dalhalvaig 0 Posted January 23, 2012 Am I right in thinking that you have to take the thermostat housing off the engine in order to change the thermostat? I think that one of the bolts holding the thermostat cover in place is obscured so that you cannot remove it in situ. And can you get the thermostat housing off without taking the front member and radiator out? Cheers D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Critical_Mass 10 Posted January 23, 2012 Yes the housing off as the thermostat sits inside. You can take the housing with out taking the front of the car off and rad out - its tricky but can be done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted January 23, 2012 you dont need to take the front off, but do need to remove the coilpack and cover up the hole on the top of the gearbox - this is because the hidden third bolt can easily drop into there! Use a new gasket on the flange face, and dont tighten up too much - its got rings to prevent this, but its still only plastic. Allow a good few hours for this, whilst its easy, its quite fiddly. Give teh system a good flush whilst you're there. If possible, get VWs orange flush. After flushing with water, fill with the orange stuff, let teh fans come on and then leave it in there for a few hours, even overnight if you want. The flush through, and refill. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roger Blassberg 0 Posted January 23, 2012 Yes, as Hasan says, change the rather odd shaped rubber gasket between the face of the head and the housing, and also the ring on the end of the transfer (so-called "crack") pipe. Whilst you are there, change the O-ring seals for the 2 (or 3 if you have A/C) sensors. Use 3 new bolts - they are typical VAG socket-headed bolts, made of marshmallow and easily rounded out; get the Allen key well and truly into the hexagon before turning it. If you wreck the short, most inaccessible one, you will probably have a dreadful job to get it out. The four bolts holding on the coilpack need to be similarly treated- steel theaded into aluminium always sticks hard. Take the opportunity to have a really good look at the various hoses as you disconnect them. If they are originals, there may well be damage around the clips. Best wishes RB Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dalhalvaig 0 Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks for all that. Glad I asked and I get the feeling that the above is the reason this has't been touched in the past. Especially thanks for the tips on the marshmallow bolts and the gearbox cover. D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
