Thermostat seal issue 1997 Sidekick 1.6

[fixkick]

that TSB above (official) is to warn mechanics that there was a major change in 1992/93 UP.

TSB - parts and services for the automotive professional. TSB (Technical Service Bulletins) and Factory Recall

and there are now 2 thermostat spares parts and Part numbers./
the drawing can not be more clear as to what they did.
What this allows is faster installation, and for sure in the factory new, even robots could do this.
with flat paper gaskets, it is slow and tedious, that is the reasons.

read the black words a 2nd time.

[fixkick]

The other problem is stores that sell this do not know this fact.
Facts matter.
Some solutions (non suzuki) are no good. expect it. (aftermarket parts are NOT ALL EQUAL ,nor to suzuki.)
as soon as you see 4mm deep lip not 1mm you know for sure the car has a 1993 to 1998, intake manifold you know that and roll with it.
1992 on 2 door up. (see VIN change over dates)

[fixkick]

what you see there, is a factory setup or other persons bad idea ofafix.
I'd have to see very close up photos from 3 angles on stat alone, and one on the well pit, stat removed, to be wiser.

[3Waggintails]

the jiggle pin goes front, the engine is tilted front high to tail low, that why the jiggle bleed pin (or just bleed hole (tiny) can burP air out of the water jackets. OK that is its purpose.end.

those are precision machined and milled surface and using sharp metal tools on that surface is a big NO-NO, use plastic scrappers on aluminum. OK? ,
if you need matching and prefect parts, did you ever consider SUZUKI"? IT does fit, and has the right gaskets, for sure.

the thermostat has 7 year life span, so says the top dog at STANT, in his great, video factory STANT review . so,,,, depends on thermal cycles, daily driven or only to church only on Sunday.

"It just does not look like the correct gasket (the felpro)'
I told you susuki does not sell only a gasket, and Felpro and others have invented a THERE OWN MAGIC here, lacking any help from SUZUKI .
again: part ID : 11 , see it ,buy this kit? its SUZUKI parts to fit only your Suzuki Engine.
https://www.suzukicarparts.com/parts/199...am=1410510
Some makers have there own DESIGN here, 3rd party, aftermarket sellers,..... you are on your own there, see way?
it's not a FACTORY SPEC, exact fit part, that also means mixing up Factory parts here with aftermarket parts is path way to failure, and gee even an engine overheated and a nice warped head as a door prizes.... (cars are not simple)

you asking how to do it wrong, leaves me , blank.
it fits tight, "interference fit, after all how can the rubber seal up on the machined outer surface if it is not tight?, the drawings are from SUZUKI I did not make them. Red ink is my commentary.12 years ago and can be wrong TODAY, (I dont own stant nor felpro, no me,)
you do understand that the the coolant is under pressure right? 10 -14PSI pounds per square inch. It wants to leak (read that?, your mech knows.)
Q2:?
using top gasket,and rubber? (answers by me are factory parts, I cant buy 20 thermostat from 20 makers and try them all every 3 months to see if they are correct or now bad) Not saying it can work only that I sure can not try them every year. (evolution happens in the aftermarket world.)

see it again: B/W is suzuk', work.
http://www.fixkick.com/bbs2/Suzuki-bbs/g...44_41.jpeg
the rubber ringed, slotted inside rubber ring SEALS UP , on 3 PLanes.
1: bottom machined well lip.
2: side machined well.
3: and last on the top OUTLET CAP machined surface, (tell me how rubber against paper gasket can work here?) by design NOT.

if all the surfaces are undamaged (I cant see yours, in 3D)
the stock kit (thermostat) works perfect and in fact 7 years, long or more. so It DID WORK GREAT,.
if is damage here, only magic works now. (ok?) magic means the mechanic must find a way to hide the damage, and can be very very very hard, under 14psi pressure to do that.

He knows that and balked. for good reasons. (a wise man !) but why did it not just buy a suzuki real part, IDK (I Dont Know)
Hint1:
to shrink photos use windows 10 PAINT (type paint in the run box , then the exe paint.exe that pops up)
open the huge photo
click resize , pick HORZ 1280, SAVE and now it is not 10 feet wide as better cameras DO.

best is photo in the STAT well to see damage. CLean it first, and RTV is the most hard substance in the the world to remove. do not use metal to scrap OK.
RTV is uses when DAMAGE is HUGE and too cheap to buy used or new intake manifold for a NEW WELL.
that is how the cookie crumbles here.

I do not know how the top makers of thermostats (not suzuki) evolved there product after 12years ago I red inked those B/W factory drawing (lined above)
If you read my themostat page (fixkick.com) it even tells you the cars VIN number serial that the bigger thermostat well began.
http://fixkick.com/specs/16Lstat-bung/vi...change.jpg
1993 for 4 door, see? (so your car is for sure wide version, it is not rumor but facts) engine swaps notwithstanding (etc)

ODD DUCKS in thermostat world:
if any thing learn not to mix factory and aftermarket parts here.
some thermostats (aftermarket) have this very unique UNIFIED seal, that is my guess for damaged cars, IDK, (SUZUK had no hand in this idea)
they look like a mix of rubber ring and an old 1992 flat gasket all in this large affair. (looks totally alien) all rubberized, in total.

IDK why, I can not guess intent, but my guess, is
1: to fit more year cars, 92 to 98
2: to fit damaged, thermostat well. Again Ive no Idea at all there true Intent. but my best guess is here,


this post should now answer most thermostat questions.
but why not buy the SUzuki part, ? $41 set. why? (sure delays but if the aftermarket part fails then what?, more delays or worse.........)

THANKS! Since Suzuki no longer in existence, how and where do I get the factory set?

Mechanic has only seen same pic you saw. I didnt use anything harsh or scrape well metal

[3Waggintails]

I tried Suzuki link you provided. Came back 404 error code.

[fixkick]

omg, my how to buy suzuki parts page, has 2 links there, both work
suzuki here stopped selling cars, but not parts.
that is why I mad this page, just for the only 2 places I know that sell parts (real suzuki parts)

http://fixkick.com/buy-parts.html

both links work.
Garden Grove Ca.

New Jersey.

[fixkick]

learn to use dead links,

here is lesson on how to fix 404 .
if you get 404 errors, that means they moved a page, not a panic that.
so delete all things to the right of *.com and bingo. You land in Suzuki land.

dead linkss now.
http://www.suzukicarparts.com/parts/1995...searchText=
not now. see what I did?
http://www.suzukicarparts.com

they want you to drill down into the web site. for best way, 1997, suzuki,sidekick, JX, and type thermostat. in there search box.


it is that simple on all car web sites.

[fixkick]

here is the page
https://www.suzukicarparts.com/parts/199...eid=214820

here is added to cart
https://www.suzukicarparts.com/shoppingc...Thermostat


I have no idea if those links work, as there web site may check my cookies and allow it but not you.. there web site is a PITA.

[fixkick]

I only know 2 sources, for suzuki oem parts, today. (they did IMPLODE!) in the USA and short time later CANADA.
googling might find more. but all I see is endless motorcycle pages or worse fake suzuki sites selling endless aftermarket parts. not real SUZ.

your mechanic should be able to handle this, it's not J18 or J20 engines, , it's not 1992 anything, its only 1996 -1998 parts, only.
There are lots of choices but the truth is , do NOT MIX parts, and if it dont fit, the part you bought is wrong. (easy to do for sure) given the above facts.
buying only a seal, will be the most hard of all.. I'd not do it. (unless down time is fun)
Suzuki sells no seal. never did, but hope springs eternal.