Which way does the thermostat go in no directions and don't remember what it looked like when taken out

This should help.

The end with the spring always goes into the engine or towards the engine if in a remote location. (never towards the radiator) Most housings are designed so you can't put in in backwards but you still need to be careful.

Thermostats are prone to failure for many reasons, I always put I 1mm drill through the flat round surface that seals the coolant flow, reason being a lot of vehicles don't have a air bleed screw to remove any air trapped in the coolant system after a repair is done, and a lot of vehicles suffer damage due to a air pocket around the bronze (wax pellet) or spring side, engine side of the thermostat. if this happens the thermostat may not even open until the actual engine temp has reached a lot higher temp than that stated on the thermostat. this can be the very point when a new thermostat leaks the wax from the bronze cup that once is hot moves the pin that allows the hot coolant to start to flow to the radiator. just like if some one was to totally remove a thermostat it can do more damage to a engine because the coolant flow rate is to fast to conduct the heat of the engine block and head and transfer it to the radiator for cooling down . the flow is simply to fast to be efficient in the transfer and conduction of the heat. with a small drill hole it ensures that if the thermostat fails closed there is still some (little but some flow of coolant) giving you a little more time to pick up on there is a problem arising. also if there were to be any air in that spot it will move freely thru the drill hole and exit the coolant system . some manufactures put a small hole in with a jillger valve for this purpose but if it is a vehicle that is prone to air locks im a fan of the extra drill hole. for any one in Australia remember the 1988 EA F... hope this is of some use to some one out there ;)

Allways use a new gasket and don't overtighten; Stanton makes fine replacements for most cars. If you have an overheating problem, also check to make sure your radiator fan is working; turn 'on' you van and turn the A/C "on" full. In a short time, the radiator fan should come 'on' when the temperature attempts to climb above the half-way mark. If it doesn't, you have a bad radiator fan relay. It's attached to the wheel well on the inside underneath the battery. It's a square metal looking thing with two bolt holes and a connector. Remove the connector and then take out the bolts with a ratchet & socket. Replace with a new one, but clean the contact point very well... heat sink compound also helps (keep it cooler) applied on the underside when installing the new one.