Hello!

This has partially been covered in other topics, but I figured I'd start something fresh for this question. Sorry for the seeming to repeat myself at times...

In another thread, I was told that I should be looking for either a Behr or a Whaler thermostat. Then, in another thread, I read that there were problems with Behr thermostats that made them not open until after 100° centigrade. On reading this, I figured that I should look for a Whaler thermostat...problem is I couldn't find one. The dealer was out of stock and every parts store I checked (McParts as well as a couple of halfway-decent shops) only had Stant or Beck/Arnley thermostats. One shop mentioned a thermostat that he had that came from some company in France, but I don't remember the company name.

On here as well as on the Ford site, I've heard so many horror stories about people replacing thermostats with ones that proved not to work (usually sticking closed) that I'm being careful (okay, "over-cautious" ) with this...I'd like to get this taken care of before I leave (given what happened today, I'm not leaving tomorrow like I had planned), but if I can't get something "decent", I guess I'll just live with an open thermostat and the lowered heater output.

Also, what's the thermostat supposed to open at? www.partsamerica.com has two thermostats listed; one that opens at 180°F and another that opens at 195°F...or is their listing an anomoly?

Any thoughts would be appreciated...thanks in advance!

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2001 VW Jetta TDI, 5 speed, daily driver
1991 Ford F-350, work in progress
1984 Ford F-250 4x4, 6.9l turbo diesel, 5 speed manual
Previous oilburners: 1980 IH Scout, 1984 E-350, 1985 M-B 300D, 1979 M-B 300SD, 1983 M-B 300D
Spark-free since 1999