How to Replace Thermostat 1997-2001 Toyota Camry
Created on: 2016-08-22
Follow along for detailed instructions on how to replace the thermostat on your 97-01 Toyota Camry.
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step 1 :Draining the Coolant
- Remove the radiator cap
- Remove the six 10mm bolts from the skid plate
- Have a drain pan ready
- Unscrew the drain plug
- Let the coolant drain
- Tighten the drain plug
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step 2 :Removing the Thermostat
- Have a drain pan ready
- Remove the two 10mm nuts from the thermostat housing
- Remove the housing
- Wiggle and remove the thermostat
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step 3 :Installing the Thermostat
- Insert the gasket to the new thermostat
- Check the housing's surface for debris
- Press the thermostat into the housing
- Press the thermostat and housing into the motor
- Tighten the two 10mm nuts to the housing
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step 4 :Refilling the Coolant
- Line up the skid plate
- Tighten the 10mm bolts to the skid plate
- Place a funnel in the radiator
- Fill the radiator with Toyota approved coolant 50/50 mix with water
- Run the vehicle up to operating temperature and run the heat fan at the lowest speed setting
- Top off the coolant if necessary
- Top off the expansion tank if necessary
- Turn up the fan speed and check for heat
- Reinstall the radiator cap
- Drive the vehicle to ensure coolant is cycling properly
Tools needed
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Funnel
Socket Extensions
Jack Stands
10mm Wrench
Drain Pan
10mm Socket
Ratchet
Floor Jack
Anti-Freeze
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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to be working with our 1998 Toyota Camry 2.2 liter 4-cylinder. We're going to show you how to change out the thermostat, which can be the cause of some issues, or they can melt down as a result of another overheating problem. If you like this information, please click subscribe. We have a ton more information on this vehicle, as well as many other makes and models.
Here are the items you'll need for this repair: 10mm socket, ratchet, socket extension, drain bucket, funnel, antifreeze, jack and jack stands
Open the hood and secure the hood prop. Remove the radiator cap to allow the radiator to drain properly. We've put our vehicle on a lift to make it easier to film for you, but this job can be easily done with a jack and jack stands.
We'll have to remove this skid plate here on the bottom of the radiator so we can drain it and access the hoses on the bottom. Ours has six 10mm bolts. Your vehicle may have more, but we're missing an inner fender weld on the driver's side and several other pieces of hardware. The inner fender weld on the driver's side will be removed the same way the passenger is. You'll need a 10mm socket and ratchet. When removing the last bolt, you'll have to support the skid plate with your other hand. Remove the skid plate and place it off to the side.
We've placed the drain bucket underneath our radiator drain here, which is located about 3/4 of the way over to the driver's side. We'll unscrew that and allow our coolant to drain.
The thermostat housing is located just below the alternator on the front passenger side of the motor. We're going to remove these two 10mm nuts, and remove the housing from the front of the motor. This one down here is a little tight to get at, so we'll use a 10mm socket and ratchet for the top. We may have to use a stubby wrench or a ratcheting wrench to get to the one on the bottom. We're using a 1/4 inch drive ratchet with a 10mm short socket to get that bottom nut.
We've placed a drain bucket under the motor, so we can now remove the housing. Even though we've already drained our radiator, we want to make sure we catch any excess coolant that's still in the system. Wiggle the thermostat and remove it from your motor.
Match up your thermostats to make sure that they're the same. We'll take our new one. Our gasket, you can see that there's a small channel cut in there. That sits around the edge of the thermostat here. Set that in, work it around the thermostat. It's now ready to be reinstalled into our vehicle.
Make sure that the gasket surface is free and clear of debris. We'll insert the thermostat in. We'll insert our thermostat into the motor and reinstall our two 10mm nuts.
Now you're ready to refill your cooling system and bleed the air out. Line up your skid plate, and start your 10mm bolt. I like to start in the center because it keeps it balanced. We'll start the rest of the bolts by hand to ensure that it's lined up properly before tightening it down with our 10mm socket and ratchet.
Place a funnel in the radiator and then fill it with proper Toyota-approved coolant, mixed 50/50 with water. Once it's full, we'll start the vehicle, let it run and get up to operating temperature, at which point the thermostat will open and allow air to bleed out of the system. We'll top off the coolant if necessary.
Start your vehicle, turn the heat on to the lowest fan speed setting and wait for the temperature to come back up to operating temp. You can see the air bleeding out of the system here. Once the system is properly bled, you should see a full coolant level inside of the radiator. Top off your expansion tank if necessary. Turn up the fan speed and ensure that the heat is working properly in your vehicle. Reinstall your radiator cap and drive it to ensure proper function of the cooling system. Be sure to monitor the temperature gauge and the heat to make sure that coolant is cycling properly.
Thanks for tuning in. We hope this video helped you out. Next time you need parts for your car, please visit 1AAuto.com. Also check out our other helpful how-to and diagnosis videos.
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