I want to change the thermostat because it seems to be taking a lot longer to warm up and temp gauge only goes up a little into operating range. The whole system was flushed and changed 30,000 miles ago by dealer but the coolant is green?? Acording to some guys on this site that is not good?? Before the snow flies I just want to change out the therm. and top off. I will completly flush and change coolant this spring, but for now I just want the truck to warm up faster when wife drives it...It is a 2001 EX with the 7.3...thanks guys.....THINK SNOW!!!!!!

 

Changing the thermostat is not a big deal & the green coolant is just fine if you keep the DCA right. Be a good time to get some dip strips & check it.

Drain the rad down to a level below the water pump, take the upper hose off, 3 bolts at the thermo housing. Make sure you get the correct thermostat.

 

ford dealer or NAPA does it matter???

 

For no more than a thermostat cost I'd say it really doesn't matter & I'd probably get it at the dealer

 

I would go with this stat and housing.
http://www.dieselsite.com/203thermostat.aspx

 

Where ever you get it, make sure they're identical in length. If you get a short stem one, your cooling system won't flow properly and will overheat!. I got Bob's 203 degree t-stat and the billet housing. Even with the new housing, I still have a slight leak at the flange, so a little permatex would be a good idea when you do your install.

The 203 t-stat is one of those debated things, some say that it leads to high oil temps, but on the flip side, it was what International designed to be run in these engines. In my case, the truck warms up way faster (old t-stat was shot) and runs at temp now. I also gained 1mpg from it running so cool all the time.

 

I just had the same issue with warming up slow and the temp gage was only getting just above the cold mark. I researched all thermostat options and the best looking(heaviest duity)thermostat and gasket was the Ford thermostat. I thought about the 203 and was talked out of it by two of our biggest supporter companies on this site. I put the Ford 192 thermostat in yesterday and my temp gage is up a quarter of an inch from where it was before. Truck seems to have more power now with the higher temp. I'm happy with the Ford thermostat!

 

Great discussion, thanks. It gets a little warm in the cab. That 16 miles is mostly at 45-55 mph, no stops. Outdoor air is about 40. I think I'll try the 203 -- not sure what it has in it now as I am the new, 3rd owner.

 

Let us know what you think of the 203 after you run it awhile, I'm one of the ones still undecided about it

 

After I get around to making the change, I will post back with the results. Maybe I'll even take a picture of the temp gauge and trip meter before and after. It may be a few weeks. Thanks everyone.

 

I would stick with the Ford T-stat over the NAPA one. I noticed a difference in design which made me nervous about installing it. The OEM is on the right, the NAPA is on the left. I noticed a difference in the bleed hole and the rubber o-ring that is on the Ford part and not on the NAPA one. Since my old one was still working fine, I reinstalled it. I also love the billet T-Stat housing from Dieselsite. Here's my writeup on the entire T-Stat housing swap I did:T-stat Housing Replacement

 

The 203 will not make the truck warm up quicker it will only run hotter when it does warm up. After replacing my old bad one with the 192 ford one, my truck runs plenty warm and I can't believe the power difference with the hotter running engine. Also got a 1-2 mpg gain. I would be afraid to see how high my temp gage would be with a 203.

 

What temperature is "plenty warm"?

 

I don't know what temp I'm actually running. I'm puting in a an old temp gage I had today. I'm just going by the stock one, the needle is just below the half way point on the stock gage. Before my new thermostat it was about an eight of an inch above the c line. I will know later today what temp I'm running, I will post it.

 

Just a question why not use the block heater if you have one? That will warm it up faster.