Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Dave Elite on 10 December 2009, 12:04:50
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Hello can anyone tell me all the tools and socket sizes I'll need to change my thermostat? I need to know before i start. Thanks Dave
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Oh Dear!
This is not a very pleasant job and believe me, you will lose patience, skin and probably tears before it is done. Still, it is possible and although it took me a while it eventually got done.
Really the only special tools you are likely to need are set of Torx sockets and drivers, I bought the combined set from Halfords and they have done quite a lot of work now and are still in fine shape.
Do not be tempted to buy the 'after market parts' stick to the genuine Vauxhall ones or you may regret it and have to do the job again to sort out any leaks. There is a short posting in the Maintenance Guide section of this club that will guide you through it.
Best of LUCK.
Ray
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You replace the thermostat housing complete with insert, dont try to swap just the insert. New one should come complete with O ring seal and you will need two new O rings for the extension pipe.
The thermostat housing was modified on later engines (and most new spares) to have a thicker flange and so uses longer bolts, you might want to order these at the same time just in case.
5litres of pink antifreeze needed to complete the jub.
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Hide the swearbox .... :)
The "bastard bolt" wll cause you to insert at least a weeks wages .. :) I cheated and got EP & LK to do mine .. glad I did .. :)
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Hide the swearbox .... :)
The "bastard bolt" wll cause you to insert at least a weeks wages .. :) I cheated and got EP & LK to do mine .. glad I did .. :)
Which bolt is that? I got to do the stat on the 3.0 soon :'(
Give me a 4 pot to maintain anyday, stat took about 20 mins :D
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Hide the swearbox .... :)
The "bastard bolt" wll cause you to insert at least a weeks wages .. :) I cheated and got EP & LK to do mine .. glad I did .. :)
Which bolt is that? I got to do the stat on the 3.0 soon :'(
Give me a 4 pot to maintain anyday, stat took about 20 mins :D
I believe its the bolt that holds the link pipe, lifting lug, dipstick and something else ... difficult to get to and very difficult to get all the bits to line up .... EP gave up but Daz got it eventually on mine ... and if cursing mended cars then mine won't need anything doing for a long, long time !!
As I said .. I'm just glad I paid those guys to do it .. !!
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Thanks for all the help and warnings :). It needs doing I've been putting it of for a while now. Anyone know what size torx sockets? thanks again Dave
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Dave ... guide is here and suggests a 10mm spanner not a torx for the bastard bolt ...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1229464812
Have a good read of as many threads on the subject as you can ... memory suggests there was a good tip about not undoing the housing and twisting the link pipe to loosen it, then undoing the housing, or something on those lines !!
HTH
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Thanks, I'm not looking forward to doing this.
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Has anybody tried putting an in line hose thermostat on a V6 if the existing thermo is failed open. Would be simple to do but would it work
Ron
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Has anybody tried putting an in line hose thermostat on a V6 if the existing thermo is failed open. Would be simple to do but would it work
Ron
Would this work?
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Has anybody tried putting an in line hose thermostat on a V6 if the existing thermo is failed open. Would be simple to do but would it work
Ron
Would this work?
I doubt it. The standard thermostat is in the heart of the engine and is exposed to the coolant being pumped around inside the engine. When it is half open some water goes to the rad and some back to the block. When it is fully open the port to the block is closed and all the flow goes to the radiator.
An external one wouldn't know when the engine was hot because it would be in a cold pipe away from the heat source.
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Has anybody tried putting an in line hose thermostat on a V6 if the existing thermo is failed open. Would be simple to do but would it work
Ron
Would this work?
I doubt it. The standard thermostat is in the heart of the engine and is exposed to the coolant being pumped around inside the engine. When it is half open some water goes to the rad and some back to the block. When it is fully open the port to the block is closed and all the flow goes to the radiator.
An external one wouldn't know when the engine was hot because it would be in a cold pipe away from the heat source.
Thanks. Is it possible to just replace the stat and not the housing?
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Has anybody tried putting an in line hose thermostat on a V6 if the existing thermo is failed open. Would be simple to do but would it work
Ron
Would this work?
I doubt it. The standard thermostat is in the heart of the engine and is exposed to the coolant being pumped around inside the engine. When it is half open some water goes to the rad and some back to the block. When it is fully open the port to the block is closed and all the flow goes to the radiator.
An external one wouldn't know when the engine was hot because it would be in a cold pipe away from the heat source.
Thanks. Is it possible to just replace the stat and not the housing?
