Removing Thermostat

[mambodave]

Hi all.

Im in the middle of repalcing my temp switch and thermostat with low temp...

I have drained the coolant system, removed lower hose to w-pump.

I see the thermostat, but I cant see the retainer ring holding it in. (and I have a pair of 90 degree snap ring plyers)

Haynes doesnt show a good pic of it..Neither does clarks.

Does anyone have a pic or some advice on how to get it out? I cant see in there from the top or the bottom.

Thanks

[Brando]

Wow, the thermostat replacement was a fun one...

You'll have to reach in there and feel for the holes in the circlip. The positioning is completely random. Once you find the square-feelin parts, you just stick the plier tips into it, squeeze and it should come right out on the pliers... or shoot out under tension, bounce off your radiator fans, ricochet off the hood, bounce out of the garage, land in the street at an awkward angle just in time for a speeding motorist to squish it into half or break it.

... That's normal.

[mambodave]

lmao....

Thanks....Thats actually alot more helpful than what it says in the manual!

[todwic]

what I did was this (from Porsche website is where I stole the idea): Since a normal pair of circlip pliers is just a wee bit too long, I took a small pair of 90&deg pliers and took the dremel and cut grooves in the tips so that the eyes of the ring won't slide off when you try to pull the ring off. Worked great for me.

[mambodave]

Yeah, Im going to have to do something. Been at this for way to lond now.

Some dumbass just poped that thing in there at a VERY bad angle. The eyes are on the end facing the Radiator. I cant get the plyers in there to fit because the angle is so bad. Ive tried spinning the ring around, but no luck.

This is a huge pain in the ass....

Im fonna have a six pack now, then go back out.

[brian carignan]

There was a thread on this board a lil whiile ago an dude took his thermostat out with a pair of tin snips. it was like in 7 pieces. good luck.

brian

[ae1969]

Originally posted by todwic
what I did was this (from Porsche website is where I stole the idea): Since a normal pair of circlip pliers is just a wee bit too long, I took a small pair of 90&deg pliers and took the dremel and cut grooves in the tips so that the eyes of the ring won't slide off when you try to pull the ring off. Worked great for me.

Scary.... thats what I did......

My twin californian brother........... who would of known.

P.S. Get a mirror to take a good look....

[mambodave]

Originally posted by brian carignan
There was a thread on this board a lil whiile ago an dude took his thermostat out with a pair of tin snips. it was like in 7 pieces. good luck.

No...Im just gonna take a torch to it. (just kidding)

Well, Ive had a few beers so I guess I wait till tomorrow.

Maby I can try a different angle (45 degrees) pliers.

[todwic]

Hey, ae, I asked a question on the 951 area. RSVP?

[Texas944]

I changed mine the other night - the kids had been in the garage and hidden the snap ring pliers, so i used a small screwdriver - the end was just small enough to fit in the snap ring eye and i levered it out of the groove - then did the same to the other side and then worked it out from there! Give that a try.
Found the pliers the next day - the wife decided that she needed to use them for something they were not designed for! I still love her!

[Gordon Rankin]

the trick to see in there is with a mechanics small mirror, available at any sears

[Brando]

I thought the tinsnips idea was evilly hilarious

[Lawrence Coppari]

I don't know which is worse on our 944's: the location of the oil filter or the thermostat.

I bought a large cheap pair of curved needle nose pliers and ground the tips to fit. It still was not easy.

[TCMdocs944]

Hey now! The tin snips were genius inspiration!

Actually, they allowed me to move the snapring to the right postition to remove it. It would not rotate because it was stuck with scale.

[Stan944]

Princess Auto sells very good (and not expensive) snap ring pliers of various shapes, with well shaped tips. Beware of those with replacable tips - don't work too well. I don't know if you have Princess Auto in NC...

[mambodave]

Im gonna try sears later today. The ones I have are not working very well. Also gonna pick up some snips just in case. That thing is coming out one way or another today.

BTW...I called a shop around the corner....wanted $130 to get it out.

Yeah...no Princess here except my wife.

[Stan944]

when shopping, pay attention to the shape of the tips: they should appear bent (not parallel) at rest, so that the snap ring doesn'r slide off when you spread the pliers. It's hard to explain.

[TCMdocs944]

Make them beefy too. I bent a medium size pair badly.

[mambodave]

Sears sure didnt have alot of choices

I got a slightly larger set with changeable heads.

Also got an extra awl....mabey I can bend the end of each (like a hook, and slip under the eye then pull each one out of the grove.


Also...I solved the coolnat going everywhere problem. I spread a 10lb bag of kitty litter under the car and under the drip pan. What the pan didnt get , the litter soaked it up without making a mess.

[Brando]

to get mine out i had to use an awl with the end bent to about 60 degrees, then i bent it into a hook-shaped curve. Pried one side out of the groove, then just compressed and pulled straight out. My snapring looked kind of like a spring... but a visit with the vise fixed that... Went in perfectly fine