this has to be the most anoying part ever used by porsche and could it be placed in a better spot i hope to god none of u ever have to change out the thermostat. and if u have how much trouble did u have w/ it.

 

Ummm not much with the right tools... What was your problem with it?

 

its still not off, ran out of daylight this thing is so far in there i hope i dont have to buy a special tool to get it out.

 

Here is what I did.

1. remove radiator hose
2. rip out the old thermostat with side cutters.
3. stick a hook pick in one of the snap rings holes and bend/yank it out
4. install new snap ring and thermostat with snap ring pliers.

I coulnt get it out the normal way either, but once I gave up it went a lot faster. Good luck.

 

Just get some snap ring pliers with a 45 degree angle tips. I got a pair with a selection of interchangeable tips and they work just fine. I agree that Porsche could have definitely engineered a better solution for this, but with the right pliers, it's really not too bad.

 

Theres some Craftsman tools that help a lot too, they look like dentist hooks but they have big screwdriver handles.

 

they kinda suck trying to get it out

 

Mine was really easy, I used the Lisle snap ring tool and removed the threaded shaft. I then used normal straight snap ring pliers through the holes where the shaft used to be and used the snap ring tool's tips to remove the t-stat snap ring. Essentially using the Lisle as a 90' adaptor for the snap ring pliers. This gives you more depth and more leverage than a big pair of snap ring pliers.

Came right out, went right back in.

Sam

 

The thing is that the ease of getting the ring out depends on where it is positioned when it went in. There are a few very bad ways to put the ring in, mine was at the worst one. And I couldnt get it to spin, it was sort of corroded to the aluminum in an old pump.

 

I purchased a pair of 16" needle nose pliers with a 90 degree bend on the end. Purchased them from Harbor Freight for six bucks. snap ring came out without any frustration in three seconds.

 

After breaking 2 cheap pairs of snap ring pliers, I used 2 scratch awl's, and a pair of locking pliers to pinch them together. They're short enough, that they fit straight into the holes in the snap ring, yet strong enough, that the tips didn't bend when I used the locking pliers.

I suppose you could always remove the engine, and go in that way

 

Is this the one you bought? This is the only one I saw on their site and this is a 11".

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=33203

 

Me too, but I had to narrow down the tips with a grinder before they would fit in the snap ring holes. The knurled face of the tips really bite in, avoiding the dreaded projectile snap ring.

 

Exactly. A pair of large, bent snap ring pliers (I prefer 45 degree here) or large bent needle nose pliers will do the job without any fuss.

When you go shopping, make sure you don't get the small ones for this job. The tips bend under the load of larger snap rings... and that's if they can reach the holes.

 

Cas, yes thats it. I had to guess on the size. I found the 90 degree was better to use than the 45. The tips fit perfect in the snap ring holes.