i replaced the thermostat today. however when i hooked the water outlet housing back over the thermostat and bolted it back down theres a small drip. I finally positioned it to where it doesn't leak just sitting there, but when the car is on its starts leaking again because of the pressure. i used a new gasket, and i don't know why its leaking. the part i have for the thermo is a duralast 15038 from autozone. it looks like its a bit smaller then the original and there seems to be a small gap where the ring doesn't quite cover all of the groove. it fits in there, but i can see a small crack that isn't covered. would this be whats causing it to leak? everything is lined up except for that. I called autozone and they said that the 2001's use a different part number. I have a 2000. whats up?

 

i swapped out with a different thermostat and it still leaks. this thermostat fits perfect, and i have both a new gasket and new water outlet housing on there. does anyone know why it would be dripping? let me make sure i have this in right. it goes... thermostat - gasket - water outlet housing. correct? how tight do i have to make the bolts? I was warned not to overtighten, but right now i have them fairly tight. I'm afraid if i tighten it too much it will break the housing...

 

That's the correct order. The bolts should be tightened to 15-20 Nm (9-14 lb.ft.) so you may have overtightened them possibly damaging the gasket. You may want to try using some sealant with the gasket.