Thermostat check (3.1L engine) (every 30,000 miles or 24 months)

1. The thermostat draws air at the correct temperature into the throttle body based on engine temperature.

2. A simple visual check can be made, but the outer air duct must be removed.

3. Locate the vacuum valve in the air filter assembly. It is located inside the air filter duct pipe from where you removed the outer duct. Make sure the flexible intake under the air filter is secure and not damaged.

4. The test must be carried out with a cold engine and low ambient temperature (less than 18°C). Start the engine and look through the air duct at the valve (which must move to position "warm"). When the valve is raised, air cannot pass through the end of the air duct but instead enters the air filter through an intake attached to the exhaust manifold. If you can't see into the duct spigot, you may need a mirror.

5. When the engine warms up to operating temperature, the valve should drop to the position "heat off", to allow air to pass through the duct spigot (see illustration). Depending on the outside temperature, this may take 10 to 15 minutes. To speed up the test, you can connect an external air duct, take a short trip and then check if the valve has dropped.



6. If the air filter is not working properly, refer to chapter 6.