Thorfinn - -

You'll probably want to get ahead of time a 10mm GearWrench-type ratcheting box end wrench to remove the two bolts that hold a sheet metal bracket onto the thermostat housing. They are excessively long bolts and if you don't have that gearwrench, you have to set and reset a wrench, repeatedly, gaining only a few degrees of turn all the way, till these come out. A ratchet and socket won't fit in there.

I'd recommend replacing them with much shorter, say 10mm long, M6 bolts on reinstall. On one car I just skipped the more difficult to reach bolt, also. One bolt does fine.

On the two '96s I've done this on, the square-shouldered recess in the head, where the thermostat sits in its rubber gasket, had pretty heavy corrosion. I scraped it clean with a screwdriver blade. One head had pretty deep pits so I also used a little silicone sealer.

The housing part, I cleaned up corrosion by sliding it across a mill file till it was bright metal.

Also, oil the bolts that hold it on and run them in and out a couple times while it's all apart and nothing's in the way, so they go on much easier on reassembly.

There's actually a drain screw on the radiator, at lower RH corner, but the plastic splash panel needs to come off and down to get at it. Pulling the lower radiator hose gives a faster drain but it splashes all over and drips from several points so there's no real catching it, and it gets too dirty to reuse. Don't need to drain it ALL down to do thermostat.

posted by 71.173.74...

• Changing a thermostat...., Thorfinn, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:54:26
  • Re: Changing a thermostat...., KevinC, Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:49:35
  • Re: Changing a thermostat...., T. Christopher, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:44:52
  • Gearwrench for 10mm head bolts holding bracket..., RayF, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:00:36 <-- Viewing This Message
    • Re: Gearwrench for 10mm head bolts holding bracket..., Thorfinn, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:38:46
      • A couple more thoughts..., RayF, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:33:43
        • Skip kickdown cable, not in the way., RayF, Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:28:02
  • Re: Changing a thermostat...., Dale, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:15:08
    • One thing to do..., Noel, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:42:46
      • Thanks chaps....but what is the benefit of..., Thorfinn, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:44:30
        • The 82 is for consistent hi temps, Noel, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:04:27
        • Re: Thanks chaps....but what is the benefit of..., Simon S, Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:15:19

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