mother f****** snap ring

[sscroquet]

I'm trying to remove my thermostat so far unsuccessfully. the snap ring is positioned at about 7o'clock and i cant see the holes. Both pairs of pliers i bought seem to not have long enough ends to reach the holes on the ring well. The radiator and fans are already out of the car. Trying to tap the ring around to the top didn't work. I need some tips or any help what so ever i can get. i assume that you squeeze the ring together, pull it foreword and pop it out of that groove its in. But I'm not sure i could be going about this all wrong. please help

[Brando]

Employ the use of a friend with a mirror on a retractor. Much like the kind dentists use except they extend. When facing this same challenge a few years ago I used an awl (or something similar that was small and had a point) to pull half of the snap ring over the lip inside the housing. Then you can weasel a small screwdriver between it and the housing and it should come forward.

Beware when it comes out, at this state it's under a lot of tension and should be known as a "jesus clip". It may shoot across your garage, take out a flourescent light which then drops onto a rake that tips over a bucket of used oil that pours towards the halogen light on the ground that catches fire and incinerates the place. BEWARE the jesus clips...

[ae1969]

Get your sellf a pair of 90 degree needle nose pliers...

Grind a notch on the ends to hook on the clip.

[pico11653]

I just got done doing the thermostat yesterday......although i found out i didn't need to and i have much 'better' problems to try and figure out.

However, the thing that did the trick was not any of those fancy tools, it was a metal coat hanger.

I just bent the hook so it was semi straight and then a bend on the tip to slip in to the hole on the snap ring and yanked her out of there.

give it a shot.

[sscroquet]

I finally got the ring out. The ring broke about in the middle and half came out but the other half was stuck in the groove. When i got it all out the ring looked rusty and corroded. Mangeled the old thermostat too.

Is there a good way to get rid of some of the build up around where that ring was?

[bryanthompson]

there's a pretty big difference between a cheap pair of snap-ring pliers and a quality pair. I tried for hours with the $10 cheapies, and when I used my grandpa's expensive pair and it came right out. Both used 90 degree ends, but the good set just felt a lot more solid and was able to get in the chewed up holes a lot more solidly.

[Granite 944]

Oh boy, just think, if your snap ring is that nasty, what does your head gasket/head and radiator look like!

Phosphate free anti-freeze.......not regular prestone. If it don't say "phosphate free" on the container, don't use it. Well, steel is still gonna corrode in there over time.......somewhat.....need more maintenance.

Harbor Freight, snapring plier duo. Approx. $10.00. 45 degree pliers, heated, bent a little more, ground tips to fit snapring in these thermostat housings. I have NO problems getting them out.........for the most part.

You ask about cleaning up the snapring mount area. Maybe something like a 90 degree dental pick, or scribe (bend up a coathanger), a little PB blaster, scotchbrite. Might do the trick? Good luck, you'll get it!

[tab tanner]

Good old Harbor freight,

[todwic]

do a search. this has been covered. I took a pair of mini pliers 45&deg bend and ground them down and notched em so the ring holes would go in and catch.

[todwic]

I'm thinking those harbor freight (and I'd like to pt. out that I love me some H.B.) ring pliers are too ^&*%^&%^^%* long.