how to replace a thermostat on dodge grand caravan | P0128 Fixed

[@Daddicated]

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[@JayJay-kg1ys]

Thermostat gasket?

[@grayghost7847]

@@JayJay-kg1ys in another video, if you buy the whole housing, it comes with it.

[@nathanlown4291]

This was great. Not a mechanic at all. This made it straight forward and simple. Took me only an hour and that was with interrupting kids and searching for tools. Thanks for this video

[@Daddicated]

Awesome. Glad I was able to help.

[@theredtexan]

AWESOME TUTORIAL. I SKIPPED THE PLASTIC COVER removal and used a large mechanic plastic to catch the spilled antifreeze. Also the higher you raise the hose the more liquid is pushed out. So keep it low.

[@Daddicated]

Great tip. Thanks.

[@pimpshack81]

I’ve watched several videos on doing this and this one is by far the best. Every step was covered .. thank you

[@Daddicated]

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback.

[@howieziegler3110]

Cleaning up the old gasket and replacing that wasn’t covered.

[@JL-bo2zb]

Great video - short, but thorough. I did mine today. I followed all your steps except I didn't remove that black plastic cover from under the van. All the fluid found it's way to the pan. Thanks.

[@Daddicated]

Thank you. Glad I was able to help you.

[@krisyriley954]

Ahh so informative and love the "oh shjt" there. Ive never done q thing on a car but given i cant afford to pay someone to do it i feel confident i got this. Watched this about 20 times and have all the tools laid out

[@Daddicated]

Awesome to hear. You got this. It's intimidating at first but this process is a great start for beginners. This was my first time doing a thermostat swap too. One trick that helps me is since I record things, if I forget I can go watch the video of how I took it off. So take pictures or videos as you go so you can confidently put things back together.

[@fontashu]

Perfect video. This really helped. I didn't take out the plastic under, i place a small bucket in a strategic location and i collected almost all of the dripping coolant

[@Daddicated]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[@theredtexan]

Exactly

[@willywonka2164]

Thanks for this. For some reason, the plastic cover seems like the biggest pain.

[@1voiceofstl]

HOLYCOW!! I have changed thermostats on cars from 1959 to 2000, they all took 5 min. and a $5 thermostat.

[@Daddicated]

Yeah this one takes a little more than 5 minutes and about $25.

[@goscott2]

This is a GREAT VIDEO. Thanks a lot. I followed this video and was able to replace my Thermostat with no problem. Saved me some money by being able to do it myself. Great job.

[@Daddicated]

I’m glad I could help you.

[@michaelwooten7222]

Worst part of this was removing the cover from underneath the engine. Otherwise it was simple thanks to your video ! Thank you !

[@Daddicated]

Yeah I would have to agree with you on that.

[@dungareion]

Absolutely an amazing video. Very well done. My 2013 popped this code yesterday and I wondered if I could do this job. I have “some” mechanical skills, but they are related to older vehicles. I’m confident that I’ll be able to do this job. Again, thanks for the amazing vid.

[@Daddicated]

I’m glad to hear that I was able to help you. I love reading comments like these.

[@tonimey5636]

This video was great. Only thing I’ve ever done on a car is change the tire and vacuum. Lol. Took me about 1.5 hours (removing and replacing the plastic housing significantly increased labour/frustration/time) but I was able to easily follow the steps. It helped that you were so specific with what would be needed, too! Thanks!!

[@Daddicated]

Glad to read this. Thanks for sharing. Feel free to check out my merch store if you want to support this channel. my-store-ea6f21.creator-spring.com/

[@tylerfritz6419]

Good video. Not to long and straight to the point

[@Daddicated]

Glad you liked it.

[@michaelmims4573]

Awesome video simplistic and to the point. The moving of the power steering reservoir definitely made things easier. The only thing I think you should have mentioned is to make sure the gasket is removed with the old thermostat. Mine didn't and caused me to crack the new thermostat and have to purchase another one.

