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  1. #1
    Senior Member kingls1's Avatar
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    Water pump problem

    Hey guys I just got my 160 thermostat today and it would not fit into the water pump, the fingers that hold the stat to the housing will not fit into the pump! It is 2" wide out side to out side of the fingers the best I can tell the opening is 1 7/8"...called JEGS and thay checked a SLP stat and it measured 1 7/8", the housing I removed has GM stamped on it so Iam guessing it is factory pump and stat, any one ever run into this problem before? Will the SLP fit factory and aftermarket pumps? Just had a tune and now the fans are set lower and I can't find a stat

  2. #2
    expensive tires az gt eater's Avatar
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    I had the same problem with OReilly's. They gave me the wrong one. It is the wrong stat. You need to get the right one. Sorry to hear. When that happened to me, I was down until I got mine from ws6store.com

  3. #3
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    You have the LS2/LQ4/LQ9 stat. The LS1 is a stat that is also part of the housing.

    All the stores will sell the cheaper LS2 stat as it's a thermostat all by itself for less than $10. Seems that's all they carry, and they try to push it off as an LS1 stat too, (even Summit did that to me),,,but it's not. Funny though, on the package it says fits LS1,,,,that's wrong. Not sure if Summit or Jegs ever fixed that slight problem, sounds like they haven't.

    To get a correct LS1 stat the only places I've found them are either the dealer, or an LS specific store like WS6store, Lingenfelter, SLP, Texas Speed, etc....

  4. #4
    expensive tires az gt eater's Avatar
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    And, if you have to run your stock stat until the other shows up , it won't hurt anything. Fans won't wear out if the water isn't actually running through the rad.

  5. #5
    Senior Member kingls1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firebirdjones View Post
    You have the LS2/LQ4/LQ9 stat. The LS1 is a stat that is also part of the housing.

    All the stores will sell the cheaper LS2 stat as it's a thermostat all by itself for less than $10. Seems that's all they carry, and they try to push it off as an LS1 stat too, (even Summit did that to me),,,but it's not. Funny though, on the package it says fits LS1,,,,that's wrong. Not sure if Summit or Jegs ever fixed that slight problem, sounds like they haven't.

    To get a correct LS1 stat the only places I've found them are either the dealer, or an LS specific store like WS6store, Lingenfelter, SLP, Texas Speed, etc....
    I just talked to pajeff on the tele and he said there are two sizes for these the one he has is the same as the one I got and fit just fine, JEGS took a measure for me and the SLP stat is 1/8 smaller so I think it should fit, so its on it's way, put the stock back in and test drove and temp stayed fine. The one I got was a complete housing with stat inside but almost every auto parts shows two one in the housing and one not...the one not in the housing states it is for factory replacement water pump, so thinking GM put the ls2 pump on as a factory replacement possibly... I will let you know when the new one gets here next week

  6. #6
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kingls1 View Post
    thinking GM put the ls2 pump on as a factory replacement possibly... I will let you know when the new one gets here next week
    That's always a question I've had that I've never seemed to get a solid answer to. Whether all the GM pumps you buy now using the newer style stats without the housing as one unit. I know the aftermarket pumps like Edelbrock do. I'm also told the LS2/LQ4/LQ9 pumps aren't supposed to work on LS1's, as if there is something different. Could be something as simple as pulley offsets.
    I meant to investigate that further at the time and never did. Figure I'll have to at some point, eventually I'll have a leaky pump on an LS1 here and I'd love to switch to a pump that takes the simple $8 stat rather than the goofy stat/housing setup for $50. That alone would save me alot of money every year.

  7. #7
    Senior Member kingls1's Avatar
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    My good friend works a autoparts and he showed me on the screen that the cheaper stat not in the housing is listed for my 99 LS1 but it states it is for GM replacement and most aftermarket pumps, so thinking thay made a change on the pumps and stat some where along the line....I agree $8-$11 is much better than the $69 I just spent on a SLP

  8. #8
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Well that's good to hear. Makes me want to change the pump just to be able to use the other stat. I guess you also have to change over to the later style thermostat housing to accomodate the new type thermostat......but that's just a guess. I didn't pay close attention to the thermostat housings on my LS1 and LQ4.

    Now that I think about it, it would be good preventive maintanance to swap the pump on my LS1 so it doesn't leave me stranded somewhere
    Last edited by Firebirdjones; 05-27-2012 at 08:36 AM.

