Thermostat V6 190 leak & re-fitting

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by trimani

Had same leaking problem after 12 months. I am now fitting Metal Bodied one from Kaiser.

trimani

Hi Alf.
That could well be my next step if this new thermostat which is now fitted gives way, but after taking the old one off I found it to be in good condition and no leaking from any seam joints it was the O-rings, I have been sent some different ones to fit to the new thermostat (Simon ) thank you and am hoping these will in fact be better and last longer time will only tell.

I do have Metal Bodied thermostat waiting in the wings, should this happen again thanks to a generous member whom I met today at the POL so could be a thread to follow in the future cheers Arctic

[Arctic]

Continued from part one here
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...1&postcount=27


I then tied back the breather hose so it would not be in my way later Fig 59
59

The next step is to remove part of the thin header tank hose again for more access later Fig 60
60

To help get to the hose above better remove the lead of spark plug 61
61

With the lead removed you can use some grips to open the hose clip and set it back Fig 62
62

You can now pull out the T junction as here fig 63

63

We now need to remove the right hand side of the header tank hose from the T joint Fig 64
64

As before release the hose clip with some long nose grips or mole grips and remove the hose Fig 65
65

The hose can now be moved to the front of the engine out of the way Fig 66
66

The other part of the hose can be tied back with the breather pipe with the white collar from before Fig 67
67

Now that the thin header tank hose is out of the way you will see there is some wiring also that will need to be lifted later, but as you can see another breather hose is lying over the top of it this will also have to be removed Fig 68
68

To remove this last breather pipe again as before press the red collar and it will release Fig 69/70
69

70

Breather pipe pulled out Fig 71
71

Removed from the engine put it safe in the boot with the others Fig 72
72

Now with most of the item out of the way we can see the thermostat and the hoses connected to it Fig 73
73

You can now check the header tank it should be empty Fig 74
74

Also check at the bottom hose & rad to see if the coolant as stopped coming out Fig 75
75

We are now ready to remove the large hose with the bleed screw attached to it again use long nose grip if you have some if not mole grips will do or pliers Fig 76
76

Once removed from the car put it safe Fig 77
77

With the first hose removed we can then turn our attention to the other two Fig 78/79
78

79

Now release the clip from the next large hose and pull it backward Fig 80/81/82
80

81

82

This hose is connected to the top of the radiator Fig 83
83

With the clip released you can now pull off the hose expect a little more coolant to drain out Fig 84
84

You can now tie this hose out of the way Fig 85
85

Before you carry on mop or soak up the split coolant Fig86/87
86

87

We are now ready to remove the last hose from the middle the smaller of the hoses Fig 88/89
88

89

Now that the middle hose as been removed and tied back to the other one, we can turn our attention to removing the 10mm bolt which holds the thermostat in place to the engine block, you will need a thin long reach socket with a knuckle on the end to do this through alloy manifold Fig 90
90

Pass the socket through the gap in the manifold as here Fig 91
91

Once you have the socket through make sure it is seated on the bolts head properly Fig 92
92

Get a good grip and turn the ratchet socket slowly to break the joint on the bolts and it will them release quite easy Fig 93/94
93

94

Once you have the bolts to the end of its thread and still sitting in the elbow joint you will need a telescopic magnet to remove it if not you will be fishing for it later in the V of the engine Fig 95/96/97
95

96

97

You are now ready to prise out the thermostat housing first try twisting and lifting the elbow bend,the thermostat housing's bolt fixing sits underneath that of the curved pipe, making removal difficult if no joy prise the housing up it's self as here Fig 98
98

You will now get some more coolant flow into the V of the engine this can be cleaned up later when al the hosing as been removed and before re-fitting the new housing.
If you are still finding it difficult to remove the housing use the long nosed grips to help as here Fig 99
99

remove if you are going to re-use the housing maybe because only the seals have give way then set to one side safe Fig 100
100

With the main thermostat housing body remove it will leave the straight piece and the elbow bend in place you can now remove these Fig 101/102
101

102

Those should remove easy now you can clean up inside the V of the engine Fig 103/104
103

104

I also hoovered some coolant out of the openings which the thermostat fits into so it did not over flow when replacing later.Fig 105
105
Part three to be continued

[SD1too]

Excellent pictures Steve. A couple of suggestions for you:

In fig. 98, it might be worth mentioning that the thermostat housing's bolt fixing sits underneath that of the curved pipe, making removal difficult.

I also noticed that when draining the coolant you didn't use the cylinder block drain tap. I think that's why you got the flooding when you released the thermostat housing.

Simon

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Excellent pictures Steve. A couple of suggestions for you:

In fig. 98, it might be worth mentioning that the thermostat housing's bolt fixing sits underneath that of the curved pipe, making removal difficult.

I also noticed that when draining the coolant you didn't use the cylinder block drain tap. I think that's why you got the flooding when you released the thermostat housing.

Simon

Hi Simon.
Thank you added yes I did not use the drain tap as I was trying not to lose to much coolant the amount in the V once the thermostat came loose is not that bad really coffee mug and half maybe but and hopefully not if I have to do it again I think you are correct best to drop the coolant from the block Arctic

[Arctic]

Part Three refitting the new thermostat.

