thermostat bad/missing?
 

Hey guys, I would like to get your input on this before I start tearing things apart. Driving around in my local area, my heat is almost non-existent. But when I took her out on the back roads tonight (doggin her out a bit playing with the dyno app on my phone) my heat showed up, but still not all that hot. In addition, I never see my temp guage leave the 170-180 area after it heats up, no matter what I do to her, and since I bought this car used, I don't know if maybe the prior owner took the stat out or if it's bad... or if something else might be causing it. Thoughts?

Re: thermostat bad/missing?
 

The stock coolant gauge is awful. Disregard anything it tells you, other than a cold engine, somewhere in the normal operating temperature area, and overheating.

If you have no heat at idle with a fully warmed engine, carefully grab both heater hoses. Are they hot? Only one hot? Have you even checked the coolant level?

Re: thermostat bad/missing?
 

Of course I checked the coolant. I also checked the hoses going into the core as well as the mains. I am a mechanic by trade, after all (wheel vehicle mechanic in the army)... just not familiar with the ls1. But it seems as though I found the issue anyway... the other day the heat started blowing warm, so my assumption is that there was a blockage in the system. I'll be flushing it this weekend. Thanks for the input though, I appreciate it.

Re: thermostat bad/missing?
 

You can't go wrong swapping the thermostat. Just make sure you get the fail-safe type.