Thermostat Replacement

34678 Views 85 Replies 23 Participants Last post by rbarrios, 16 d ago

John54

Discussion Starter · Sep 24, 2020

Has anyone replaced a thermostat on the 2017 3.6L Acadia? I am experiencing temp pegged on cold, no A/C, cooling fan running all the time with P0128 code stored. Looking for location of thermostat and estimate on difficulty. Having to ask where the thermostat is located is already a bod start.

Reactions: 1

61 - 80 of 86 Posts

JayTee2019

· #61 · 6 mo ago

JPelectrical3825 said:
I haven't replaced anything and everything is working fine after I disconnected the battery and reconnected it.

The thing is . . as you probably know . .. the issue will likely return.

I agree. . it doesn't make sense if it is the thermostat. But . . .. these new cheap parts act strangely. Apparently they sometimes just "stick"/ Sometimes open after the engine cools of then upon the next restart . .. the ECM doesn't see the engine up to operating temperature in the allotted amount of time and goes screwy.
At least, that is what some threads I read on other GM forums with the same engine and thermostat.

JPelectrical3825

· #62 · 6 mo ago

JayTee2019 said:
The thing is . . as you probably know . .. the issue will likely return.

I agree. . it doesn't make sense if it is the thermostat. But . . .. these new cheap parts act strangely. Apparently they sometimes just "stick"/ Sometimes open after the engine cools of then upon the next restart . .. the ECM doesn't see the engine up to operating temperature in the allotted amount of time and goes screwy.
At least, that is what some threads I read on other GM forums with the same engine and thermostat.

How is a part "stuck" if my scanner is reading 16x-18x ECT and the dash shows 0? Not possible for a part to be stuck if the temp is still fluctuating even with the fan commanded at 15%.

JPelectrical3825

· #63 · 6 mo ago

When it happens again I will go through a thorough troubleshooting process and show what I read vs what the dash shows.
When I forced my AC clutch to engage so I could have AC on my trip down, it commanded the fan to run at 80%. Was still reading between 16x-178 ECT when I would randomly check. Had to leave my scanner plugged in the whole way down so I monitored everything for 6+hrs.

JayTee2019

· #64 · 6 mo ago

JPelectrical3825 said:
When it happens again I will go through a thorough troubleshooting process and show what I read vs what the dash shows.
When I forced my AC clutch to engage so I could have AC on my trip down, it commanded the fan to run at 80%. Was still reading between 16x-178 ECT when I would randomly check. Had to leave my scanner plugged in the whole way down so I monitored everything for 6+hrs.

That's right. .. I had forgotten that you had posted that info.
Well, then. .. . a real mystery.
So, the actual temperature was fine and no over heating and yet the temp gauge and what not bottoms out.

If it ever happens to my 2019 I'll have to hook up my scanner. I know it will read trans and coolant temps on my truck should should also on the Acadia I imagine.

JPelectrical3825

· #65 · 6 mo ago

JayTee2019 said:
That's right. .. I had forgotten that you had posted that info.
Well, then. .. . a real mystery.
So, the actual temperature was fine and no over heating and yet the temp gauge and what not bottoms out.

If it ever happens to my 2019 I'll have to hook up my scanner. I know it will read trans and coolant temps on my truck should should also on the Acadia I imagine.

I have a foxwell GT60 plus bidirectional scanner and tester, it reads everything. Best investment ever. Yeah, I absolutely had no issues with temp on any fluid. Yes, the gauge was bottomed out showing absolutely no temp while my scanner was showing normal temp.

2ndGMC2011

· #66 · 6 mo ago

If you want even more back and forth on this issue, check out the EIGHT pages of posts at the link below. I have read all the posts and made a few along with many others on this topic and then I performed my own repairs about a month ago that I now believe will be a LONG TERM fix for this particular problem. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself, lol)

www.acadiaforum.net

Temperature Gauge drops and A/C stops blowing cold air

Hello all, my 2014 will be at normal operating temperature and occasionally the temperature gauge will drop to the bottom of the scale and the fans turn on, and then the AC will stop blowing cold air. If I shut it off for 30 seconds or so. It will then go back to normal once I restart it. Then...

www.acadiaforum.net

www.acadiaforum.net

bxd20

· #67 · 6 mo ago

JPelectrical3825 said:
I haven't replaced anything and everything is working fine after I disconnected the battery and reconnected it.

So strange. Thanks for the update !

JayTee2019

· #68 · 6 mo ago (Edited)

2ndGMC2011 said:
If you want even more back and forth on this issue, check out the EIGHT pages of posts at the link below. I have read all the posts and made a few along with many others on this topic and then I performed my own repairs about a month ago that I now believe will be a LONG TERM fix for this particular problem. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself, lol)

Temperature Gauge drops and A/C stops blowing cold air

Hello all, my 2014 will be at normal operating temperature and occasionally the temperature gauge will drop to the bottom of the scale and the fans turn on, and then the AC will stop blowing cold air. If I shut it off for 30 seconds or so. It will then go back to normal once I restart it. Then...

www.acadiaforum.net

Just so others can also see here. .. what is the long term repair that you did. . . . parts. . . modifications . . . etc?

EDIT: Nevermind. . found it. . . You replaced the thermostat with a Dorman replacement.

