GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

This may have been posted before, but I changed out my thermostat today (5 year maintenance interval for thermostats in my family). I found that you don't really have to take out the alternator to take out the thermostat housing. After I popped the serpentine belt off the alternator, I removed the top bolt and was able to just pitch the alternator forward enough to get my hands in there with a gearwrench. The problem with removing the entire alternator is that it is a pain in the rear to line up the bottom bolt again. At least for me, my casting flange of the bottom bolt and the alternator was a tight fit. (I did pull out the bottom bolt but found afterwards I didn't need to pull out the alternator entirely).

Also when I refilled my coolant, I used Zerex asian formula. To my best understanding, it meets ALL requirements of Toyota Pink and it's chemistry is even classified in the 2007 Matrix manual as appropriate. The manual does NOT say to use only Toyota Pink; it just says to use borate free, etc.....

I completely disagree with the Vibe manual that says Dex-Cool is ok. I just changed a thermostat for my Mom's CR-V today as well. It had a mixture of Honda blue and Prestone Universal in the system, and the thermo was caked with a hardened green slime. Not sure it's the 2-hea, but given the history if Dex-Cool I won't be going near it in any vehicle I own.

I also change the thermostat on a regular basis.
Always OEM on Japanese cars, the aftermarket ones don't look as well made.
I've seen the effects of one sticking open or closed (not a pretty sight!).
Back when I changed coolant in my cars every 2 years I replaced the thermostat every other coolant change.
I also change the radiator cap at the same time, and the radiator hoses every other thermostat change.

circuitsmith wrote:I also change the thermostat on a regular basis.
Always OEM on Japanese cars, the aftermarket ones don't look as well made.
I've seen the effects of one sticking open or closed (not a pretty sight!).
Back when I changed coolant in my cars every 2 years I replaced the thermostat every other coolant change.
I also change the radiator cap at the same time, and the radiator hoses every other thermostat change.

I watched a friend work hard to get his first nice car and pay cash for it; it was a 2006 Volvo S60. Well, about a month after he got it, the thermostat stuck closed, his upper radiator hose burst from the pressure, and he warped his head. Now, he's back to his 1993 F150. After that, I just change the $15 thermostats (yes, ONLY OEM) at regular intervals just like I would a timing belt. It's such cheap insurance to do.

the only time i've ever had a problem with a thermostat in 20 years/250,000 miles is when i replaced a perfectly good one. iirc, i used a Stant replacement. i have no idea if they have a good reputation, but mine failed within the 1st year.

I've got 136k miles on the original thermostat. Had the antifreeze replaced last year with the Toyota Pink stuff.

Does anyone know how long these should last?

ThePatriot wrote:I completely disagree with the Vibe manual that says Dex-Cool is ok. I just changed a thermostat for my Mom's CR-V today as well. It had a mixture of Honda blue and Prestone Universal in the system, and the thermo was caked with a hardened green slime. Not sure it's the 2-hea, but given the history if Dex-Cool I won't be going near it in any vehicle I own.

I agree with you. When I bought my first generation Vibe brand new in 2002, it had toyota long life coolant in it from the factory. Not dex-cool.

SeattleJeremy wrote:I've got 136k miles on the original thermostat. Had the antifreeze replaced last year with the Toyota Pink stuff.

Does anyone know how long these should last?

A thermostat can easily last the life of your car. It can also easily fail any time after a few years of use. I have seen a lot of Nippon (likely OEM for Toyota, they are OEM for Honda) ones fail at around 150k. In my old Honda, I had 260k on the car and never changed the thermostat. I changed my ways after watching friends fare worse than I. It is just one of those things that is a $15 preventative maintenance that avoids the loss of your entire vehicle. It's worth it to me; any overheating on these aluminum Toyota motors can be devastating.

And I try to cut corners and figure out who is OEM so I can order the part cheaper on Amazon, but thermostats are one thing that you need to get at the dealership parts counter (Toyota dealership is where I get all my stuff). Anything else will fail quickly.

These statements hold true for stock temp thermostats, but, try to find a stock 170 or 160 thermostat and you may be out of luck. I found a toyota 170 in California for $102. One of only 2 found in the toyota dealer search database. Aftermarket was my only choice. I just have to keep searching for a supply chain.