Which thermostat to buy that will last.

dremd

dremd

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South Louisiana
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06 sprinter. 03 jetta wagon premium with 6 speed ALH swap, 14 JSW
VChristian said:
I read this thread with interest, and with a history of good and bad thermostats. A Standt one I put in my 91 Jetta (IDI engine) cost me a cylinderhead gasket. It broke apart, burying the disc that serves as a valve, into the impeller intake port, where it fits perfectly.

Since then I've been buying mostly Behrs, one Wahler (which I didn't like the construction of), and one from VW. Te Behrs that I ended up with were identical in appearance to the VW, but that may not be the whole story.

Autohausaz, where I have bought various VW parts from lists two Wahlers and two Behrs for my 99.5 TDI. The listing goes something like this:

Wahler OEM 80C $11.11 056121113A
Wahler alternate 71C $9.44 056121113E

Behr OEM 87C w/gasket $14.48 044121113
Behr alternate 87C $9.70 056121113D

Since I have many gaskets on hand, I am thinking of replacing the thermostats in my 99.5 and 03 ALH engines with the Behr alternate. Not only do I like the additional heat output in the winter, but I find the engine temps are simply more stable when set higher. I figure that the temp climbing and dropping during various levels of power output only stresses the head gasket for an earlier failure.

Since this discussion had little mention of Behr thermostats, I figured I would ask.
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What temp is the Behr?
My new stat isn't super stable, but I believe it is acceptable (I've seen 189- 199 after warm up).
 
H

Henrick

Top Post Dawg
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Aug 24, 2010
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Ireland
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Golf VI TDI, 77 kW (CAYC)
oilhammer said:
The newer EA113 gas engines use the 050 prefix thermostat, not the 044. (I did some digging right in front of my face :p ). When I mentioned the different water pumps, I was in context of the EA113 engines, not the EA827, sorry I should have made that clear.

Out of curiousity, though, I want to perform some tests next week. I have both the 044 and 050 OEM thermostats on the shelf, honestly never looked all that closely at them. And I can easily get both Wahler and Behr brands from Worldpac, and probably a Stant from the local generic parts dump. While I know the non-OEM ones generally will not twist-lock properly into the necks (you have to break the tabs off), and I know they seem not to hold the [real] temps as steady over time, I am wondering how well they perform in a side-by-side comparison.

I'll try and post some pics, but my camera is old and my skills in that department are rather lacking... :eek:
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Seems this was never answered, was it? I'm hesitating to choose between BEHR and Wahler for my TDI. The shop has got both, price is identical, both seem to come with seals. How do I choose? :confused:
 
B

B.Lee

Active member
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Dec 19, 2011
Location
TN
TDI
2000 Jetta
In my 30 some years of working on cars I have found that generally speaking, all aftermarket thermostats are crap. Spend the money and get it direct from dealership.
 
H

Henrick

Top Post Dawg
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Ireland
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Golf VI TDI, 77 kW (CAYC)
BEHR is what actually being sold at the dealership, just reboxed. Does this still make sense?
 
josh8loop

josh8loop

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2002 VW Jetta TDI Manual(performed 01M to 5-speed swap) - 183,000 miles and climbing!
Henrick said:
BEHR is what actually being sold at the dealership, just reboxed. Does this still make sense?
Click to expand...

Really can't go wrong with Behr or Wahler on the T-stat. They both use rigid frames with heavy duty construction to give a long service life. FWIW if you have a scan gage and can monitor temperature then the cheap Stant types would work just fine too. My "Hybrid" 205 Deg F Stant unit is still maintaining just like it did when it was first created. I do however closely monitor temps with the SGII.
 
H

Henrick

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josh8loop said:
FWIW if you have a scan gage and can monitor temperature ...
Click to expand...
In fact I have a little problem with the temperature. Since our climate is quite chill, I see that the car (especially in winter) never reaches temperature above 80-81 *C. This results in poor(er) fuel economy than expected. I'm looking for a hotter, probably 90-92 *C thermostat which will fit the 1.9 TDI engine...
 
josh8loop

josh8loop

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Supposedly the MkII thermostat will fit the ALH. Just get one rated for 92 Deg C.
 
terrydtdi

terrydtdi

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Charleston S.C.
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2000 MK4 TDI Jetta 5spd
I just stuck with the OEM stat, with the existing one I just turned the housing slightly and it came right out without breaking the tabs. The new OEM one went right in.

I figured the original got 11 years of good use why not spend a few more dollars, do it once and it fits the way it should.
 
paramedick

paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
Joined
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Location
Versailles, Kentucky
TDI
2015 Audi Q5 TDI
TDIJetta99 said:
So far I'm doing pretty good with my aftermarket one.. I'm using a BEHR 92C one at the moment.. Cost me $16 and came with the o-ring..
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I'm stocking and installing the Behr thermostats. Fit perfectly, perform flawlessly, and engage the thermostat housing tabs.

I used Wahler before with no issues, but did not engage the tabs.
 
H

Henrick

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Ireland
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Golf VI TDI, 77 kW (CAYC)
josh8loop said:
Supposedly the MkII thermostat will fit the ALH. Just get one rated for 92 Deg C.
Click to expand...
92 Deg C might be too high, especially for a PD. I'm looking for a 90 Deg C thermostat. Unfortunately, these are extremely difficult to find. Maybe someone have a part number of such one which is known to fit VW 1.9 TDI?
 
STDOUBT

STDOUBT

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dos jettas
FWIW,
My '03 just got a Stant 45379 (195F/90C)
And my better half's '01 got a Gates 33209S (195F/90C)
US made, look well built, each fit into the flange's tabs perfectly.
Generally I'm a big believer in genuine parts, but hey it's a thermostat, not a drive axle:)
Bonus: under $10 each on fleabay!
 
1.9ZOOK

1.9ZOOK

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Dec 13, 2015
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Downstream of a Volcano
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ALH Samurai
STDOUBT said:
FWIW,
My '03 just got a Stant 45379 (195F/90C)
And my better half's '01 got a Gates 33209S (195F/90C)
US made, look well built, each fit into the flange's tabs perfectly.
Generally I'm a big believer in genuine parts, but hey it's a thermostat, not a drive axle:)
Bonus: under $10 each on fleabay!
Click to expand...
I noticed a 7º difference between the Stant and the original. Stant ran hot.
 
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