GM 3.4 Thermostat Replacement - '03 Montana

[@singincowboy36]

when i got to the bottom bolt on the thermostat housing i cut a wrench in half welded at an angle and cut off the open end and cut about a foot of old 1/2 inch plumbing pipe worked like a dream.

[@MrMDee-si1bz]

Need to see how you removed/installed the housing!! I’m having trouble with it! I know you said lean it outward, but mine is too narrow!

[@damienz1212]

Best video on a Montana thermostat I found. I'm doing it myself I a snowpocalypse in Banff and this video is saving my life . Thank you !!!!

[@CarswithNash]

Thank you! That's my friend John who filmed this for me and I did the editing, I agree he did a great job on it, I'm hoping to get him to do more videos for me down the road. It's great getting feedback like this!

[@damienz1212]

except it didnt work... thinking its the head gasket now. made a gasket and got pressure back and now its ice cold below minimum and i just got to kelowma from Canmore where i put it in .. it looks like a blue milkshake in my resevoir and it is overheating again. clean oil but no heat at any stage . shop wants 1700 labor for head

[@damienz1212]

I put blue devil in at 40$ got me Canmore to Kelowna. not bad

[@kisermooney7165]

Thank you guys so much for making this video, Chevrolet was about to charge me $400 to do this.... i’m entry level so it took me about a day and a half with beer breaks in between lol but it definitely beats $400 and now I know how to do it. Thank you!

[@CarswithNash]

Great to hear, thanks for the feedback!(-:

[@Mark-um5hc]

Man, I know that's right. Good job... I do my own work also. Save your money.

[@mylifejourney74]

Wow. Just found your channel. Exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't figure out how to get that other stud off. Now I know.. Thank you..

[@STREETRACEN4U]

Thanks for this video! I managed to do it without removing throttle body or cables but it wasnt easy, i have bad luck with that van everything that comes apart breaks so i left it as much together as i could. That rear thermostat bolt was the worst! Cut myself many times getting it in and out. Why couldnt they put the thermostat where the bleeder screw is on that pipe!!!

[@CarswithNash]

Yeah it's certainly not a fun job, glad the video helped you, thanks for the feedback!

[@125AXer]

Will be doing this on a Venture soon, the thermostat seems to be stuck open. In cold weather, the engine temperature stays too low when driving, warms up a bit when stationary.

[@CarswithNash]

This should fix your problem then, just be sure to use the air bleeders when you fill it back up, I posted a link to somebody else’s video for doing that.

[@125AXer]

@@CarswithNash Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. Second issue is that even when the engine gets plenty warm, the cooling fan never comes on. I figure that there is an issue with the temp switch (will be checking to see that both fans work when power is applied). The AC doesn't work, so the 2nd fan won't cycle either. 2002 Venture, only 45K miles. An actual "little old lady" car!

[@SteveStoltz]

I used a stubby Gearwrench for that bottom t-stat housing bolt, it made the process of getting the that sucker loose much faster. I also cut off half of the bottom tab off so that if I need to do it again I "hopefully" wont have to loosen the bolt as far. Its a shame something that takes 15 minutes on most vehicles takes 2 hours on these vans.

[@CarswithNash]

Steve Stoltz John actually tried his ratcheting wrench but it wouldn’t fit, the head was too bulky, not sure what brand it was. I find a lot of FWD V6 vehicles are tough to work on.

[@SteveStoltz]

@@CarswithNash As I think about it I may be thinking of a different job I used the ratcheting wrench on, I do remember rigging something together though since my arm just wouldn't bend where I needed it to, lol. I know those stubby wrenches saved my butt at some point though, enough that I went out and bought a whole set of them.

[@dtm2609]

They make a wrench specifically for this job....i can do a t stat on one of these in 20 minuets

[@SteveStoltz]

Dan Boggs do you have a link, I’d like to pick one of those up.

[@CarswithNash]

Dan Boggs That’s good too know, John did say there was a few ways to do the job, he picked the way he though was easiest for people with little experience to tackle it at home with their basic tools.

[@juliovaldez6834]

This video was very helpful thank you Julio V Good luck

[@CarswithNash]

Glad to hear!(-:

[@rokitman5753]

Great vid thanks a bunch!!!

[@terranceanderson7828]

What was that plastic tube you plugged back into the air duct next to the sensor and how does it connect at the back of the engine? 16:27

[@d.b.6271]

Awesome buddy really good job it will help a lot for me to do it. thanks

[@CarswithNash]

Damian Bielawski Thanks for the feedback.

[@d.b.6271]

@@CarswithNash you're so helpful buddy you deserve that. Just don't mind my English I'm polish guy.