[@Daddicated]

Oh dang. I guess mine came off and I didn’t even realize to mention it.

[@jonnybabich9667]

Thanks for the video, very helpful. At least the thermostat housing is made out of plastic these days, so that's good. And thanks for putting the spark plugs UNDERNEATH the F-ing intake manifold too. Good job Chrysler! 👏

[@Daddicated]

Glad I was able to help. Lol. If u think Chrysler is bad try owning an Audi. Their car battery is under the driver seat which is such a pain to replace and take out.

[@michaelkoerber1579]

Great video. Short and to the point, but you made sure all the important information was included.

[@Daddicated]

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

[@nmoran2046]

You have a 10 mm socketMake sure your buddy doesn’t get a hold of that that’s a unicorn on a sidenote this video is well done thank you

[@Daddicated]

I keep my unicorns safe and sound. Lol

[@beaupihlaja409]

Used this video yesterday. Made it possible it at all. Thank you for putting in the work to make and share it. Much appreciated!

[@Daddicated]

Glad to hear it was helpful. 👍🏼👊🏼

[@kwell2307]

Got it all removed and ready for when part arrives thanks to this. Only thing is a ridged adjustable wrench is easier to use to pry off the thermostat vs vise wrench

[@Daddicated]

Nice. 👍🏼

[@DaveClarkFive]

A gentleman among dads. I tip my dad hat to you.

[@Daddicated]

Thank you. ☺️

[@DaveClarkFive]

@@Daddicated im literally five minutes from performing this on my caravan so wish me luck.

[@DaveClarkFive]

It was a success. I did however learn not to crank on the bolt holding the thermostat. These things are plastic and I had to purchase a second one due to my mistake.

[@Daddicated]

@@DaveClarkFive Oh dang, that sucks. Thanfully they aren't so expensive but still sucks. You must have really cranked on it hard in order to break it. Regardless it feels nice when you complete a project and you know you saved couple hundred bucks doing it yourself. Props on the fix.

[@68pishta68]

Appreciate the vid, BUT there is an easier way! 2 bolts only: loosen the bleeder plug on top of stat housing with a screwdriver, it will start leaking coolant so have a pan ready. Let it leak out for about 10 minutes. Take a 10mm on a socket and remove the BOTTOM bolt first so it doesnt dump hot coolant on your hand, then remove the top bolt and the housing will be free. Bend up the hose so the housing is now above the power steering reservoir. Replace the stat innards (usually whats off the shelf at the parts store) by using the toilet paper looking tube to push on the retainer ring and turning clockwise. The clip and spring will come out and the disk will pull out. Put new disk in pellet out, and put spring on it as the old one was. Use the tube again to push the clip down onto the spring compressing it enough to line up the tabs in the retainer, turn CCW to lock it in. now you can bend the hose down again and it will line right up. Start top, then bottom and tighten them both snug only as this is a plastic piece and there is an O-ring as a seal. Easy! Pour coolant back in until it starts to come out loose plug, then tighten plug and fill rad to max, start and refill again. Put cap back on and top off reservoir. DONE

[@Daddicated]

Nice. Now do this in a video format for those of us who are visual learners. Lol thanks for the details.

[@kchilz32]

Video on this?

[@maxinvasionleet]

Thanks!. Been putting this off for a week. Glad you showed how simple it was

[@Daddicated]

Awesome. Glad it helped you out.

[@TeriSmith-i2g]

great video, to the point without all the BS

[@Daddicated]

Great comment. 💪🏼😁

[@constellations3756]

You are a talented instructor and have an excellent demo!!

[@Daddicated]

Thank you for the kind words. Means a lot.

[@constellations3756]

@@Daddicated I think you know how good you are....You have been book marked 🙂

[@maksimkovtun9517]

I don't have any Dodge, but really excited this video

[@Daddicated]

Lol thanks.

[@etiancontreras3820]

Thanks for the help. I fixed my wife's 2017 Grand Caravan SXT for less than $100 with the coolant. I got lazy and decided to skip the part about removing the plastic fairings. Bad idea; I had a big mess to clean after. very easy to follow. Thank you!

