3.4 L Thermostat

I tested my thermostat on the stove and it opened at 82 celsius as it's supposed to. However, when I installed it in my truck the upper hose/ radiator tank was extremely hot while the bottom was ice cold.

Does anyone know if a thermostat can pass the classic water on stove test but still not work in a car? Or did I just not have my system properly burped?

 

Is the truck overheating? Which way are you installing the dingle?

You'd need to confirm with a thermo gun ideally.

 

Why not just install a new OEM thermostat?

 

Because that's 50 bucks I'd rather spend on something else and another 2 days at least without a car. The truck isn't overheating but I was concerned I might blow the radiator top tank based on how hot it was. This is coming after I've recently done a lot of work on my truck's cooling system. New radiator and the oil cooler was clogged shut so I got that cleared at a machine shop.

Is there any reason that a thermostat would pass a stovetop test but fail in the truck?

 

A thermostat that passes a stove-top test could still malfunction in a car due to factors like pressure, flow rate, or other components in the cooling system. While the stove test can verify the thermostat opens and closes at the correct temperature, it doesn't replicate the real-world conditions of a car's engine

This is why in doubt replace…