I guess so .. but as you have to take the housing off to get to the thermostat, and a new housing comes with the new 'stat (from GM) ... why would you want to ?? :)
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Has anybody tried putting an in line hose thermostat on a V6 if the existing thermo is failed open. Would be simple to do but would it work
Ron
Would this work?
I doubt it. The standard thermostat is in the heart of the engine and is exposed to the coolant being pumped around inside the engine. When it is half open some water goes to the rad and some back to the block. When it is fully open the port to the block is closed and all the flow goes to the radiator.
An external one wouldn't know when the engine was hot because it would be in a cold pipe away from the heat source.
Thanks. Is it possible to just replace the stat and not the housing?
I guess so .. but as you have to take the housing off to get to the thermostat, and a new housing comes with the new 'stat (from GM) ... why would you want to ?? :)
Because the one I bought (A QH part from a factors) only came with the stat and a couple of seals.
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(http://www9.qha.com/uk/images/base_r2_c1.jpg)
For 40 years I have thought that Quinton Hazell were part of GM/Vauxhall. Seems I was wrong.....
If the thermo-capsule is made to the same tolerances as the GM component then why not? QH have been making wax thermostats for about 60 years so they should be able to get it right.
Let us know how you get on. I didn't enjoy paying the best part of £50 for a new housing & insert when there was nothing wrong with the old housing.
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(http://www9.qha.com/uk/images/base_r2_c1.jpg)
For 40 years I have thought that Quinton Hazell were part of GM/Vauxhall. Seems I was wrong.....
If the thermo-capsule is made to the same tolerances as the GM component then why not? QH have been making wax thermostats for about 60 years so they should be able to get it right.
Let us know how you get on. I didn't enjoy paying the best part of £50 for a new housing & insert when there was nothing wrong with the old housing.
Do you think I should go ahead and fit it? I have read another thread and somebody said you cannot remove the stat from the housing? I dont want to strip the engine down over Christmas only to find I cannot fit it.
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The thermo-capsule is held in by a spring and a crosspiece that clips into lugs in the housing.
Push the crosspiece in & turn a quarter turn.
Unfortunately it is a lot of work to get to the thermostat in the first place.
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The thermo-capsule is held in by a spring and a crosspiece that clips into lugs in the housing.
Push the crosspiece in & turn a quarter turn.
Unfortunately it is a lot of work to get to the thermostat in the first place.
Sorry I don't understand this bit. Are you saying it is possible or not?
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http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1171109400/6 Just found this thread. It confirms that the insert can be swapped over if the housing is ok.
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Fit an inline thermostat? Did this years ago and it caused nothing but problems. Eventually bit the bullet and did it the right way. After that it was perfect. Nothing to save moneywise either - the right part costs about as much as the inline thermo, then add the clips and pipe (if you cut the original you will eventually have to buy another whenthe job goes tits up) and you save nothing at all. All you will do is waste your time.
Try it if you must but you would do better heeding the advice already given. That Bast**d bolt is a pain in the ass but a bit of patience is all it takes!
GudLuk
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The thermo-capsule is held in by a spring and a crosspiece that clips into lugs in the housing.
Push the crosspiece in & turn a quarter turn.
Unfortunately it is a lot of work to get to the thermostat in the first place.
Sorry I don't understand this bit. Are you saying it is possible or not?
Sorry, I don't know if it is possible but I would be inclined trust QH to get it right.
I meant to say that it took me a couple of hours before I had the thermostat out. In other cars I have owned or worked on it takes about 10 minutes and so it wouldn't have been too inconvenient to discover that it wouldn't fit.
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I'm doing the thermostat now, and I'm at the bastard bolt. I'm using a 10mm spanner on it. I can see why its called the bastard bolt. Any tips?
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Has anybody tried putting an in line hose thermostat on a V6 if the existing thermo is failed open. Would be simple to do but would it work
Ron
Would this work?
I doubt it. The standard thermostat is in the heart of the engine and is exposed to the coolant being pumped around inside the engine. When it is half open some water goes to the rad and some back to the block. When it is fully open the port to the block is closed and all the flow goes to the radiator.
An external one wouldn't know when the engine was hot because it would be in a cold pipe away from the heat source.
Thanks. Is it possible to just replace the stat and not the housing?
The stat insert is a bayonet fit into the housing so in theory you can change just the insert. In practice the stat closes against the alloy housing and wears a groove which is the cause of slow warm-up as cold coolant is able to bypass the stat. Likely to cost more in wasted fuel than a complete housing assy.