[@Daddicated]

No problem. Glad I was able to help. Yeah sometimes it’s worth the extra step to avoid a big mess. Lol

[@ComedyBros5]

I just bought a 2012 Chrysler T&C with 120k miles. Brought my code reader and it didn’t throw anything while I was checking it out. Check engine light came on while I was driving it home (of course), and it was for a bad thermostat. Had a shop quote me $150 to do this. Bought the part for $15 from local O’Riley’s, and had it installed within 20min thanks to your video! I just skipped taking off that plastic piece, though. Thanks for the awesome video!!

[@Daddicated]

You’re welcome. Glad to help. One thing to be careful with this car is their transmission goes bad often. I had to replace mine. Ended up selling the car after I replaced it.

[@jim9219771]

So the pin inside the old thermostat blew off and busted a hole straight through the thermostat housing. What would cause this to happen? The video was a huge help BTW.

[@Daddicated]

That's a weird one. I'm not really sure but could be a faulty thermostat that just failed over time. I'm not a mechanic by trade so I don't know the actual cause of that. You might want to call a local guy and see what he tells you.

[@seabirdsolar]

Hey, step 7 and 1/2: remember to check that you have the gasket on the new thermostat....

[@Daddicated]

Yeah not a bad idea. Thanks.

[@MrCahuma]

Estos son los videos que valen oro! concisos y al punto te ganaste un like de parte de mia!

[@Daddicated]

Thank you. Glad you liked them.

[@jeromemainmanmanne7496]

Great video! Just popped the code an hour ago on the way home. I'm gonna buy OEM since I hear some people say the Dorman cracked while replacing. Do you really think the fluid transfer is necessary? How often do you bleed the system during the 5-10 minutes of engine running?

[@Daddicated]

Just do it enough times until you don't see bubbles and you see a continuous stream coming out. And I'm not sure what you are asking about fluid transfer?

[@jeromemainmanmanne7496]

@@Daddicated I am in the process exactly right now, and while the bleeding (the one you unscrew) shows no bubbles, when I grab the top coolant hose, there are still bubbles in the system. I have not started it yet. As for transfer, it was that tool your friend mentioned.

[@Daddicated]

@@jeromemainmanmanne7496 That tool is nice because you can let the extra fluid sit on top without any mess. I used it once after this video on another car to refill my coolant and it worked like a champ. I would definitely recommend using it.

[@Daddicated]

@@jeromemainmanmanne7496 As far as for the bubbles do the best you can to bleed from the valve. What else you can do is keep the coolant fill cap open, start the car, let it run for like a minute and see if you can see any bubble come up there as well. Then close the cap. Start the car again and try to use the bleed valve. Basically you want to do the best you can to get rid of all the bubbles. Once you don't see any then you should be good.

[@buk6199]

Thanks, just ordered the thermo through your link.

[@Daddicated]

Awesome. Thank you so much. 👊🏼

[@KYC_KnowYourCrypto]

Excellent video. Simple and well-rounded.

[@Daddicated]

Thank you.

[@1977rubper]

Nice Video..after replacing the thermostat. do you need to reset the check emgine light? or does it go away by itself?

[@Daddicated]

I believe mine went away by it self but if it doesn't you can always reset it.

[@1977rubper]

Thanks..one more question..do you have to have a code reader to reset the code?

[@handymanhoney-do6881]

@@1977rubper maybe…….mine reset after 4-5 drives but I have seen comments in other videos where it required code clearing with an OBD device. There’s a Chrysler/Dodge hack for code clearing: turn key to run position (not crank) and press accelerator 3x, remove keys. That will sometimes clear codes and the “change oil” notification.

[@steved8714]

Word of advice, pouring coolant onto a serpentine belt will ruin it in most cases, the coolant will wick in and it will fail sooner rather than later, you often will hear it start to squeal, so it's always a good idea to remove the belt, or have a new one on hand and replace as form of preventative maintenance.

