2003 Camry (2.4L) thermostat replacement

[Blaine1962]

Hello,

This is my 1st post on this forum so......Hello all. Anyway, I have an 03 Camry 2.4L that I'd like to replace the thermostat on. My question is: must I drain the radiator and block to do this? If so where is the location of the petcock on the radiator, and drain plug on the engine? Also is there only one gasket for this or 2? Autozone shows 2 on their site, one O ring and a paper gasket with the bolt holes in it. Is the thermostat a pain to get at on this car? I've replaced them on other cars before quite easily but never on a Toyota.

Thanks for the help!

Blaine

[gdanaher]

You need to do the job when the engine is cool, but no, you don't need to drain the system unless you are planning on flushing it. You can get a Toyota thermostat on line for about 17 bucks. Probably more than Autozone, but then it is Toyota and you get the right parts instead of worrying about O-rings and gaskets. There is a petcock on the radiator to drain and this is a good time to check the condition of the hoses, especially the one running from the head to the radiator. Only use the proper Toyota red coolant. Prestone and such tends to shorten the life of the water pump and once you figure out how hard that is to be replaced, you won't want to shorten its life.

[TRD VVTi]

It's a piece of cake.

You might as well change the coolant while you're at it. You have to bleed the system when you're done anyways.

I recommend the you use the proper Toyota coolant and an OEM thermostat.

Here's a link for you to reference:

http://www.camrystuff.com/manuals/Gen5/16_Cooling.pdf

[gautamshirsekar]

I am a 2003 camry I4 owner. My check engine light came on, and the code was P0128 (related to thermostat, coolant level and ECT) I did computer diagnostics and the problem identified was with thermostat. I changed thermostat today. My question is for how long the check engine light will stay on after replacing the thermostat? Do I have to reset the code, or will the check engine light will turn off itself after some time? Thanks in advance for answering my question.

G_Buckeye

[azn12icefarme12]

You know what's really funny? I JUST had the exact situation and I'm in the same boat. My CEL is still on but I haven't had the chance to disconnect and reconnect the battery. I'm hoping that it'll go away and stay away after I do that.

[gautamshirsekar]

actually, today my check engine light turned off itself.
I guess the computer needed some time to be sure that the newly installed thermostat was working fine.