With all the thermostat parts in front you straight piece, housing, and the bend start by fitting the straight piece into the housing.
Straight piece with Fig 106
106

The bend Fig 107
107
The housing with the straight piece fitted into it, this you need to do first before you offer and fit the housing and straight piece back into the engine Fig 108
108

Now you have the housing and straight piece together feed this into the V of the engine you can and should smear the ends of the straight piece and all the O-ring ends hosing with a lubricant Rubber grease is best, make sure you push home the straight pipe and then push the thermostat housing down and in Fig 109
109

Double check the straight piece is fully pushed home, and the clip is uptight to the water pump end of the engine by looking through the manifold holes into the V with a touch as here Fig 110
110

And also at the housing end as here Fig 111
111

Next check the housing it's self is pushed home and seated right, this housing as three lugs which allows the housing to be pushed home as much as it should be, it also give stability to the housing so that it cannot move about. Fig 112
112

The next step is to fit the bend again making sure the end is lubricated to help it being pushed home with ease, into the clean hole of the engine Fig 113
113

Look through the holes in the manifold again with a torch and make sure you have lined up the adjoining holes in the housing and the bend then offer the bolt to it carefully through the hole in the manifold using the socket and ratchet you removed it with Fig 114
114

After fitting the bolt which holds the bend and housing in place double check the straight piece in still in place Fig 115
115

Now you are satisfied that the thermostat is fitted correct you can start adding the hoses to the housing pipe work do the small middle one first Fig 116/117
116

117

Next fit the large one which fits on to the bend Fig 118/119
118

119

You can now fit the hose with the bleed screw in it to the main thermostat housing Fig 120
120

And fit the hose also to the bottom of the radiator Fig 121
121

With all hose fitted and jubilee clips tightened up make sure the bleed screw is hand tight as you will need to undo this at a later date when bleeding the system. Fig 122
122

Fit all the wiring and throttle body with breather pipes back into place Fig 123
123

Making sure you fit the throttle cable Fig 124
124

If you are working on your own as I was you need to find something to raise the header tank up as far as it will go to refill it slowly, as you can see here I used a short plank of wood Fig 125
125

I rested the locating pegs on to the rad housing as here Fig 126/127
126

127

I filled the header tank slowly at the same time I undid the bleed screw and carried on filling until the water came out of the bleed screw then I screwed in back in making sure the coolant never dropped below the minimum level when filling, thus trying my best to avoid an air lock Fig 128
128

Once happy i ran the engine with the header tank still raised and kept my eye on the coolant once I saw is rising I added the coolant cap and let the car get up to temperature 91 turned the engine off and let it cool a bit, at this time I again checked in the V to see all was ok and not leaking Fig 129
129

I then checked the level in the header tank all seemed ok ran the engine again this time up to 101 and waited for the n to kick in and bring the temp down to 95 I did this a few times and turned the engine off, I cleaned up all my tools and put them away, I went and ate my tea by the time I had finished an hour had passed and I again checked into the V for leaks etc it was bone dry Fig 130/131
130

131

Also checked at the housing connections Fig 132
132

The next morning I again checked the coolant in the header tank and it was spot on with the max mark Fig 133
133

I will be checking again this week for any leaks etc and report back Arctic

[championdaddy]

Hiya.....what a good how to !!!!

I have to do this soon on m newly acquired brum brum.

Can I ask how long it takes (ish)

And also.....is there any benefit of fitting the metal version rather than the plastic ????

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by championdaddy

Hiya.....what a good how to !!!!

I have to do this soon on m newly acquired brum brum.

Can I ask how long it takes (ish)

And also.....is there any benefit of fitting the metal version rather than the plastic ????

Hi Paul.
I did mine over a couple of days as I was in no hurry, if I had to do it again I would allow my self at least 90 minutes also I would when draining the coolant use the cylinder block drain as not to get a flood in the V as for the alloy fitment I can not comment as I have not fitted one even though I have one (after the fact ) I am sure someone whom as fitted it will comment.

What I did note was that the one I took of was in very good condition no crack split etc the fail was due to the o rings being swollen, I was given some excellent advise and some new different O-rings to fit to the new thermostat housing and pipe work by Simon ( SD1too ) and they were spot on fit hopefully he may see this and add his opinion on the O-rings too cheers Arctic

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by Arctic

What I did note was that the one I took of was in very good condition no crack split etc the fail was due to the o rings being swollen, I was given some excellent advise and some new different O-rings to fit to the new thermostat housing and pipe work by Simon ( SD1too ) and they were spot on fit hopefully he may see this and add his opinion on the O-rings too

Yes, as Steve says I am experimenting with these rings obtained directly from a UK 'O' ring supplier to see if they last longer than the MGR part. It's too early to reach a conclusion yet though.

Simon

[Stag>75]

Originally Posted by championdaddy

And also.....is there any benefit of fitting the metal version rather than the plastic ????

People would not do it unless there was a perceived benefit.

Have a look through the earlier part of the thread and search on the forum for KAISER (The member who developed it and supplies it) and other postings on the thermostat housing. In short many people have experienced early (And repeated) failure of the plastic. It also seems that perhaps what were thought of as some cases of failures of the plastic have been failures of the 'O' ring.

The actual thermostat that Kaiser supplies in his housing is not the same as that in the plastic unit as his opens at a lower temperature (Much discussion about this). So some people have fitted other higher temperature thermostats in Kaiser's housing which is possible as he designed a removable top on his housing.

I installed Kaisers unit recently and I posted some photos in the following thread. My original plastic unit was not leaking and the car had done 71,000 KM's but as I was doing the timing belts etc I decided to do everything in one go. I live in Australia and I don't think the lower opening temperature of the thermostat is an issue for me. I have been monitoring the temperature using the On Board Diagnostics and it seems to heat up at a constant rate up to about 93 so I'm happy with the result and with the peace of mind of having something which should last the life of the car.

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...=182162&page=2

[DMGRS]

Excellent guide, shame I've just sold my V6!