2ndGMC2011 said:
Ten days after replacing thermostat and coolant temperature sensor on my 2017 Acadia all the various issues such as power assist warning, a/c hot, cooling fan high, temp gage on C are now gone! I will post again in near future if this fix is truly LONG TERM since my first fix, disconnecting and cleaning battery terminals, lasted for only about 5-6 days. I used a Doorman thermostat assembly from Amazon since it was quite a bit cheaper and I discovered during repair that Doorman thermostat housing (right) had a GM part number cast into it very similar to my original (left).

Also, if your car is near 100K miles I would suggest changing the spark plugs at the same time since the intake manifold must be removed to replace the front three plugs.

View attachment 12401

[email protected]

· #69 · 3 mo ago

JayTee2019 said:
I am glad the newer LGX engine has a better designed thermostat location easier to access and replace if required.

I just had the thermostat on my 2017 Acadia All Terrain replaced. $250 part plus 4.2 hours of labour for a total cost of approx $800.00 All well and good, but the temperature indicator in the dash still doesn't get to the "straight up" position - which I think means the thermostat is opening too much or the temperature sensor is kaput. So, what's my next step. Assuming there is a fault code, will it differentiate between a thermostat problem and a sensor problem?
My car is now 3 months off warranty, so I don't think there is anything GM is going to do for me. Are there any tech bulletins or extended warranty on this issue?

rbarrios

· #70 · 3 mo ago

I think around 2013, other models temp gauges did not sit at the halfway marm.
My 13 equinox and 23 traverse sit at 1 hash mark below the halfway point if I remember correctly.

JPelectrical3825

· #71 · 3 mo ago

[email protected] said:
I just had the thermostat on my 2017 Acadia All Terrain replaced. $250 part plus 4.2 hours of labour for a total cost of approx $800.00 All well and good, but the temperature indicator in the dash still doesn't get to the "straight up" position - which I think means the thermostat is opening too much or the temperature sensor is kaput. So, what's my next step. Assuming there is a fault code, will it differentiate between a thermostat problem and a sensor problem?
My car is now 3 months off warranty, so I don't think there is anything GM is going to do for me. Are there any tech bulletins or extended warranty on this issue?

Mines a salvaged vehicle I rebuilt. Paid cash, was cheap. So I accepted the responsibility to fix everything on my own. I would have replaced the sensor and jumper harness while it was apart. Also change the spark plugs and coils that are not accessible with the intake on.
As far as I know there is nothing GM will do but take your money, but it never hurts to ask. Just like the whole cracked dash issue in 07-13 trucks. Was sued and won. Still did nothing but make $4-500 off everyone who wanted a new dash. It's not life threatening so will never be a have to fix for them.

Reactions: 1

SBrigs

· #72 · 2 mo ago

LaurynDixon said:
Does anyone know where I can get a replacement thermostat? I have a 2019 GMC Acadia V6 with 60,000 miles with same issues as everyone else. Steering assist reduced, no AC, gauge drops to cold and fan is blowing on high. We have already replaced the sensor and it still does it. Next step is going to be battery and thermostat but we cant find a thermostat ANYWHERE.

What did you end up doing to resolve the issue? Currently dealing with the same issue on my 2019 Acadia with the 3.6L with 53k miles. Already had the radiator and catalytic converter replaced under warranty too.

JPelectrical3825

· #73 · 2 mo ago

SBrigs said:
What did you end up doing to resolve the issue? Currently dealing with the same issue on my 2019 Acadia with the 3.6L with 53k miles. Already had the radiator and catalytic converter replaced under warranty too.

I haven't done anything. But I will eventually change the temp sensor and jumper harness. Since I bought everything I will change the thermostat too.

Robmottola

· #74 · 27 d ago

Just started having same error on my 2017 Denali. Quoted $1300 from dealer but the thermostat is in national back order. Any one know how to get the part?

JPelectrical3825

· #75 · 27 d ago

Robmottola said:
Just started having same error on my 2017 Denali. Quoted $1300 from dealer but the thermostat is in national back order. Any one know how to get the part?

Ebay, rockauto, general google search, Amazon. About your best bet.

nova71_

· #76 · 23 d ago

Rps0101 said:
I was charged $1400 for this repair with that code

It literally took me 30min to replace the thermostat on a 2017 acadia. The new thermostat was $87usd

JPelectrical3825

· #77 · 23 d ago

nova71_ said:
It literally took me 30min to replace the thermostat on a 2017 acadia. The new thermostat was $87usd

Hopefully you changed the temp sensor as well. You might be doing that all over again soon.

rbarrios

· #78 · 22 d ago

Nova 71, do you have a gen 1 2017 or gen 2 2017.
GEN 2, is a whole diff story in regards to thermostat.

If you did a gen 2 in 30 min... then I bow to your skills.

divotdug

· #79 · 22 d ago

rbarrios said:
Nova 71, do you have a gen 1 2017 or gen 2 2017.
GEN 2, is a whole diff story in regards to thermostat.

If you did a gen 2 in 30 min... then I bow to your skills.

I'm guessing if @nova71_ did it in half an hour it was a '17 Limited.

JayTee2019

· #80 · 22 d ago

That is what I was thinking.
Would have to be some kind of Ninja high speed Tech to do an LGX thermostat in 30 minutes. In other words. . . cartoon land.

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