Morris Minor Owners Club

Has anyone any suggestions on how to free the thermostat housing , which has stuck onto the cylinder head ?

The 3 bolts + washers have been removed; copious doses of freeing fluid ; much thumping --- nothing doing !!!

I will leave the housing drenched in freeing fluid over night . Perhaps the heat spanner tomorrow , or cut it off !!

So , before I become violent ANY SUGGESTIONS ????

Arfron

This can be very difficult,usually because there is solidified gunge down each
of the three stud holes, you could, as a last resort, use a wood chisel around
the gasket joint WITH THE FLAT PART OF THE BLADE DOWNWARDS to avoid
any damage to the cylinder head casting. The aluminium casting is often
rotted away where it accepts the rubber hose from the radiator which means
that you would need a new one anyway so damage to the housing doesn't
really matter. Depends what state yours is in. You could try locknutting two
nuts on each stud and removing them but there is not a lot of thread available.

Try to remove the studs - you have the right idea with the fluid - I hope it is REAL fluid and not just wd40 which is useless as a release oil. Heat from a gas torch will help greatly. Before you refit - run a drill bit through each hole - just open them up very slightly - and smear the studs with copper slip - or just grease. In fact I hold mine down with 3 Allen Head Bolts

PHEW I GOT IT OFF !!!!

It took an overnight drench in PlusGas + Duck Oil -- then more fluid . A wood chisel , as suggested , ---much blow and bothering -- and
grunting !!! After about 2-3 hours it finally freed !!


The hardest housing removal which I can ever remember doing !!!****!( Mini / A40 / A60 etc )

Anyway thanks for the suggestions/ advice Wille/ bmcecosse Arfron

The aluminium of the housing reacts with the steel studs. Be sure to run the drill through and smear with grease.

As a suggestion for the future; a trick to getting it off is rather than using penetrating oil use toilet cleaner / limescale remover. The stuff down the sides, between the studs and the cover isn't rust; or at least it's a mixture of rust and limescale.

If you soak it in limescale remover (which is why toilet cleaner's handy, cos you just go out every hour and tip a bit more on) it slowly disolves the crud. Then you can beat hell out of cover with a rubber mallet and it'll normally come away

Yup !! I ran a drill through the holes and used copper grease as suggested .

FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE HOUSING HAD A GOOD BLAST FROM THE hEAT sPANNER -- , SO APART FROM TOILET CLEANER --- I TRIED IT ALL !! bUT , THANKS EVERYONE

( Sorry forgot that caps lock was on -- not going to re-type !!!

Arfron

I'll tell you what, I just had the same scenario and had to grind the bugger off. The one I put on from DSN was a lousy fit, the holes were nominally in the right place and the quality of the metal was not great! It nows seeps a bit from one stud, but not gonna change it again!

Did it last night, took an hour and a half thanks to toilet limescale remover!

It sounds as if Pyoor-_Kaye's advice paid off . I will remember that method in future !!

Whilst out on the Brecon Beacons today , I was speaking to a guy who works in tha aluminium industry . Apparently , steel / metal + aluminium causes an electrolysis between the two dis-similar metals/elements . ( Al2 O3 ? ) The probllem will be reduced ,therefore , if copper grease is used to reduce the problem .As already mentioned .

Thought you may like to know --- if not--- Eh bien !!!

Arfron

Yep

We make aluminium glasshouses and have to use stainless steel bolts or Aluminium ones to prevent the electrolysis.

Galvanised surfaces work up to a point too.

I've replaced the alloy housing on my van with a brass one. I'm hoping this won't have the same corrosion problems. It replaced a brand new alloy housing that had only been on a couple of months but had already started to corrode despite using a good quality antifreeze with 'corrosion inhibitors'.
I spent ages trying to find a brass one and then found that Minor Developments had them all the time.

Not heard of a brass one - hope you have it gleaming !!

BRASS THERMOSTAT HOUSING ??

Nor me --- I haven't heard of a brass housing .

What is the WWW of Minor Developments, please, M25VAll ???

Cheers

Arfron

Unfortunately 'Minor Developments' aren't on the WWW but there number is 01562 747718, they are based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

Lee

Thanks for the t/p number .

If you don't mind me asking , how much were the brass units , please ??

Arfron

bmcecosse wrote:Not heard of a brass one - hope you have it gleaming !!

What, and put the rest of my van to shame

Welung666 wrote:Unfortunately 'Minor Developments' aren't on the WWW but there number is 01562 747718, they are based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

Lee

Sorry, I should have given the number

Arfron wrote: If you don't mind me asking , how much were the brass units , please ??

I think they were £8 or £9, well worth the extra couple of quid over a alloy one. Not sure where I saw them first but they stuck in my mind and became a bit of a holy grail for me. My theory is that the brass won't corrode. Just think of the brass heater valve that sits on top of the head at the back, it's always the base that corrodes and the tap itself is fine.
When I replaced the housing last summer it was a pig to get off. That made me think of them again and I found them at the National on the Minor Devs. stall. They looked like new castings as opposed to old stock so I guess they are readily available. As I said earlier the alloy one I took off was two months old and already staring to corrode. I reckon after a year it would have been 'very much past it's best'.

Thanks for all the info . M25Vall. Sounds like a good inwestment

Cheers Arfron

Arfron wrote:Thanks for all the info . M25Vall. Sounds like a good inwestment

Cheers Arfron

Hmmmm, I think I should have put the 'VAN' part of my username in lowercase. It looks like Vall on my screen as well.