Thermostat housing removal

Post by **COMMERCIALMAN** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:27 pm

Hi All, Well i got home from work and started on the removal of the stubborn thermostat housing. First i drenched the studs with WD40.Then i took a cold chisel and hammer and carefully cut across the top from one side to the other .I managed to prise a large hole at the top so i took a couple of pliers and gripped the housing at both ends trying very carefully to move it. No joy

Then i got a small flathead screwdriver and with a hammer tapped in quick succession in an upwards motion around the front and sides of the housing. At regular intervals i used the pliers again and WD. After about half an hour i noticed that there were air bubbles coming from between the housing and the head. It had started to move

I wasnt out the woods yet and wasnt going to rush.The last thing i wanted to do was to snap a stud after taking this amount of time. Patience was the key so i kept up what i was doing and eventually i had a small gap all the way round. At this point i had a cup of tea, as you do

I went back and tap around until i was able to tap from under the housing until it was free. Hooray!! Ive enclosed a pic. From the look of it the thermostat has not been changed for a long long time. Thanks for all the advice.Time for a beer .
Jason<br>

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Post by **COMMERCIALMAN** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:31 pm

A picture of the thermostat

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Post by **Matt** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:35 pm

youve just given away your postcode....

it does look pretty manky

Post by **bmcecosse** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:36 pm

Yes -well - that's going to take some welding up!!
Well done getting it off without snapping the studs.

Post by **Kevin** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:25 am

Well done Jason just one small pointer it may have worked better or a least a little easier if you had used a proper releasing agent like plus gas as WD40 is not really designed for it, but excellent work and without breaking a stud.

Post by **COMMERCIALMAN** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:09 pm

Thanks Guys, Im sure the car will make me suffer at some point. Take your point about the plus gas but it was all i had to hand. Its saved me alot of trouble and means that i can now have a half decent cooling system and even possibly some heating.

Jason