[@Daddicated]

Good tip. Thanks.

[@Shire_Commander]

awesome video very nicely edited too!

[@Daddicated]

Thanks. I appreciate your kind words.

[@pvt.watson5]

I kept the plastic shield in place to act as a funnel to my bucket. No mess.

[@Daddicated]

Nicely done. I should of done that. Lol. Oh well you live and learn. lol

[@emiryan2238]

Brilliant, thank you.

[@Daddicated]

You’re welcome

[@thomasrush4550]

Thanks for the vid. Two things: 1, there's a drain plug for the radiator on the driver's side that will save a lot of mess, it lets you drain the system and you don't have to remove any plastic covers. Just slide a bin right under it, unscrew it, and make sure to remove the radiator cap so that the suction doesn't keep it from draining. See 30:27 on this video for what that looks like kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJXEeZmtZbycbsk 2 - this might go without saying, but check the owner's manual for the amount of coolant to add. The 2016 Caravan I was working on calls for 13.4 quarts, over 3 gallons of coolant, so a one-gallon thing of coolant isn't enough! Okay, three things - bleeding the lines is important. The one I worked on overheated AFTER putting the new thermostat in, when it didn't overheat even on the busted thermostat beforehand. It was air in the system. I bled the lines like this video showed, but I also got some air out by taking the radiator cap off and filling it up, then getting the engine up to temperature (it bubbled out air) then cutting it off and letting it cool, topping it off again and then getting it up to temperature, etc., something I got from this thread: www.vwvortex.com/threads/changed-thermostat-now-car-overheats.5849560/ Afterwards (and after adding more coolant) it ran fine without overheating. Hope this helps.

[@Daddicated]

Thanks for the tips.

its ok to use any brand of coolant ? or it ok to mixed the Valvoline Multi-Vehicle 50/50 Prediluted Ready-to-Use Antifreeze/Coolant 1 GA to my existing coolant

[@Daddicated]

Yeah I think you should be fine besides most of the coolant gets drained out anyway.

@@Daddicated Thank you

[@Daddicated]

Anytime

[@rbarnes777]

you need to install an OAT(organic) based coolant. Do not use a multi vehicle unless it states OAT.

[@PT0B]

Thanks very much for this.

[@Daddicated]

You’re welcome.

[@icedazee]

It worked!!! Thank you.

[@Daddicated]

You're welcome.

[@JAPferd]

Great video! I appreciate your tutorial!

[@Daddicated]

Thanks. Glad to help.

[@VictorTemak]

Very nice! Surprisingly easy fix!

[@Daddicated]

Yes it wasn’t too bad. Unlike my Audi. Lol

[@t-time-fishing5680]

At the end do you close the knob? Or keep it open? After being done

[@Daddicated]

Which knob u referring too? The air bleed?

[@t-time-fishing5680]

@@Daddicated yes code just came on today p0128 and probably replace it on Tuesday and trying to learning as much as I can.

[@Daddicated]

Yeah I closed it. Basically you open it for a little bit let it leak out air and when u stop hearing or seeing bubbles you close it back up.

[@GaragelifeTX]

Thanks a lot!!! It really helped!!!

[@Daddicated]

Glad I could help.

[@GeraldReichert]

