2002 L200 2.2 leak from thermostat area

[Shrewz92]

I replaced thermostat in our L200, 2 weeks ago because I saw leakage from that area. I tightened down the bolts as snugly as I could, without risking snapping them. Still having leakage from thermostat housing area. Is there supposed to be a paper/cork gasket between housing and base, or another o-ring, besides the one around the thermostat, itself? I saw none, nor any gasket residue between the 2 pieces when housing was removed. I am about to put some Permatex RTV between the two pieces. I could not see a break/crack in the 2" segment of feeder hose going into the housing to account for the continued leakage. It's end is dry, but the housing is wettest where housing meets the thermostat base. What did I miss on the replacement to account for the continued leakage?

[pierrot]

Welcome to SaturnFans!
What is the current mileage and maintenance history of the car relative to this concern? Frankly, I'm not sure why you'd have a leak at your water outlet after replacing the thermostat. You are correct that there is no seal at the water outlet other than the one surrounding the rim of the thermostat itself. I've replaced mine twice with no problems afterwards. What comes to mind is......
1) the possibility of the hose at the outlet may somehow be leaking;
2) some surface debris at the outlet and/or water inlet (base) surfaces was not cleaned adequately prior to installing the new thermostat allowing for antifreeze to leak between those surfaces;
3) damage at the surface/s of the water outlet and/or inlet;
4) perhaps the seal was damaged during installation or had unseen damage present prior to installation;
5) the water inlet has a leak in it.

Please keep us updated!

[Shrewz92]

This vehicle has 127,000 on the clock. After returning to Advance Auto to see if a particular gasket was forgotten to be part of the package, or I was supposed to replace the gasket around the aftermarket part I was sold, with the second gasket they sold me. In the process of that inquiry I found:
1. The second, Fel-Pro gasket was sold to me, as part of the thermostat replacement. It was NOT larger than the one already on the new thermostat I put in.
2. Apparently, there is a gasket in the thermostat housing/upper housing piece. The Veteran Counterman said that gasket secures and seals the upper housing, once the unit is repeated and tightened down. I didn't know that existed, nor did I remove, nor clean/remove it when I separated the housing from the base.
3. I finger-felt under the hose, today, but couldn't really determine if that was the origin of the leak. I tightened the screw-clamp on the hose, to be sure. NOTE: I couldn't remove the feeder hose during the original operation. I gingerly pulled it and the upper housing to the side/toward driver's fender enough to pull out the old t-stat and research the new one. It is highly likely a split or crack occurred. It may be the original hose piece. I hate that it is such a short piece.
4. This vehicle was purchased from a family friend who was a salvage yard operator. I inspected what fluids I could, and found them to be fresh and clean, as we were told by the operator he had replaced when. (Damage to the vehicle, when Mr. Burnside obtained it was passenger-side front quarter panel destroyed and windshield. Frame was NOT damaged.) I fully believe the Orange coolant to be replacement, and has been used for approximately 60,000 miles.
5. L200 is used as my wife's car, which she drives to work, 3 nights per week, round trip of 24/day, then sporadically on her days off. It has been driven on 800 and 1100 mile round trips to PA and DO, with no issues, and 27 mpg using Interstates to get to her work, at fill-ups; 28 or 29, on the long distance drives, using 87 octane.
6. She absolutely loves this car, and we have done nothing but basic maintenance (oil, filters and tires) on it. It is paid for, and we hope to keep it until wife gets serious about purchasing herself a Mustang, her dream car.
Thanks, sir. I'll see if Advance Auto has a new feeder hose available and replace it while I have the housing apart.
Updates when job is finished upon receipt of the upper housing gasket, which is a factory order part, apparently.

[pierrot]

Originally Posted by Shrewz92

This vehicle has 127,000 on the clock. After returning to Advance Auto to see if a particular gasket was forgotten to be part of the package, or I was supposed to replace the gasket around the aftermarket part I was sold, with the second gasket they sold me. In the process of that inquiry I found:
1. The second, Fel-Pro gasket was sold to me, as part of the thermostat replacement. It was NOT larger than the one already on the new thermostat I put in.
2. Apparently, there is a gasket in the thermostat housing/upper housing piece. The Veteran Counterman said that gasket secures and seals the upper housing, once the unit is repeated and tightened down. I didn't know that existed, nor did I remove, nor clean/remove it when I separated the housing from the base......

This makes no sense to me. As a former aftermarket parts counterman who's very familiar with Fel-Pro and can look up gaskets as well as anyone, the part just isn't listed. Older vehicles utilized a "paper-like" gasket between the water outlet and the intake manifold or other location on the engine. However, the ECOTEC 2.2L utilizes no other gasket of any kind between the water outlet and the water inlet to which it is attached apart from what's already been mentioned. FWIW, even the water inlet has no kind of gasket like that where it attaches to the engine at it's exhaust manifold side. Below is a link from the Fel-Pro Online Catalog. Click onto any gasket or seal description and a part number will appear. Click onto the part number and a picture of that item will appear.

http://www.fme-cat.com/Application.a...ga=Y&back=true

Originally Posted by Shrewz92

......Updates when job is finished upon receipt of the upper housing gasket, which is a factory order part, apparently.

Frankly, I don't think this other gasket exists. Fel-Pro is historically meticulous about providing any replacement gasket offered by the OE manufacturer.

I hope that all goes well for you!