possible thermostat fault??

hi there, i'm new around here and find this forum great , i've got a 2000 w-reg softtop jimny which i've only just got and it's brilliant, had it round our mx track earlier this evening and it goes anywhere!!! i've got a couple of problems which i think are related

firstly the engine temp on the guage barely moves, will gradually build up if left ticking over for 30 mins or so but while driving on roads it barely moves up? also i'm hardly getting any temp out of the heater, the pipes to the matrix are hot but not much heat comes out of the blowers!!

the engine has recently had the headgasket done, and the system is not presurising, am i right in thinking the symtoms point towards a faulty thermostat??

also how do i find out the engine code so i get the right thermostat?

thanks for you time
Adam

Is the top hose hot? If you run it up to temparature the top hose should be cold then get hot once the stat opens, if it warms slowly the stat is stuck open, obviously then if it stays cold the stat is staying shut. Keep the heater on cold for the test.
Do you know why the headgasket was done? I know of plenty of cars where the job is done but the cause isn't dealt with. Usually just to offload the car.
My gauge goes up about a third and stays there, never moving once up to temp.

top hose starts to get warm pretty much straight away gradually getting hotter and hotter

head gasket was done as the engine was loosing water :ohmy:

That would point to the stat sticking, for how little they cost its a starting point then bleed the system properly. You can take them out and test them in a jug of water but once its out you may as well put a new one in.

yeah , going to pick one up from euro pars tomorrow, how do i find out what model engine i have, it's a 2000 W , hopefully it's not a big to do?

if its the sohc(iirc) its the g13bb with the belt,
if its dohc its the m13a with the chain, its got the black cover down the middle if the engine.

I've not done a jimny one yet but i'd imagine you could do it with out dropping too much water.