Nice video but,,,,, Everyone makes a mess of their garage floor or driveway by pulling the t-stat housing off while anti freeze is still in the system. I didn't want to make a mess of everything so with a little extra time 10-15 minutes you can do it and only loose 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fluid instead of about 1/2 gallon. First, I went to Auto Zone and bought a manual fluid transfer pump ( approx. $ 6.00 ) then I went to Harbor Freight and bought a scratch awl set ( approx. $ 9.00 ) . The awl set has a long and short 90 deg. bend awls in it. Now,,, after you get everything out of the way and are ready to remove the t-stat bolts, get an empty jug, ( I used an empty one gallon anti freeze jug ) take the radiator cap off and with a little manipulating you can get the suction hose of the transfer pump about 12-14 inches down into the radiator tank. Pump out all the anti freeze you can. Then remove the hose from the top of the radiator. ( the one that goes down to the t-stat ) This is where the bent scratch awl comes in. If the hose doesn't move when you try to wiggle it use the smaller awl and work it under the hose to break it free from the radiator. The reason for the awl is that with everything being plastic you don't want to put channel locks on the hoses to try and break it free possibly cracking the radiator outlet tube. Once the hose is loose, pull it off and hold it up so that you don't loose any fluid. Shove the suction hose of the pump down into the hose ( it will go all the way down to the t-stat ) now suction out all of the fluid you can ( all together I got about 1/2 gallon in total out ) . Now remove the t-stat bolts and you can take the hose and t-stat out of the engine area. Makes it much easier to remove and reinstall the new stat. After I was done I started the engine and slowly poured all the anti freeze back in. It may sound like a lot but it is not. The extra time spent doing this more than makes up for cleaning up 1/2 gal. of anti freeze. Took 2 hours start to finish.

[@Daddicated]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[@michaeldamico5152]

Hello, can you describe where that bleeder bolt is (the one you loosen to let the air bleed from the system)?

[@Daddicated]

It should be right on the thermostat on top. It has a philips head look to it.

[@danieldefosse6318]

Great tutorial, thanks for the help.

[@Daddicated]

Thanks. Glad I could help.

[@gastonrojas6042]

Great video brother… thanks

[@Daddicated]

Glad I could help.

[@lallen968]

do you need remove the tire? also what color is the coolant for caravan?

[@Daddicated]

No, you don't need to remove tire. Here is coolant you can use: amzn.to/3qYTdaO

[@paulfoytack5267]

Perfect! Thanks Pal!

[@Daddicated]

Anytime.

[@kevinmetcalf6371]

Thank you

[@Daddicated]

You’re welcome.

[@TheNaciRedi]

Thank you! Easy peasy!!!

[@Daddicated]

Glad it helped! 😊

[@joshr137]

Thanks!

[@Daddicated]

Thank you so much. 🙏🏼

[@tomference4618]

..excellent!

[@Daddicated]

Glad you liked it.

[@paisleygrimes1873]

Can this cause the cooling fan to not run?

[@Daddicated]

I’m not sure if it’s connected directly but I think if you have a cooling fan not running then it’s possibly a different issue. I sometimes the fan motor fails on cooling fans.

[@TomekinaOfa]

awesome video, my check engine light just came on and this helped a lot appreciate you sharing this

[@Daddicated]

Thanks man. Glad it was helpful.

[@rusty9129]

Question: what happens to the check engine light? It has thrown a code and put the light on...will the code reset itself after 3 or 4 restarts or will I need to have it electronically erased?

[@Daddicated]

I’m not sure about 3 or 4 restarts but I know mine reset automatically after I started driving it. Don’t really remember how quickly it went away. Worst case take it to auto shop store and they can reset it for free.

[@hganson2]

Sweet beautiful explanation Thank you 👍

[@Daddicated]

Thanks. 😊

[@gusljrchiefmoon792]

@@Daddicated q

[@Daddicated]

@@gusljrchiefmoon792 q?

[@ferngalindez6438]

Very well done, clear and concise.

[@Daddicated]

😊 thank you.

[@mxracerguy]

Thanks man!

[@Daddicated]

Your welcome. Glad I was able to help

[@derekp.1516]

So I got it all installed to the last step. While car still running after 5 mins I turned the bleeder screw and got some high pressure squirting coming out. Tightened it back down and screw broke! Squirting fountain. Unreal. Have to start all over with new part. Is bleeding while engine running ok??

[@Daddicated]

It worked fine for me. Look on the bright side it could of broke while ur on the road and then you would of had bigger problems.

[@asdadasdasd4594]

Bleed the coolant with the bleeder valve on the right side of the radiator. No need to jack the car, no need to remove anything underneath.

