Review on 🔧 Dorman 902-201 Engine Coolant Thermostat Housing Assembly: Ideal for Ford/Mazda Models by Andy Hearshman

This item fitted well and fixed a coolant leak on my 2001 Focus ZX3. I had a very slow leak and knew I had to replace the casing. I ordered it from Revain as it was the best deal and I lived with the leak all winter until the weather got warmer to fix it. One spring I saw a big green puddle and it happened! Here are the steps I took to replace the thermostat housing: - Drain the coolant and unplug the ignition coil harness for easy access. - Remove the three front panels. Remove the rubber coolant hoses from the case.- Remove the 3 screws securing the case. The lower bolt can be pulled out. Leave the top two screws in the case until they clear the metal tubes next to it when you lift it, then remove the screws. Remove the hidden rear hose from the body and remove the body from the vehicle. Clean the head interface. Surface and reverse the steps to insert the new housing. New clips are a good idea as the old spring clips were weak and corroded. One even broke in half. This took about an hour. After the repair, the engine warmed up much more slowly than before and the sensor never reached the center like it used to. It wasn't stable either. I put the old thermostat back into the new housing and everything is fine. This was also an elusive job and required a set of torx and sockets to avoid pulling the case back out! My new thermostat is broken. That's why I'm deducting a point in the rating. The old case wasn't cracked in the area I saw in the photos, but it wasn't perfectly round inside where the gasket sits. Maybe the rubber seal was defective.