Before you drill a bigger hole anywhere, look real closely at the T-stat housing for having enough room to allow the T-stat to open. Or whether the little vent (rattle-pin) in the T-stat is rotated around where it can work.

I have no idea whether the V-6 thermostat is different from the 4-cyl and whether they sold you the wrong one?

Does the V6 have an air-bleeder to remove air pockets from the T-stat housing (like the 4cyl does)? Is that plugged & preventing you from removing all the air?

 

Both thermostats are equal length, lots of room to open. The rattle pin moved freely. When installing, it gets placed at the top. The bleeder valve opens and allows air and then water to escape when I fill the radiator. I fill until a steady stream of water comes out, close it, finish off.

 

When you fill it is your heat running full blast? Me personally, I fill it, turn on the car, turn the heat on full blast then I slightly continue to press on the top hose. I let it run for about 5 mins pressing on the hose every 30 secs or so. After 5 mins I put the top on until the cooling fan kicks on and let it go through a cycle, your overflow tank should be full. Once the cycle is done usually all the air is removed. If there is a bleeder valve, I bleed if needed.

People fill different ways but I've found this way to work for me mostly. If your car had pockets your heat should not have been working at high temp.

Your car should be working regularly at this point since everything has been tested and is working. If it's still overheating after you have put in the thermo that will and is your issue (that area). Hopefully, everything is back to working correctly.

 

That's the thing x running at idle, my fans never kick in because the car never gets hot enough for them to kick in. Not sure what temp they are suppose to kick in at

 

The way the fans are wired you will never get to the right temp. If both fans are turning on with the a/c button your engine will run cool. At this point if the overheating is solved then you have a decision to make. Either drive as is or rewire the cooling fan so it can cut on by coolant temp not by the a/c button.

The way the cooling fan is currently wired the a/c has to be on to prevent overheating. If I have read through this thread again correctly.

 

Seanjordan - That isn't correct. With normal wiring both fans should turn on when the coolant reaches ~200F when the engine is running, and both fans should turn on when the a/c is turned on. Right now the fans are just getting powered through the condenser fan relay.

 

I thought he said the fans will run if he jumpers the fan switch?? (post #79) That tells me they ARE wired correctly.

Texas is probably already hot. In winter or spring, I've had trouble getting the coolant hot enough for the fans to run. They will switch on when the coolant temperature gets somewhere in the 60% to 80% range on the dashboard gauge. Sometimes I have to put a blanket over the grille to get it to run without jumpering the switch.

 

Has your overheating issue been resolved.

 

Out of town then storms til Monday