OK so my 92 loyale wagon has not been warming up to proper operation temp. No big deal until now that it is getting cold out. So I figure its the tstat, buy a new one, and start the install, pull the housing apart and LO AND BEHOLD no THERMOSTAT in the housing!!!!!!! So now my problem is I have no old tstat to match the position with the new tstat! My almost worthless haynes just says to install exactly the way the old one came out WELL no old one, and the picture in the manual must be of a 1600 and not the 1800 because the position of the housing to the motor looks different? CAN someone tell me the correct position of the tstat in the housing as I am thinking this is VERY important. Thanks Jay

Spring side towards the engine. Opposite side,the cone side goes towards the radiator hose/radiator.

Hey thanks for the reply, I looked and studied the pic. in my manual and determined what I thought was the correct position. Fired her up bleed the system took her for a drive and at first she when very close to hot so I killed the engine coasted back down the hill I was on to my driveway. Started her up again and the temp settled down to normal. Guess it took a minute for the tstat to open up? I then drove her for another twenty minutes and she stayed between cold and halfway the whole time. I think she is good now and I have heat and defrost. YEAH guess I should let her cool down and try again to see if she over heats at first again leading me to believe the new tstat might be suspect. Thanks again Jay

I just installed a OEM thermostat into a freshly resealed ea82 motor,recently. Upon initial start up,it did the same thing. Went way warm for a minute,dropped to normal and has been perfect since. I don't know,maybe they are sticky at first.

Hey Jazz, did you use a OEM SUBARU tstat? if not, get one, and quick. The only aftermarket tstat I bought, (before I found USMB) lasted 2 months before it FAILED. Don't risk your engine. It just ain't worth it. Not to mention I am on my #2 EA82. The thermostat stuck and cause my system to pressurize, and blow the top hose (neglected anyways) to smithereens. I replaced the hose, filled it up and it still instantly got hot. let it cool off, and dug the tstat out and reused the gasket for a "get home" fix and it did just fine then. too bad my headgaskets were already blown by that point.

Edited October 25, 201015 yr by Ricearu