraping the old gasket material off.
8C83DC8E-150C-4473-87F9-B75BB2B1EA1F.jpeg F4C80A85-5E24-4254-92FC-B093871C96EE.jpeg 89E5F9AF-8E6C-44F5-8799-964635B4FA6B.jpeg

Will be adding the new thermostat housing and 180 degree thermostat, then all the new hoses, since it seems I’m not going to pull the water pump off at the moment, lol.

In other news, I’ve recently learned that the Kwik Jack exists and I’m very intrigued. The possibility of pulling the T5 using this versus a jack stands (and doing other things on both cars) is making me consider a large purchase....
4530BF1C-B364-4280-8523-3C3B89CB3B8C.jpeg

Also, Ford is really testing my willpower with the new Mach 1.
D8DAE81E-1DB1-436A-860D-186DB47EB79B.jpeg
 
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I got the old thermostat housing off but still need to do a little work scraping the old gasket material off.
8C83DC8E-150C-4473-87F9-B75BB2B1EA1F.jpeg F4C80A85-5E24-4254-92FC-B093871C96EE.jpeg 89E5F9AF-8E6C-44F5-8799-964635B4FA6B.jpeg

Will be adding the new thermostat housing and 180 degree thermostat, then all the new hoses, since it seems I’m not going to pull the water pump off at the moment, lol.

In other news, I’ve recently learned that the Kwik Jack exists and I’m very intrigued. The possibility of pulling the T5 using this versus a jack stands (and doing other things on both cars) is making me consider a large purchase....
4530BF1C-B364-4280-8523-3C3B89CB3B8C.jpeg

Also, Ford is really testing my willpower with the new Mach 1.
D8DAE81E-1DB1-436A-860D-186DB47EB79B.jpeg
That grey / black is an awesome color combo on that car!
 
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OK, time for another “I did something dumb” moment. I put the new thermostat housing in, got all the new hoses in, and started adding coolant. I noticed that there was some coolant leaking out of the plug on the top of the new thermostat housing (a small amount)...
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but since the car was running, for a few minutes I didn’t notice that there was also a lot of coolant leaking out of the bottom of the thermostat housing.

I used both provided gasket and permatex. My guess is that I didn't use enough permatex. Any thoughts on whether to try with both again or just use the permatex?

I also assume I should try to get that top plug further into the housing but I was trying not to strip anything.

I probably should have used water to check for leaks too...but blah, whatever. Video documenting the idiocy will be up in the next few days.
 
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.
 
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Pull the housing back off, check that the t stat didn't fall below the housing lip
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.
 
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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.
 

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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.
 
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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 :jester:
 
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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 :jester:

I'd ship it to you but the cost from Nevada to Fla. Is probably a third of the cost I paid at harborfreight. When on sale you can get it under a hundo$, and I used it to hold up my x pipe while I bolted it up.You could find more uses to make the purchase sting less.
 
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.


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.
 
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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.
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?
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.
Thanks for the warning!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :jester:
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.
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.
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.
 
That quick jack would get you up on Jack stands quicker though. It doesn't touch where the jack stands need to be. Would have to pull it out before working though. In the years I've debated one of them I've never thought of that.
 
That quick jack would get you up on Jack stands quicker though. It doesn't touch where the jack stands need to be. Would have to pull it out before working though. In the years I've debated one of them I've never thought of that.
Just to clarify....There's two different things I was looking at. One is the Quick Jack: https://www.costco.com/quickjack-5,000-lb-capacity-portable-car-lift.product.100460313.html

The other is the Kwik Lift: https://www.kwik-lift.com/
 
This looks interesting...


unfortunately it looks like you won't be doing a tranmission R&R with this style.
 
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