[@Daddicated]

Thanks for the tip.

[@hankmoody5514]

That was fairly easy. New thermost installed and reset the computer. Not faults

[@Daddicated]

Glad to hear this. Thanks for sharing

[@joshcontreras8941]

How much coolant do you need to replace after the process

[@Daddicated]

I didn't measure how much exactly. I just topped it off to the appropriate level I needed.

[@joshcontreras8941]

@@Daddicated so my check engine light is still on did you reset it with a scanner or did it go off after a while ?

[@Daddicated]

@@joshcontreras8941 Honestly I don't remember but you can try to reset it with a scanner. If it doesn't come back then great. If it does then you have another problem.

[@osvaldoreyes34]

What if I cant get under the van? Can I take a few hard turns and shake the coolant off the plastic cover?

[@Daddicated]

Well then you’ll have coolant all over your driveway. I’m sure the plastic cover will dry up eventually too.

[@riffharder1]

is there not a drain valve on the radiator?

[@Daddicated]

Good question, honestly I’m not sure. But something I can check next time.

[@moparrdudee87]

Could you just leave the bleeder valve open till all the bubbles are out ? Instead of opening and closing ??

[@Daddicated]

I guess I didn't want too much of it leaking out if I just left it open.

[@chemlung5368]

No gasket or sealant needed?

[@Daddicated]

No. I think the temp sensor has a rubber seal already but I don't remember anymore. But I don't recall having to replace a gasket or sealant.

[@chemlung5368]

@@Daddicated Thanks. Going to give it a go. Just got part and rubber seal is attach to new housing. Parts guy said make sure old one is not stuck to port on engine or bolts won’t start right or if you get them to it may leak. Clean the port good before installing. Thanks again for video and response.

[@Daddicated]

@@chemlung5368 that makes sense. Looks like the parts guy knows what he’s talking about.

[@rontarrant]

I have a problem with my 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. The passenger-side heater is stuck on high, even when it's turned off. Is this an expensive repair?

[@Daddicated]

Honestly I don’t really know much about that issue. But if I were you I would try researching it on google and see if you can figure out a way yourself.

[@rontarrant]

@@Daddicated Yup, did that first before posting here. I also asked on several car forums including one dedicated to Dodge. This was an act of desperation. My wife is getting overheated. :)

[@Daddicated]

@@rontarrant Look at the bright side. You will have a hot wife. 😂😅

[@wrath231]

My thermostat came fully dissasembled...any ideas?

[@Daddicated]

Like the new one was disassembled?

[@PixelatedCanuck]

don't really need to remove the cover.

[@Daddicated]

Which cover?

[@PixelatedCanuck]

@@Daddicated the cover at 1:30. If you stuff a towel underneath the thermostat when you undo the bolts on the thermostat the coolant will go into the towel. It won't go dripping all over the lower pieces

[@Daddicated]

Oh that cover... maybe if I used big enough towel. It’s alright it wasn’t too bad taking off that cover.

[@Daddicated]

Thanks for the tip tho.

[@mitchellrucks1258]

Using that bleeder screw does nothing when u have the cap off the radiator 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Daddicated]

Not sure what you are struggling with.

[@PetrVyleta]

Waaay too complicated approach. Other videos show you how to do that without removing the air filter.

[@Daddicated]

It was easier to get to it with the air filter out of the way. But sure you can struggle a bit more and leave the filter on.

[@joecrocket7873]

No thanks I'll pay 200 bucks and take it somewhere lol

[@Daddicated]

Sure why not.

[@josephohara6588]

Hey nice video I'm doing it now from the comments I've noticed You do not need to take the underneath plastic off. There is a bleeder valve on the right side of the radiator. It may take more than 1 gallon to fill. May over heat if not bleed properly. Anything else you could add? Thank you

[@Daddicated]

No, not really. I’m learning myself. Lol

[@keithdann9754]

Did you drain the rad

[@Daddicated]

I don’t think so. But I think it natural drained it when the hose was open.