bad thermostat

This was the best place to start and your next step is to get your hands on a service manual (library?) it'll list the steps and have pictures. It's just a matter of having the right (or good enough) tools which if you buy them, they will pay for themselves with the first fix. After all this, you'll be wanting your own service manual too, betcha. :)

Cold weather is a bitch to mechanic in, gloves make it tougher and then there's the RTV silicone to smear on too. :/

Do you need a list of tools?

Some sort of sharp-junk-knife or scraper will be needed unless your's is one of those with the O-rings?

Dive in, you can handle it. :)

I lived in sacramento a couple years and had a neighbor I taught to change his own oil. I created a monster, he'd never known anybody that wanted to do all his own stuff before, he even painted his own house and changed his own spark pugs etc, after that.

Alvin in AZ

Hee! Hee! I enjoyed reading this one Alvin! :)

Thanks...

Jack

Heck, me and Tyrone don't get to jump you about that? :/

"the thermostat gets hot and lets the hot water out" (that's an old saying I just made up ;)

So, the temperature sensing part goes inside the engine. (it sez which side goes where, right on the thermostat)

The one in my girl friend's '96t-bird has an o-ring so there was no real need for smearing silicone on it, but I did anyway. :/

Alvin in AZ