[@lwh7301]

I attempted this a few years ago. Removed the throttle body and a lot of other crap, and ended up with enough room to put a wrench on the inside bolt, but alas, ended up stripping the bolt nevertheless. The bolt head is very thin and the position is very awkward. Had to put everything back together.

[@CarswithNash]

I’ve never found this era of GM very enjoyable to work on, sorry to hear about your troubles.

[@DjKennyisglobal]

Mann... you make THIS job look so simple( when I know it'd not easy,) good job though I need one done on my 2004 venture im really skeptical about letting any ol Mechanic do the job ,cause when I got the van used ,I change out all the bad juices along with faulty parts and the thermo was one of the faulty ones Thing is... mechanic broke my throttle body, so I think this round , Id might have to take it to the professionals

[@aldahirjaoa7061]

For me it is more easy removing the exhaust cross tube instead the throttle body. 1 night before you work over the engine, apply penetrating fluid in the exhaust tube washers or screws to avoid get broken when unscrewing. Just a tip work very good for me.

[@kingquis8464]

Hands dow best 3.4 thermostat tutorial period i watched 6 videos before i found this one they all sucked

[@CarswithNash]

Thank you. I really appreciate hearing that.

[@jonahjohnston6909]

Only problem I saw was the leftover nut in the tray that should have gone on the bottom of the throttle bracket. 😁 Good video, i watch stuff like this to see if others have tricks that i dont use.

[@CarswithNash]

Jonah Johnston I’m assuming the nut was put on off camera, I just did the editing on this one. Thanks for the feedback.

[@larrystubbs9072]

Very good video

[@deadchickencookingchannel6041]

Holy! GM sure doesn';t make it easy to perform what should be a simple task!

[@CarswithNash]

Lorraine Stephenson More money for them when you bring it to the dealer for repairs, that much sooner that the cost of repairs will exceed the value of the vehicle & they can sell you another! That’s why John & I are making these detailed videos to try to help owners to be able to do their own repairs.

[@briggsnixon460]

pro tip: watch series on Flixzone. I've been using it for watching lots of of movies these days.

[@flynnwells2713]

@Briggs Nixon yea, I have been watching on Flixzone for since december myself :)

[@andyquincy838]

@Briggs Nixon Definitely, have been watching on Flixzone for since december myself :D

[@patapouf75]

Back screw is a P.I.T.A... I'm gonna remove the throttle body.... Tanks for showing this to me....

[@CarswithNash]

Honda XR650R Freaks Glad you found it helpful.

[@danvesa1182]

Would this be the same for an 04 pontiac montana

[@JacobJustDidThat]

5:10 How in the literal hell did you get the seconds nut off of TB on bottom right?

[@TheNotYetProSkaters]

What’s the labor time for this

[@spiritualforce2168]

Thank you,

[@flyfisherman3649]

I need to change my thermostat tomorrow and thank you so much for the time you put into making this video!!

[@Mark-um5hc]

How did it go for you ? I gotta change mine also. Looks challenging.

[@joseduranjr3152]

Does it need to be a 195 thermostat? I’m wanting to use a 180

[@CarswithNash]

You can do that, it’ll just run a little cooler and your heater won’t produce as much heat.

[@joseduranjr3152]

Will the 180 degree thermostat cause fuel to not completely burn and cause catalytic converter failure

[@CarswithNash]

@@joseduranjr3152 It might negatively affect your fuel economy slightly, but no it should not cause any issues with unburnt fuel or the catalytic converter, your engine temperature should not affect your exhaust temperature. Also 15° is a rather small difference...

[@annbrewington4685]

Hey matt i followed the directions... The thermostat replacement was a success (i thought) but after putting everything back together my car won't start ...any advice🤷

[@CarswithNash]

ann brewington It could be a coincidence, I’d try giving the battery cables a clean, maybe they’ve corroded up or something. Does it crank and not start or not crank?

[@annbrewington4685]

@@CarswithNash okay I'll give that a try....well actually it cranks and now (after i went back tightened some connections) starts but shuts right back off

[@Skee_grindlyfe]

I have same issue

[@joseduranjr3152]

Where is the coolant sensor? Where is the cooling fan sensor switch?

[@randylee2549]

Matt's Garage, where was the gauge riding in moderately cold temps, I have a 2000, it is running exacty 1/4 of the way up the gauge, heat is luke warm, this is in 10 degree weather or so, is this normal? Thanks!

[@CarswithNash]

Randy Lee The van doesn’t belong to me, I’m pretty sure the gauge should be 1/3-1/2 though, sounds like you might need a new thermostat, be sure to get a 195 thermostat, sometime people replace them and put in a cooler one, you can get them down to 165 for most vehicles but 195 is normally standard from the factory and will give you optimal heat.

