[73chevyhelp]

i installed a new thermostat on the 350sbc. how long before i can drive the car? there are no instructions that say wait before driving. the sealent says 24 hrs for full cure. i put a new gasket and waited about 4 hours other day and it leaked. so im doing it again. is there a fast sealer? do auto shops wait 12-24 hrs before starting the car?

 

[lluciano77]

What kind of gasket did you use? If you use a normal gasket with a very light amount of blue RTV it will seal instantly.

 

[73chevyhelp]

normal paper gasket. i usually use blue but i dont have any on hand and used clear sealent. says it will work on packing. but ive never used it before on thermostat gasket. i usually never use a paper gasket at all just sealent

 

[Siggy_Freud]

I normally vary the time depening on the amount of RTV I use. If I am plugging something or for something like and intake gasket I normally wait overnight. Like lluciano said, a thin amount shouldn't take too long.

I'd wait as long as you can stand to lol. Thermostats are fairly easy to get to. If its something hard or large I like to play it safe.

 

[lluciano77]

It sounds like you may have a warped thermostat housing. If it leaks again check to see if the gasket surface is flat. Most of those chrome thermostat housing warp easily. The stock ones are much better.

 

[BstMech]

You must have another problem causing the leakage besides the RTV not curing enough. I never allow any time to cure, but rather fire'em right up and on to the next one. I do this six days a week all day long. HTH

 

[73chevyhelp]

i let it sit for 2 hours and just drove it. leaks gone. i never used clear rtv. seems to take less of the blue to seal as good. youre right bstmech i remember driving off after i replaced the thermostat before.

 

[willowbilly3]

Clear rtv? Isn't that for bathtubs? If your housing isn't warped (lap it on a sheet of fine grit body shop sand paper) and you use a good quality gasket, it should seal without a bunch of goop. I do like to use a thin coat of ultra blue because it makes getting the gsket off easier for the next guy.