  9. #9
    Senior Member kingls1's Avatar
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    Update just received my SLP thermostat in the mail from JEGS and low and behold it is the Exact same stat that I bought from eBay for $30 cheaper so B.S. on the SLP hyper tech!!! I will be pulling the old stat in a few days to look at it closer it just maybe the one that comes free from the housing!(was pissed about 1st stat didn't look much before putting it back in) will update soon, no other stats but the two(housing& no housing) listed for the ls1 so Iam praying...

  10. #10
    Member cowstandmoto's Avatar
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    I bought the SLP 160 therm assembly for my 2002 about 3 or 4 years ago. But I didn't have any issues with it going in. And the car had the factory water pump on it. That's strange.

  11. #11
    Senior Member kingls1's Avatar
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    Ok pulled the stat today and low and behold it was the stat that was removable from the housing. Went back to JEGS site and looked up 160 stat for ls1 and only two were listed. The one mounted in the housing and one you put in, lookes like mine, application shows for ls1,ls2, ls6 2004-2008. My ? Is I have a 99 TA ls1 and am guessing the pump was replaced by prior owner, neck and all hoses are stamped and or marked with GM and housing only has two markings GM & L 2! Does anyone have any knowledge to share about this!!! I ordered it for $24.99 and have to send back others, as of now I have $90 in stats +$25 =$115 and still unsure if Iam getting right part!!

  12. #12
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    If you have the stat that is removable (just pops out and has a rubber o-ring around it) then you have the later style pump used on LS2/LQ4/LQ9 as far as I know.

    I'd guess the pump has been changed which answers my long lost question of whether the newer style pumps work on the LS1 (that's what I'm thinking anyway) Although I've been told they don't.

    Do you have a part number on that pump? That would help to narrow it down.

  13. #13
    expensive tires az gt eater's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kingls1 View Post
    Ok pulled the stat today and low and behold it was the stat that was removable from the housing. Went back to JEGS site and looked up 160 stat for ls1 and only two were listed. The one mounted in the housing and one you put in, lookes like mine, application shows for ls1,ls2, ls6 2004-2008. My ? Is I have a 99 TA ls1 and am guessing the pump was replaced by prior owner, neck and all hoses are stamped and or marked with GM and housing only has two markings GM & L 2! Does anyone have any knowledge to share about this!!! I ordered it for $24.99 and have to send back others, as of now I have $90 in stats +$25 =$115 and still unsure if Iam getting right part!!
    That's funny. I feel for you for sure, but it is still funny as hell. Sorry man.

  14. #14
    Senior Member kingls1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firebirdjones View Post
    If you have the stat that is removable (just pops out and has a rubber o-ring around it) then you have the later style pump used on LS2/LQ4/LQ9 as far as I know.

    I'd guess the pump has been changed which answers my long lost question of whether the newer style pumps work on the LS1 (that's what I'm thinking anyway) Although I've been told they don't.

    Do you have a part number on that pump? That would help to narrow it down.
    I ran the number on the front of the pump through GM and came back number no longer in the system, so we'll find out in a day or two when part gets here

  15. #15
    Veteran pajeff02's Avatar
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    I'll be swapping the 'stat in our Suburban here soon and imagine it is the larger style with the replaceable guts. Hope you get this one solved before summer comes and goes! We'll be at the track this weekend for the Gasser Reunion -- usually a good show to see.

  16. #16
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pajeff02 View Post
    I'll be swapping the 'stat in our Suburban here soon and imagine it is the larger style with the replaceable guts. Hope you get this one solved before summer comes and goes! We'll be at the track this weekend for the Gasser Reunion -- usually a good show to see.

  17. #17
    Senior Member kingls1's Avatar
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    Update got the new stat today from JEGS part#847-100228 SLP 160 for 03-08 LS1,2,6 and is was the right one( stat that is removable from housing) so my advice is if your not sure the pump was never changed to pull the stat before ordering and see which one you need.. If anyone needs a new 160 mounted in the housing I have one for sale on our sale parts form...it was exactly the same down to the markings as the SLP half the price, never mounted..thanks for the input seems that GM used the newer style pump for replacement

  18. #18
    expensive tires az gt eater's Avatar
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    Glad you finally got it figured out. Time to get back out there, and burn some rubber.

  19. #19
    Spaz is My Mentor SMWS6TA's Avatar
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    It amazes me sometimes how difficult the dealers can make our lives.....

  20. #20
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SMWS6TA View Post
    It amazes me sometimes how difficult the dealers can make our lives.....
    Yep, that's just how those 97-02 water pumps were first designed. I guess GM finally realized that replacing thermostats was getting rather expensive for people (doing a whole housing everytime) and they finally made a water pump that just takes a simple thermostat replacement.

    Problem though is when you replace the old style pumps with the new,,,,you'll also need that style of thermostat housing for the removable thermostat. After that you are golden.

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