[@randylee2549]

@@CarswithNash I see, it sure sounds like it too, for now I will use cardboard and block off some airflow see how that helps)

[@koreymayo8884]

I just did this yesterday and what a pain that back bolt on the thermostat housing was and took forever even with a ratcheting flex head gear wrench! I decided to go with a 180 degree AcDelco thermostat to help keep it running 15 degrees cooler and help the antifreeze coolant last longer since heat breaks down fluid.

[@CarswithNash]

Just think of all the money you saved over bringing it to a mechanic.👌

[@MrFlashRacing]

How long in real time did this job take.?

[@CarswithNash]

MrFlashRacing Takes about 1.5hrs including refilling/bleeding the system.

[@jonahjohnston6909]

Mechanical work is 1/2 hr to 1hr, could take longer if parts or bolts are stuck.

[@cbart3634]

Thankyou!!

[@CarswithNash]

Happy to help!(-:

[@cbart3634]

@@CarswithNash once I get this thing put together, it’s outta here! I’m buying a Ford.

[@CarswithNash]

@@cbart3634 I admire your optimism about Ford ownership but feel like you may be disappointed... It does seem like newer cars are a crapshoot regardless of brand...🤷‍♂️

[@cbart3634]

@@CarswithNash I 100% agree with you. I don’t like all the new techy equipment they put on newer vehicles. I don’t want a WiFi truck lol.. just a nice solid reliable vehicle works for me. I appreciate your video. I’m putting it all together now and hoping that was the problem. Fingers crossed. Thanks again.

[@Reatork]

Great step by step, sadly as easy as it looks, I am going to opt to have a mechanic do this, i just cant see myself doing all this work when its almost freezing temps outside and I dont have a garage to work in to stay warm, and Im kind of on a time crunch.

[@mrmotofy]

Buy a 16x20 tarp for $10 and some spring clamps or quick clamps etc drape it over the front end and clamp to keep it from blowing. Run a lil$25 electric heater under there and work in relative comfort at 50-60 degrees. Solve the problem to get to your solution

[@arturomedina9769]

Mostrar una afinacion

[@Paragorax]

Im only 3 minutes in but, i dont think you have to remove all that. I can get to it just fine without the removal of the throttle cables, coolant resevoir, support arm, or the throttle body. If you reach under the exhaust pipe, youl find you can get to the 2nd bolt. You dont have to take the whole bolt off, just loosen it because the bolt hole slides just enough to get the stat out. Just my way of doing it.

[@Mark-um5hc]

What year is your Montana ? I got a 2002. I knew I have to change it, first thing. I'm pretty sure it's straight from the factory, never changed. I need to do it and soon. I looked at it and seen its going to be challenging. Is it as bad as it looks ? Curious

[@nomandad2000]

As I pass my 3rd tedious hour trying to remove that bottom bolt, doing my best impersonation of a circus contortionist, and wondering how I’ll ever get it back on (realizing that it can’t be “loosened” because it isn’t fu$&ing notched), I realized that this is the most ridiculous auto repair I’ve done thus far. All for a stupid thermostat. If you are in a shop with specialty tools, it isn’t bad. A layman backyard beginner mechanic such as myself, will find themselves infuriated at how the designers placed the housing where they did, and may find themselves regretting even trying to do this...

[@CarswithNash]

I agree, I'm not a fan of working on these vans either.

[@nomandad2000]

Matt's Garage ended up giving up and leaving it off, lol. The housing was knotched after all, but I had to get it to almost the last thread to get the housing out...then when I tried to put the housing back on, I lost the sumbitch...found it, and just couldn’t make it happen. May take it to a shop and see if they can do it...christ that sucked...

[@cbart3634]

@@nomandad2000 I’m having that same issue! Lol.. I’m leaving the thing off too. It was stuck on until that last thread. Grrrrr.

[@nomandad2000]

@@cbart3634 whoever designed that crap are some very deranged individuals

[@cbart3634]

@@nomandad2000 lol!! I agree. Not sure what they were smoking when the signed off on this design.

[@garmin1488]

Not an easy job. And good luck changing the EGR valve in 30 minutes the one bolt is nearly impossible to reach. I know cause I've done 2 lower intake manifold gaskets on these vans and EGR valve bolts was the most difficult part.

[@ericgwilym712]

I don't remove the throttle body or the heat shield or the crossover pipe even to do that job. This is the most difficult and rediculouse simple job I have ever done! I hate GM 3.4 motor and this motor has made me hate GM period!!!! This is on my list of vehicles that I will NEVER EVER own again! Run away from this shit motor! The transmission isn't even good enough for the shit engine in this shit car!!! 🔥All GM 3.4 motors!!

[@CarswithNash]

Eric Gwilym LOL!