little help

[Fredbgt02]

so i've been searching but have not been able to clarify some stuff. with the weather warming up it's time to pick up where i left off with the 03 v8 sport i purchased last year.

so here are my quandaries:

1. will the older 16in LS rims fit an 03?

2. will any of the stainless or aluminum aftermarket coolant expansion/catch cans work? they have some that will fit in that location, i know it won't fit perfect but there's space to mount it and i won't have to deal with it cracking.

3. also there is just too much different information on the sway bar stuff lol, so what is the best way to go about replacing the bushings? some say no matter what the ES stuff will still have play, some have thrown the jag stuff out there, others just say get a replacment bar. what's the best solution?

4. since i use the car summers only when i originally got it running i did not put a tstat back in because i heard that its better to replace everything( housing and what not) with the alum jag stuff. what part#'s do i need for that.

thanks guys any help is much appreciated.

fred

 

[joegr]

1. Yes.
2. No.
4. There are no metal parts for the gen II (2003-2006) cooling system. You need to put the thermostat in, and you need to replace all those plastic parts with new plastic parts. (There is a metal thermostat housing for the gen I (2000-2002). It won't work on the gen II.)

 

[regiment1]

1. Yes.
2. No.
4. There are no metal parts for the gen II (2003-2006) cooling system. You need to put the thermostat in, and you need to replace all those plastic parts with new plastic parts. (There is a metal thermostat housing for the gen I (2000-2002). It won't work on the gen II.)

Just out of academic curiosity, why wouldn't an universal expansion tank work to replace the degas? I know there would be some adaptation to get it mounted and connect the hoses.

 

[joegr]

Just out of academic curiosity, why wouldn't an universal expansion tank work to replace the degas? I know there would be some adaptation to get it mounted and connect the hoses.

Because:
It's pressurized.
It has a pressure relief cap.
It has a straw in it to separate air from coolant from the high point of the engine.

 

[Fredbgt02]

thanks for all that info helps clear things up. as far as the sway bar issue what do you recommend? also just to expand on the coolant tank, would a pressurized surge tank work? they sell some that are recirculating and have a de-aeration chamber, i would love to get rid of as many problem areas as i can.

 

[joegr]

thanks for all that info helps clear things up. as far as the sway bar issue what do you recommend? also just to expand on the coolant tank, would a pressurized surge tank work? they sell some that are recirculating and have a de-aeration chamber, i would love to get rid of as many problem areas as i can.

If you can mount it high enough and it has a pressure relief set at about 15 PSI.
You may be over thinking this some. The stock tank seems to be good for about 5 years. How much longer do you plan to keep your LS going? Even if it is for 14 years, you would only have to replace the degas bottle twice more. Is that really more work and expense than trying to fit something else in?

 

[Fredbgt02]

Didn't think of it that way, also didn't know it will last about 5yrs seems like people are always replacing them lol, but just the idea of trying to attach the two hoses at the back give me nightmares

 

[LS4me]

Didn't think of it that way, also didn't know it will last about 5yrs seems like people are always replacing them lol, but just the idea of trying to attach the two hoses at the back give me nightmares

Both my '06's are on their original bottles after 8 years. The one in my old 2000 lasted almost 9 years........

 

[msgtusmc]

Both my '06's are on their original bottles after 8 years. The one in my old 2000 lasted almost 9 years........

Bought the wife's 2000 V6 on 4th Jul 2000, degas bottle still good!

 

[Fredbgt02]

All good news than, guess I won't worry about it as much as I have. The only real pressing issues are the tstat, wheels and sway bar for now I guess

 

[Kumba]

My '06 still has the OEM Degas and cooling system stuff. Hopefully they last to 120K or so.