Replacing thermostat issue?

LEAHLOU

MEMBER
2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
1.8L
4 CYL
TURBO
AUTOMATIC
170,000 MILES

I'm replacing the thermostat on the car, and I pulled out the old thermostat and the thermostat that I bought is an OEM new thermostat for that specific vehicle. It looks quite different than the one I pulled out. I will post a picture below. Can you please help me understand why this might be this way?

4 Replies

LEAHLOU

MEMBER
3 POSTS

I'm not sure if the pictures uploaded so here they are again.

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Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 AT 1:02 PM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,476 POSTS

Does the new one fit, it looks larger than the old one? The quality of the new one looks better like the old thermostat could have been the wrong one. The thermostat in the instructions looks like the new one you have. Check out the images (below). Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.

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Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 AT 6:25 PM

LEAHLOU

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Yes, it was quite a bit larger than the old one. I didn't put it on yet completely because I wasn't sure why it was different. I'm not sure that the hose from the thermostat to the engine will fit over this one.

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Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 AT 6:32 PM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,476 POSTS

The main concern is if the thermostat will fit into the engine block, it needs to sit flush so the housing can be installed without leaking. Upload images if there are any questions, please.

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Thursday, October 13th, 2022 AT 2:08 PM