Lex4TDI4Life
Top Post Dawg
So I got around to replacing my thermostat today. I orded a new coolant flange as the pins inside the old ones frequently break when removed. That most certainly happened when I removed mine 
The annoyances occurred when I tried to place my new thermostat into the new flange. I just could not seem to mount the t-stat inside the flange. The idea is to insert the tstat and twist it onto the two retaining pins. After looking at the old t-stat i saw what the problem might have been:
OLD Thermostat:
NEW Thermostat:
As you can see, the old thermostat has a lot more room for the retaining pins to slide into. The new one has no room at all.
The bad thing was that I ended up breaking the retaining pins in both the old AND new coolant flanges. Without those retaining pins, it becomes very difficult to mount. I had read in another thread that I could just mount the t-stat to the flange with a little rtv silicone. I could not find any in my supplies, but I did have some leftover "Right Stuff" gasket maker from when I did my friend's oil pan. I used a very very small amount smeared around the mounting surface on the flange and pressed the T-stat onto it and held it a few minutes so that it would stay put. I then installed the flange/t-stat and went about my business.
The good thing is that my engine will finally get up to 190F. While cruising, it was only hitting between 158-170 with the old t-stat. This also appears to have effected my milage. My first trip with the new t-stat was up several MPG.
Here are the questions:
Is that even the right thermostat? Am I retarded or is it truly impossible to mount one of those onto the flange pins? I don't see how it would even be possible.
Is anything in danger from using the Right Stuff gasket maker to rig this thing into place?
The annoyances occurred when I tried to place my new thermostat into the new flange. I just could not seem to mount the t-stat inside the flange. The idea is to insert the tstat and twist it onto the two retaining pins. After looking at the old t-stat i saw what the problem might have been:
OLD Thermostat:
NEW Thermostat:
As you can see, the old thermostat has a lot more room for the retaining pins to slide into. The new one has no room at all.
The bad thing was that I ended up breaking the retaining pins in both the old AND new coolant flanges. Without those retaining pins, it becomes very difficult to mount. I had read in another thread that I could just mount the t-stat to the flange with a little rtv silicone. I could not find any in my supplies, but I did have some leftover "Right Stuff" gasket maker from when I did my friend's oil pan. I used a very very small amount smeared around the mounting surface on the flange and pressed the T-stat onto it and held it a few minutes so that it would stay put. I then installed the flange/t-stat and went about my business.
The good thing is that my engine will finally get up to 190F. While cruising, it was only hitting between 158-170 with the old t-stat. This also appears to have effected my milage. My first trip with the new t-stat was up several MPG.
Here are the questions:
Is that even the right thermostat? Am I retarded or is it truly impossible to mount one of those onto the flange pins? I don't see how it would even be possible.
Is anything in danger from using the Right Stuff gasket maker to rig this thing into place?
