just got my T-stat and am not sure if i should drill a hole ....is this really beneficial? and or is it recomended ... installed fwi today (couldn't get my tire off either , what a fun time it was ... think it was frozen on as it was -10*C outside ) anyhow I want to install my 180* t-stat tomorrow any olinks to the install process? Thanks

Without an air bleed hole, it is much more difficult to remove air from the engine when the cooling system is opened for repairs or maintenance. The highest point in the cooling system is the most likely place for trapped air to migrate. For the L36 engine, this high point comprises the coolant passages in the plastic upper intake manifold that, if not filled with air, will remove some of the heat from the EGR passage as they provide coolant for throttle body heat. Most thermostats used to come with a small air bleed check valve, and many still do. For several years GM eliminated the little valve. Who knows why? Perhaps they saved $.03 on every car they made and needed the money. We have reports that when you buy a replacement thermostat at the dealer now, that it will come with an air bleed. There is no question that it is better to have an air bleed than not.

Buy a new rubber seal for the edge of the thermostat, and a new paper gasket for the thermostat housing/hose nipple surface if your car needs one. If applicable, clean any old gasket material from the sealing surfaces with a scraper. Keep debris from falling into the thermostat opening. If you fill your engine with coolant according to the procedure in Techinfo, you won't have any trapped air troubles. Coolant Fill Procedure

thanks your post sure helps a lot

do the 180* intense T-stats have a bleed valve?

No, they do not, but you can't buy a better thermostat than theirs. Buy it and drill it.

cool will do got er along with the gasket and o-ring just didn't want to drill it for nothing .. on another note.....Man the FWI sounds Wicked ...it'* like it alone gave my car some Balls (sound)

If you are just doing the thermostat, consider siphoning the coolant from the radiator into a clean gallon jug. I use a small diameter, clear vinyl hose that can be wiggled to the bottom of the side tank, and that allows me to see the coolant coming when I start the siphon. One gallon removed will get you low enough to do the thermostat, and everything stays so clean, the coolant can be re-used.

How to: Take the 15 psi radiator cap off, and slip a 1/4" inside diameter clear vinyl hose down to the bottom of the radiator. The hose needs to be long enough to reach the ground on the other end. Give a suck on the discharge end of the hose keeping it below the level of coolant in the radiator, and watching that you don't get a mouth full of coolant. The siphon will continue as long as the discharge end is below the level of fluid in the radiator or until the radiator empties and the siphon sucks air. Place the discharge end of the hose in a clean, gallon jug. If the jug looks like it will overflow, simply pull the tube up in the radiator to suck air and break the siphon.

o.k. got my stat installed .. here'* my only question once the coolant level was to the stat housing i installed the Tstat now is it normal for the coolant to squirt out of the small hole i made (cap was off the rad) (syphoned coolant but put some back in to bleed er' and it starting to overflow so i installed the stat ( which is when it started squirting .....) is this normal?....think i put too much coolant in....

The same thing happened to me when I did mine. I just used a baster to suck just enough out of the LIM to get the stat in without pushing coolant out. It may not be necessary, but I wanted a clean gasket surface. It makes it alot easier to get the o ring to seal. After that I put the thermostat assembly togethor,opened the bleeder screw and added more coolant to the radiator. I heard a little more air bleed out when I did this. Then I finished bleeding per Bill'* Tech. article instructions.

right on as long as i wasn't screwig up my stat/rad i'm happy gonna check the coolant level in the morning as i filled er up a inch above the HOT Fill mark tonight and it dropped to the COLD Line when i last checked... Thanks