Zusez3

I need a housing fast, Rockauto has a mopar one with a 5 day delay. should i just cheap out on one for now then order the mopar? or do you guys think the chepo ones will be okay for a while?

I perfer a mopar but i need one for my DD I cracked mine while doing the thermostat

Driving the YJ for the next few days, Send good vibes to the AX5 for me

IJM

It's just a piece of metal with no moving parts, so my sense is OEM would be a lot less important than something electronic or mechanical. Just be sure to use a good quality gasket.

Zusez3

my idea exactly, Do you recommend i use any RTV or anything on the housing?

Ralph77

I am with IJM on this one.
I used a Dorman one.
I recommend using a FelPro gasket dry.
Clean it up real good and make sure that little channel that the thermostat goes into is very clean also.
Putting it all together dry can be a bit of a challenge, thermostat slips out, you don't notice, and crack the housing when you torque it down.
But it can be done.
And don't forget the thread sealant for the temp sensor in the thermostat housing.

Roler

Just ensure its seated correctly and don't crank it down like crazy and you'll be fine by with a non-OEM.

If you have trouble estimating how snug it needs to be before you crack it (again), or want to play it safe, look up the torque specs and get a torque wrench. Good way to gain some reference experience with fasteners.

Ralph77

I don't really think using a torque wrench is necessary but when I did mine my OCD kicked in so I did.
15 ft lbs for the thermostat on my '00.

97grand4.0

Dorman worked for me and they had it right on the shelf at Advance.