1997 Camry LE No Heat/Thermostat Questions
 

Stat failed in an open position but the car has no heat. I had the current one done some year back during some eng. work. The mech just picked one from AZ and I remember him mentioning fail safe yada yada.

This time I want to do it myself. I have read that I should not replace with a fail safe but an oem. I like the idea behind fail safe tech. because I am still driving the car minus cabin heat.

My questions
A-Is it ok to use a fail safe stat?
B-I have read that Stant and GATES are recommended (not the cheapy imports). These are what I have come up with from the readings I have looked at
1. Autozone - Failsafe Thermostat 170° F
2. O'Reilly - Murray stat 170° F
3. GATES 33983 OE Exact, bottom By-Pass 180° F
4. Stant OE Type Bottom By-Pass stat - 180° F
5. GENUINE TOYOTA stat w/gasket 90916-03090
6. Stant from Pep Boys - I am just not sure which my correct model?

I am in Texas, forgiving winters but summer heat is brutal. What should I go with?

Get the same T-stat temp as stock which is 180F.

The issue with a fail safe T-stat may be the quality of the product.

The Toyota T-stat is top quality. If money is not a problem get No 5.

Otherwise suggest No 3 or 4.

When draining the coolant system catch all the fluid and measure it. When refilling the system put as much in as drained out. You may need to squeeze the radiator hoses to remove the air.

It is possible to "fill" the system to overflow but not have enough coolant installed due to air in the system. The result is the engine will overheat and spew out steam.

I agree with toyomoho the thermostat is such a critical part of the cooling system. A suggestion is some dealers will compete with aftermarket that carry oems. Keep that in mind.