Hi all. I have a 1999 felicia 1.3 mpi and engine never warms up on temp gauge. Went to local car parts place today and ordered a new thermostat that will arrive tomorrow. The part that has been ordered looks like the thermostat for the 1.6 on their computer system?! I told them I'm sure mine has to have housing replaced. Not according to their parts supplier. Can you just replace the actual thermostat? Cost 12 quid anyway. Will a 1.6 stat fit and work in a 1.3 ?!

They probably don't know their arse from their elbow. It is -possible- that the housing doesn't need replacing, but I've never seen one (and I've owned/broken 10 MPi felicias) - so I think it probably will need it.

You can replace just the thermostat, providing it is the problem - usually it's the casing having broken which is the problem.

I'd be surprised if the 1.6 thermostat is the same as the 1.3, but it is possible... Let us know!

Thank you for reply. Will let you know ;-)

For reference, where does the housing break? Looks ok on the outside.

It breaks on the inside - there's a couple of plastic tabs on the inside that hold the thermostat in place. That breaks, thermostat no longer does anything, often breaks up into bits.... You can't see if without taking the housing apart (three bolts that you can see looking from the gearbox side of things).

the vendors chose to sell you only the thermostat, which is cheaper than the whole housing.

thermostat itself is identical in size and opening temperature on 1.3 and 1.6 (probably on 1.9 too).

the housing might be different from model to model but the optimum temperature of the engines is the same.

about thermostat construction: there's nothing flimsy inside, but a tough ridge and a very solid circlip (see photo). so if you have a pair of long nose pliers, you're all done. it's a 5 minutes job.

now a little extra for those not happy with the opening temperature of the thermostat.

typically it starts to open at 88 deg. C and it is fully open at around 100.

but as many other aftermarket parts, they are made somewhere on a boat in China Sea.

so don't expect the 88-100 interval to be carved in stone. good news is you can adjust the interval by gently (+/- 1mm) bending the dome of the thermostat (see photo)

NOTE: this is a generic photo of a thermostat, but they are all very similar.

so if your radiator fan kicks in too often (assuming only the thermostat is faulty), you want to open earlier.

if the engine is never getting to 90 deg. C, then you want the thetmostat to open later.

Edited 23 May, 201214 yr by masster

Thanks both for full replies. My stat looks nothing like the one in the photo?! My new one is a febi bilstein no 17902. If its the correct part, I may order a housing separately just to be safe.

the second photo is generic.

I've put it just to show where to bend and in which direction.

Sorry, guessed that earlier. My mistake. Top photo with stat in place looks different looking from that angle too. Mine has a black plastic cage/case around it, with a spring inside. I guess ill see when I remove the old one...