How To: VR6 Thermostat Housing Replacment

[gogsboy 0]

Quite pricey but due to fact getting all the kit for $47 guess cant be bad.

 

Do people normally do the crack pipe, I mean is it one of those things if doing the housing etc just aswell to do it.

[craigowl 0]

Quite pricey but due to fact getting all the kit for $47 guess cant be bad.

 

Do people normally do the crack pipe, I mean is it one of those things if doing the housing etc just aswell to do it.

 

Crack pipe original is apparently poor with bits tending to crumble - that is why at least 10 of us bought Gruvenparts alloy one last week.

[Jon_vr6 1]

yeah i might get that gruvenparts crackpipe aswell too bad the alloy thermosat housing isnt ready yet!! how easy are the alloy crack pipes to fit??

[Jon_vr6 1]

Just ordered my bits for this at VW collect 2morrow and my thermostat 70 degree should be coming tomorrow too! And may have got a gruvenparts crack pipe aswell woo! looks like will start it thursday!

[craigowl 0]

Jon_vr6

 

When you tighten up the thermo housing bolts remember the torque is a low 7ftlbs (10Nm). Dont overtighten or you may crack plastic housing bits, or they may crack when they heat up.

 

Also, make sure the face on the engine block to take the odd shaped rubber gasket between block and housing is cleaned up and sanded down a bit. I found a cheap Ikea shaving mirror I have lying around in the garage greatly helps you to see things properly.

 

Good luck! 8)

[Jon_vr6 1]

Mines clean luckily already taken apart when they did the head recon so all shiney and new thanks for the tip tho fella mine should look like your when finished as ive happened to come accross a gruvenparts crackpipe and it was the first one over to the uk and is the one in all the pics ITS FAMOUS!lol

[Jon_vr6 1]

Why have i got 2 of them funny shaped gaskets that goes in between the housing and the head???

[craigowl 0]

The roughly triangular one?

If so, you only need one.

[Jon_vr6 1]

You mean rectangle ?? Lol i got two then only charged for one a freebie at last! Thought i only need one! Just waiting on my 70 oc thermostat and the alloy crack pipe now might sound weird but cant wait to get my hands dirty love messing with engines should have been a mechanic!

[craigowl 0]

Yes. Most likely. Not as triangular as I remembered. :lol:

 

By the way, my old crack pipe was a pig to get out. I still have a really sore arm!

 

Also, had to dremel/emery rusty hole in block before fitting new one in (as recommended by others). Hope you find it all good fun.

[Jon_vr6 1]

im not going to rush it but will aim for 3 hrs and see how good i am at removing everything!

[Jon_vr6 1]

how the hell did everyone remove their crackpipe to replace with a gruvenparts one have got everything else off ready but the crackpipe fook me its on tight and you cant grip it have wd40ed it and leaving till tomorrow if its still the same im gonna leave the old one anyone got any tips etc

 

Cheers

[Toad 0]

how the hell did everyone remove their crackpipe to replace with a gruvenparts one have got everything else off ready but the crackpipe fook me its on tight and you cant grip it have wd40ed it and leaving till tomorrow if its still the same im gonna leave the old one anyone got any tips etc

 

Cheers

 

Mine wasn't too bad... just a bit of wiggling and it popped out... I wonder if I've had an engine rebuild as it's quite clean?? Hmmmm Something doesn't add up with it....

[craigowl 0]

Wiggle it about at all angles while using a pulling action. I was gonna add a few drops of Fairy liquid next but did not need to.

You have to try and remember it does not matter if you break it, either, as you will be replacing it with your alloy one.

 

I still have sore arm muscles!

[Jon_vr6 1]

Went into the garage just now and looked at the crackpipe i thought to myself your coming off right now so grabbed hold of it and pulled it towards me extreme style and low and behold off it came buzzin now wooo! Just gotta put everything back on tomorrow now and shes back up and running for a friday night drive!

[craigowl 0]

:thumb right: :onfire:

[Jon_vr6 1]

Cheers fella think ive done all the hard stuff now i think i hope! Do i need to use any kind of sealant on the crackpipe where it joins at the left hand side and the right hand side ???

[craigowl 0]

I didn't use sealant as I read somewhere that you should not. However, I have also seen that some individuals have used sealant. I preferred not to, as I have worked with sealants for years on household stuff and aquaria and suspected that some of it could come adrift and cause a blockage. That was my thinking, anyway.

 

I had not put all of car front back on initially, so that I could have dismantled stuff again if I needed to.

Try it without sealant first, I would say. Maybe those high tech O rings on the crack pipe can hold more comfortably than we think.

I decided to try without sealant first and, miracle of miracles - no leak, even on a speedy 130 mile round trip of mixed driving a couple of days later.

 

.

[Jon_vr6 1]

ALL DONE THANK FOOK that was one hell of a job! 8) Cheers everyone for the parts and the encouragement to do it myself!

[gogsboy 0]

Wonder if someone could point me in the right direction with regards to parts I need off this diagram as yet again a main dealer lets me down, they dont seem to know what you want when you ask for the whole housing etc.

 

Anyway I took this off them and wondered which numbers do you need from the diagram, not the whole lot I guess.

 

I already have the thermostat, part number 4 and 2 from VW but don't think they gave me new allen bolts or whatever they are.

 

Was intending to get the rest from Ford but they don't seem very sure themselves

 

Cheers

[craigowl 0]

I did not get all the Allan bolts, gogsboy, but you can use the old ones IMO as they are strong and the torque requirement is low.

I ended getting my parts from both Ford and VW.

I will give you a list when I have hunted them down.

 

Regards

Iain

[Jon_vr6 1]

I used these part numbers off page 5

 

If replacing everything you should have new:

 

021 121 117A - Main housing,

021 121 133D - front housing elbow,

021 121 121A - thermostat elbow,*** You already have this part!***

b 075 121 113D - thermostat & seal (should come together from VW), ***You already have this part!***

b 025 906 041A - Blue

b701 919 369D - Yellow and

b357 919 369F - Black sensors,

3 x N903 168 02 - small O-rings that go with the sensors,

2 x N101 392 01 - slightly larger O-rings to go on the crack (drainage) pipe and the front housing elbow,

1 x 021 121 119A - odd shaped seal (kind of rectangle) that is for between the main housing and the block.

 

 

So you just need the other parts above they are the VW part numbers and thats if you replace everything! I reused the the black blue and yellow sensors as they were fine and reused the allen bolts aswell!

[gogsboy 0]

I was hoping to get the parts from Ford, not only cause they are cheaper but thats twice I have had the wrong bits from VW.

 

When spoke to Ford guy said come in, no problem will set you straight but wasn't able to go in on the Friday, instead went in Saturday and the guy who was on said he didn't know much about car stuff, only commericals.

 

So I was hoping someone could look at the diagram I uploaded and say you need part 1,2,3,7,8,12 etc

 

Then I can hopefully go in and just point at what I want...then might get somewhere at last :D

[craigowl 0]

Much nicer diagram by Ford. Why are VAG so mince all too often? :(

 

Ok, the bits I got were:

1

 

2 & 5 - (Ford 1032251 and 1032252) that should give you the three main bits of housing

 

4

 

6

 

10 (X3)

 

18

 

 

I did not replace thermostat but recommend you should (3)

 

Hope this helps - it was a saga for me, too.

I found Ford's service better than VAG's :shock: :? in that they could get parts next day, whereas VAG took two days.

[Jon_vr6 1]

VW was alright with me next day the parts were in! Good luck getting it sorted my arms are killing me after my problems!