It beat me

[alex]

Well I started tonight with the intention of swapping the stat in the pipe behind the engine block.

The pipes are hidden back behind just about everything, especially the turbo side. Got both silly springy things off, got the heater matrix side off, but the turbo side beat me.
I spent an hour pulling and pulling with the tips of my fingers, shredding skin on every sharp in the engine bay. Eventually had that, If I cant fetch it off, how the b****y hell am I gonna get the new one back on? thought. Then spent twenty minutes wrestling the end I had gotten off back on.

Now on my second glass of Whiskey and sod the stat,,, for now. It will die, I swear it...

[Drift]

What was bust

[alex]

I got a few odd looks, I need a chair now to get to the back of the engine. As I struggled I end up prone across the engine, feet in the air or on the roof of the wifes Citroen. Oh and did I mention swearing?

[perfectprincess]

well it must be bad if your on the whiskey mate x

[alex]

I got 28 bottles of the malted nectar

I dont normally drink without company, but can be tempted. Have a few bottles of Rioja, my other favourite, but once open it needs to be drunk or it goes to waste, not good on weekday.

[Trugga]

Yes, I'd agree a lot of swearing is a probable outcome of removing/replacing this little bugger:



It sits here:



just above the adaptor plate, slightly right of center.

Here the cooler removed, with the thermostat in the bottom right of the photo:



Tip: if you can crack open the seal between the rubber pipe and the metal tube (perhaps with a small screw driver) squirt some WD40 in there to assist in removing the pipe - worked for me (with the old cooler on the desk)

Lawrence

[Drift]

Eeeekk Looks orrible

[woodwizzard]

I always work on the princaple that if you can't see it with the bonnet up it doesn't need touching, works for me

[Drift]

Looks like it would be wise to replace while changing the clutch ?

How much is the part ?

[alex]

It is, the body lift gives a tantalising chance of getting in from below, but snatches it away if you dont have extra joints to get in. You can see it all, touch it even, but just getting the dam clips off is a nightmare. May consider removing the cooler too, then only need to split at the heater matrix and coolant out.

Cheers Lawrence.

[alex]

Might be an idea there Ste, dunno on cost though. Looking at it, may just be crud in the holes, looks like it will act as a strainer. So maybe fetching out and cleaning will suffice.

[Drift]

Right, thats that sorted, when I get the dosh together to get the clutch fitted I will get them to give that a clean, must be worth a beer to the fitter

[perfectprincess]

[alex]

HHMM.. thats where I went wrong. Opened it once, now doesnt stay closed.

[Sir-Doris]

That my friend looks about as awkward as the bolt that holds the wiring harness from the battery to the alternator and starter motors on the 2.2i. Its right at the back of the engine right above the bellhousing. Scraped all my knuckles at least twice trying to get the little bugger back in.

[yaki]

[FUDDY MUCKER]

[alex]

I would complain and re-reg it, but the tax is more

[alex]

Ha!

Got the lil bugger! needed to remove the water pipe at the split by the heater matrix, then again after the oil cooler rather than before and removed everything.

it was a real snotter to get it out of the engine bay mind, snuggled under the turbo, in front of the exhaust, next to the steering column and against the wing. Not looking to put it back in

So I split the stat out, scraped the sludge out and tried a bit of boiling water in. Nowt came out.

Ten minutes of Flash multipurpose and boiling water, a scrape with a small screwdriver and voila, the stat opened with a torent of rust, sludge and muck.

Now I have a loverly flow of hot water through the stat when hot, planning on reinstating it, along with a cleaned cooler, leaving the spares on the shelf.

Stay tuned, its a fight to put it back in Tuesday.

[meooo]

If I'd struggled that much to remove it, theres NO WAY it would be going back in if I had a new part ready .....maybe keep the old one "for emergencies" but it wouldn't go back after all that aggro!