The thermostat seems to be completely inaccessable. Bolcked by ridgid coolant tubes , exhaust manifold & heat-shield (which all themselves seem to be somewhat inaccessable). I need clear, step by step advice as to how I am supposed to access this thermostat! Please help!
Your best bet is to buy a Haynes repair manual for your vehicle/year/model. It will show you illustrations and text for DIY.
I have the Haynes repair manual for this make and model BUT none of the illustrations or instructions come anywhere close to describimg the specific configuration of this engine.
According to the manual the thermostat is a simple job BuT in reality The thermostat seems to be completely inaccessable. Bolcked by ridgid coolant tubes , exhaust manifold & heat-shield. I need clear, step by step advice as to how I am supposed to access this thermostat on this particular engine!
Is there any other manual that might demonstrate this particular engine? Maybe someone can email me the pages of this manual that demonstrates the thermostat procedures!!!
That’s a little odd as the 3.4L (185hp) in my 2000 Olds Silhouette is pretty much the same design and yes, you DO have to remove other components to gain access.
I believe your engine is a 170 hp, but is basically the same engine.
Not much is easy to fix on todays cars with all the pollution stuff in the way.
You even have to remove the exhaust crossover pipe along with the air cleaner and duct.
At the end of the top rad hose, the t-stat housing sits vertically to the engine as opposed to the old vehicles which was horizontal.
Loosen and remove the hose clamp and remove the hose from the housing.
Be prepared to lose some coolant when you remove the t-stat housing.
Ensure the old gasket comes out and most of all…make CERTAIN the new t-stat is the correct one and that it is replaced in the correct position. (Look at the position the old one is when you remove it)
Installation is just the reverse. The t-stat housing bolts are to be torqued to 18 ftlbs.
This is just one reason garage repairs are expensive.
It took me about 10 minutes to replace a t-stat on a '54 Ford we used for oval dirt track racing when I was 15 yrs old. (1955) Geez, that’s a long time ago.
I ended up getting it apart and back together without taking down the exhaust crossover; I did however have to remove the battery, the entire air duct housing, some tubing, hoses and bend the heat-shield up and over (nothing I can’t un-do when putting it all back together!
Thank goodness this one is near an end!!! I just pray that this stops the over heating problem!!!
I have to agree they are a PITA to work on, that’s why I let my favorite tech do the difficult stuff for me. That way I get to get to keep the skin on my knuckles.
What symptoms have you had leading up to this assumption it was the t-stat?
To begin with this is my daughters car and she had periodic overheating then she let it get 2 quarts low on oil AND since she had a minor coolant leak (probably intake) she was also losing coolant; between the two, the car over heated big time, and she started losind gobs of coolant through the exhaust so now I think she’s faced with a blown gasket (head or intake I don’t know) but I think the overheating can be controlled with frequent fluid refills but I think an intake or head gasket is a bit over my head!
So now she’s caught between a rock and a hard place until her income tax comes! Until then I guess she’ll have to use my aged 95 olds cutlass ciera wagon to get back and forth to work And I;ll take a chance driving her car arround the neighborhood ans such!
Thanks for your concerne
Joe
OUCH! Not a good start to 2008 eh?
You’re probably right on the blown head or intake gasket with coolant coming out the exhaust.
At this stage the crankshaft bearings are probably just about eaten away from the coolant/oil mix.
IF such is the case, it means an engine tear down. If so, you may be better off to throw a used engine in there, BUT try to find out if it has the NEW revised intake gasket installed.
If not, that could start leaking soon after too.
Talking $$$ now, I, (along with millions of other (GM) 3.4L V6 owners) had to replace a leaking intake manifold gasket.
I had the good fortune to be right on top of this fault BEFORE it happened to me, so when the leak started (Manifold corner bolt) I knew exactly what to do and did it.
Not myself though. I had my long time (16 years) independent tech do the work.
The (GM) revised gasket kit cost little, BUT the labor cost cleans out most peoples wallets.
Because of so much pollution parts and brackets, etc in the way, it takes a total of 6 hours labor. That translates to $600-$800 (CDN).
Drive this vehicle too long and the engine will seize, guaranteed.