Coolant thermostat replacement ?

[wolf_06]

Do I have to drain the coolant before replacing the thermostat?
The thermostat housing is not horizontal flat, its setup vertical on the driver side of the engine. I have a new gasket too.

If I dont drain it, can I still take of the main hose to the thermo housin with no problem?

It sound wierd but i need help-info here.
Thanks!

 

[LeakySeals]

No, you don't have to. Its mostly done to prevent mess and spillage. If your tstat location is high on the engine its minimal. a small mess is better than all the work draining it IMO.

 

[wolf_06]

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
No, you don't have to. Its mostly done to prevent mess and spillage. If your tstat location is high on the engine its minimal. a small mess is better than all the work draining it IMO.
yes its right on top of the engine, I was thinking the same. Thanks lot!

 

[mechtech2]

It may be 'against the book', but simply removing it and letting it spill is a good idea.
Less to do, less time, less to go wrong, and you'll spill some anyways!
Coolant is not corrosive, clean up afterwards.
Try to put a pan under the car.

Make sure the mating surfaces are clean and flat - no corrosion, either. Even though sealer is not used originally, I often use some [a little] with an 'O' ring seal, esp if the surfaces are compromised.

 

[HerrStig]

Leave the cooling system cap on, the vacuum which develops when a little coolant drains will slow the leak rate.

 

[LeakySeals]

When you pull the hose off, lift it up fast and tie it off somehow. Another trick is don't drain it all, drain a couple quarts out of the radiator so the level is below the tstat location. That may help.

 

[yonyon]

I expect you won't find any corrosion in there to be an issue. Liquid gasket/sealer/glue type products should be unnecessary but feel free to use them if they make you feel better. In this case I think it'd just be extra sticky goo to get on your hands and tools. Clean everything up but good and you should be fine.

Have a few gallons of tap water available so that if when you spill coolant that misses your catch pan you can rinse it away afterwards. There's no need to kill the local wildlife.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Why do you want to change thermostat in a 2008 car without changing coolant ?

Many drivers like to change it when they change coolant.

I didn't change thermostat in my '94 LS400 until it failed open few years ago at 200k+ miles, the 12 years old E430 with 140k+ miles still has original stat.