SnowDrifter
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- Sep 5, 2016
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It is. Without the belt driven one in place there is SO MUCH room to work
Pop the engine cover off with an 8mm, remove the intake pipe with an 8mm, pop the belts off, throw a baggie over the ac compressor, rrmovr your serp belt tensioner with a 15mm. It's 3 Bolts.
Un do the upper rad hose from the tstat housing, remove the 2 Bolts securing the thermostat with a 10mm. Remove the 6 Bolts holding in the water pump with a 10mm, then get annoyed at the mess of coolant.
Clean gasket surfaces, install new thermostat to new WP with new gasket. Mind the orientation of the tstat and gasket. It's pretty self explanatory. Torque to 11ftlbs.
Then grab the whole thing and install that, with new gaskets, to the block. Torque the 6 Bolt first pass to 11ftlbs. Them 22ftlbs second pass. I like to do a third pass at 22 just to be extra sure.
Hose down the front of it to get all the glycol off, Put your belts on, remove the bag from the ac compressor
Put upper rad hose back on, intake tube, and engine cover.
Grba your coolant, fill the reservoir until its brimmed. Go take a piss, then do it again. Curse at the mess of coolant, itch your upper lip, then start spitting the bad taste out of your mouth, then fill the reservoir again.
Hop in, start the car, go back and keep the reservoir topped up. Once the level stops going down, give it a few revs and go again.
Now go for a drive or hold the revs at 3k until it's warmed up. Doesn't really matter. You should have heat at this point. If not, something is air locked. Sit tight. It means you're air locked.
Once at operating temp, your tstat will open. Top up your reservoir, give it a few revs, then go for a drive to let the remainder of the bubbles work their way out.
If the level didn't drop, you're air locked. Give the thing 5 or 6 sharp revs up to redline then proceed to panic as the gauge makes a quick trip to 225 degrees before coming back down.
Top up your reservoir and go for a drive.
When ya get back, check for leaks and treat yourself to a beer. Give her one last coolant top up the next morning and you're good to go!
