hi everyone i need help i have a 96 cherokee sport and i just replaced my raditor that went smoothly had no problems but i also changed my thermostat i bought the new one and i took off the the water outlet put in the new thermostat and gasket and bolted it back in well when i started adding the fluid it started leaking form the bottom bolt of the water outlet so i took it off again and tried putting the gasket in first then the termostat in over the gasket and that slowed the leak down to a drip but when i turned my jeep on the leak got worse so then i went back to autozone and bought a new gasket and some sealent and put it on and that seemed to do the trick i turned my jeep on and no leak that was yesterday now this morning i drive to work and park and when i got out i was leaking again and it was a pretty good leak i need help has anyone had this problem if so can you let my know how you fixed this problem thanks

I just replaced the radiator and thermostat in my 97 XJ. It sounds like you need to clean all the old gunk off your head and the thermostat housing.

Both surfaces must be very clean/smooth. Clean them good, get another new gasket, apply the sealer to the cover, place the gasket on the cover and apply sealer to the surface on the head and install cover. This way the gasket is between 2 layers of sealer. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE BOLTS, evenly snug is plenty good. Should see just a little oooooze of sealer.

You sure you didn't over tighten the bottom bolt? Doing so would crack the housing and result in a leak.

I had a similar problem after replacing my thermostat i fixed mine by taking it back off and just using silicone to make a gasket just be sure to het a good even bead and dont use too much. The papery gasket I got just let coolant seep through it

x2...

I swapped the thermostat on my father in laws Dodge 360 and had a leak. I am a bit ashamed to say the reason it leaked but I will. The new gasket, which I have never used had a plastic cover you are supposed to remove that allows the glue on the back of the gasket to be exposed. lol
I didn't know that and the plastic cover made it leak. Yeah, I felt like a dummy as many thermostats and other things I have worked on in my life. lol
clint

It has been many, many years since I replaced a t-stat...but I have never seen one with adhesive already on it. I would probably have done the same thing and left the plastic sheeting on.

My mistake, the glue was on the gasket he had bought. Just never thought to look at it. Felt like a dummy when it leaked. Ya'll have probably done this but a trick I learned to install a thermostat is to loop a string though it and hold it tight with one had to keep it in the fit cut out for it. Then just lower the housing with the gasket glued on with gasket cinch and put the bolts in and tighten them. That way the stat does not get out of the fit.
clint