TurboTime

Simple question, do you need to remove the water pump (and timing belt) to change out the thermostat -or can you just remove the lower water pump to radiator hose?

Thanks, TurboTime

<img border="0" alt="[byebye]" title="" src="graemlins/wave.gif" />

Devia

Check out:

<a href="http://www.clarks-garage.com/" target="_blank">http://www.clarks-garage.com/</a>

That should help you!

- Julie

Dave951M

You can do it by removing just the hose. Either way, it's a pia, just one is a bigger one than the other.

Danno

The trick with removing the thermostat while the pump is on the car is to have the right tool. There was a guy in Vegas who tried vainly for two weeks to remove his thermostat. Ended up towing his car to a shop I think.

Anyway, what worked for me was a set of needle-nose pliers with a 45-degree angled tip. I ground down one of the tips to fit into the circlip hole. The mistake a lot of people do is trying to grab both ends of the circlip and trying compressing it all the way around to remove it all at once. That won't work.

Grab just one end of the circlip! Then pull that end towards the center of the thermostat to clear the groove and peel the circlip out gradually out of the groove. If the water pump was out of the car, you could put a screwdriver between it and the groove as you work your way around.

Good luck!

TurboTime

Thanks all, looks like a weekend project I hope.

SherionG

The 45 degree needle nose is a must, but using a small mirror in that area to view the circlip is very helpful, as well as working from below the car. Good luck and be patient.

Bri Bro

Getting the Circlip out is most of the problem, the access is very tight.