have a 1997 nissan pickup 2.4 liter engine.need a thermostat.looking at motor look like i am going two have to move power steering pump. anyone out there have a better ideal. engine is running cold all the time.
How much?
PS pumps are connected by only two flexible hoses and a mounting bracket. And because they put so much load on the crankshaft and need lots of surface contact with the pulley, they’re often on a separate belt. Admittedly, I don’t know if that’s true on your truck. And it isn’t a closed, pressurized system, so the risk of causing a problem by moving it is low.
Can you post a photo of the T-stat housing and the surrounding stuff?
Looking at the location, it’s real tight but I think you might be able to get in there with a u-joint extension on your socket wrench.
I moved the power steering pump on my 302 Ford truck to replace the gas pump one time. Nott a difficult chore as long as you keep all the tubes and hose connected. It may not be so easy on other vehicles, but all I had to do was remove a long bolt and hang the PS pump from the underside of the hood with some bailing wire while I worked on the gas pump. A pro mechanic wouldn’t remove the PS pump to replace the gas pump I expect, but I’m just a diy’er and tend to remove stuff that’s in the way when there’s any doubt. If you can remove it without disconnecting the hydraulics and hang it with some bailing wire while you do the thermostat job, suggest you do it that way.
You only have to loosen it up to slip the belt off the pulley, then it will swing out of the way.
thanks keith.
Depends on the situation
If you’re spending 20 minutes struggling to work “around” some component without removing it, it might make sense to spend 2 minutes removing it, if it makes the overall repair much easier and quicker
Also depends on if removing that component might be opening a can of worms
lots of variables
Today I replaced a leaking hyraulic brake booster on a van. I quickly realized it would be a lot easier to remove some air intake pipes and move the remote power steering reservoir out of the way, versus leaving them in place and struggling with the overall repair
I’m not even mentioning what kind of vehicle it is, and it doesn’t really matter, does it?
If some smart alec wants to say they could do it without removing anything additional, pat yourself on the back, if it makes you feel better about yourself 
1 Like
thanks to everyone that help on this post. I did do the job.it was a bear, but I had to remove power steering pump off bracket and set it aside thermostat was up under power steering bring back the good old day when thermostat was right up front. bring back 1931 model A.
Hehe. I think people get nostalgic for how easy old cars were to work on, but they forget that they had to be easy to work on because they broke all the time.
I’ve got 120k on my 2007 Acura, and I’ve had the hood up all of 3 times to fix things that weren’t routine maintenance. And one of those 3 was to replace the hood struts so I could put the hood up. 
Show me an old car that can pull that off.
1 Like
You must be trying to make a joke.
Good for you for getting your truck’s themostat in order OP. Replacing the thermostat on my Corolla requires nothing more than loosening a couple of easily accessible bolts. It’s a little more difficult on my truck, have to remove a couple of cooling hoses in the area first, but it is still pretty easy. Both the Corolla and the Ford truck, the thermostat is at the top front of the engine compartment, so it can all be done just by popping the hood.