Thermostat In Backwards?

[BrenGun]

Could I have? I changed out a failed water pump last weekend and while I had everything drained, decided to change out the hoses, the belt, new coolant (to replace the stuff puked out on the driveway...) and the thermostat, Stant 14369. As I got to start putting it all back together I realized that the new thermo didn't have a long piston like the OE and it had a plain gasket wrapped around it. The OE had a tab on the gasket that located it in the thermo housing and this one didn't so I located the new thermo and the air bleeder hole in it like the old one, but I agonized over whether to put it off and double check at the parts store. But I cross referenced it online with the Rock Auto part in the link above and decided to use it.
Everything back together and no leaks, burped and air bled the system, etc... My wife takes it out a couple of days later for a longer day long drive and yep, it started leaking, a few drops from the top radiator hose. Well, I think probably a poorly located clamp and so I fussed with it a bit and added a second hose clamp to make sure. Warmed her up and no leak, BUT... it suddenly occurred to me, COULD I have put the new thermo in backwards in a blonde moment (without the tab on the OE gasket one could reverse it...)? Would that have caused the leak at the top hose because it built enough pressure to just leak from the weakest point? Thing is, its not overheating or running warm. The needle stops at the midway point of the gauge where it always pointed fully warmed up. But the bottom radiator hose NEVER warms up. Would that be normal as the radiator is supposed to be returning cool coolant to the engine? Or am I sitting in a time bomb waiting for a pressure leak somewhere else?
If the thermo were in backwards wouldn't it cause the engine to overheat? But shouldn't the bottom hose be at least warm? Help save me from myself and save me the PITA from draining the radiator tomorrow and pulling the hose and housing to check... 2003 with the 3.7 BTW...

 

[BrenGun]

So, anyone? In short, does the fact that even though the bottom radiator hose is ice cold, I am getting normal heat and normal engine temp mean nothing is wrong? Am I over thinking this? I just want a second opinion from someone who has a bit more experience with Libs than I.

 

[flair1111]

if it doesnt heat the bottom hose id guess its in backwards. however i could be wrong.

 

[BrenGun]

Anyone else have an opinion? I believe that its in correctly, but I'd love a confirmation...

 

[martin_metal_88]

people over here are usually pretty helpfull but I think it's a no go on your issue. For my part I have no clue on what it could be. Sorry for that.

Hope you will keep us up to date so we will be able to helpif that happen in the future!

 

[Porkchop]

Without seeing the thermostat it's hard to tell. The heat that comes from the block side is what controls open and close on the stat. If that helps any. as for the hoses I would have changed them at the same time how old are they. But on my 03 I did hoses,stat,,water pump,flushed the radiator and heater core and added new coolant.

 

[tjkj2002]

If you indeed installed the t-stat backwards you would be overheating since the t-stat opens one way and if installed backwards the coolant flow would shut the t-stat when it was trying to open.The coolant flow has much more force behind it then the t-stat spring can overcome.

 

[BrenGun]

Thanks guys and thanks tjkj2002. What I had figured. Its been running fine from the moment that I re-adjusted the hose clamp. Just needed someone to tell me that I was thinking correctly about it. Will keep you all updated on it as well! Thanks again!

 

[BrenGun]

Wow, so this was a year and half ago... just had a problem now. Got home to notice a small bunch of drops of coolant. Its coming from where the hose joins the thermo housing, but I cannot figure out why its leaking? Nothing seems loose. I double checked the housing bolts, the hose clamp is tight, but how is coolant getting forced from the hose and clamp? Could there be a crack in the housing? The hose was replaced when I did the water pump, so its not that old.
Two clues- Over the past year and a half I've seemingly lost tiny bits of coolant so that I've been topping off the overflow tank constantly maybe once a month. I couldn't figure that out why I was always filling it. I just figured for a long time that it took this long to work all of the air from the system and that it was slowly bleeding itself. I never saw any coolant on the ground before now.
Second, granted its been a cold winter, but even last summer, it seemed to take forever to warm up. Today the needle got very close to where it should be, but not quite as warm as it normally is. It has never overheated or gone above what should be normal.
When I replaced the thermostat it was difficult to figure out which end was up as well as whether I possibly had it in backwards. There is a rubber o-ring that was supposed to be indexed to the thermostat with a rubber tab that wasn't a part of the o-ring that I got so I wonder if that could have something to do with it? Is there supposed to be some sort of small air bleed hole in the body of it? More of my confusion stemmed from the fact that I don't think mine had one... Any ideas before I have to drain tbis whole mess this weekend?