Thermostat Replacement

[rlim]

I've been told my thermostat is "lazy" where it took a while for it to open up ... hovers about 3/4 on my temp gauge when sitting in traffic. The rear fan would have kicked in at that time. Is that a DIY on thermostat replacement? Thanks

[Loren]

Are you sure your front radiators are just dirty/plugged with debris?

I won't say it is not the thermostat but I would check the front radiators for debris and make sure the front fans are working first.

[rlim]

I cleaned out the front radiators (left and right) last month when the car was in storage. I removed the bumper and the covers surrounding the rads and removed the debris. There weren't much as I cleaned the rad last year as well. This problem started last fall when my water pump was replaced. The mechanic flushed the cooling system and the cooling temperature has been fluctuating ever since whenever in traffic. I went back to the garage and the mechanic commented that the thermostat seems to be lazy ... in which the thermostat remain closed longer than it should ... and opened up when warmer than normal.

I was concern that he flushed it and replaced it with regular coolant (non-Porsche). I spoke with him a couple of weeks ago and he is willing to flush and replace it Porsche coolant. I'm unsure if this will fix the problem.

Edited May 9, 2010 by rlim

[wvicary]

Thermostat is easy to replace and can become damaged from an overheat condition. Did the water pump impeller break when it failed? Sometimes broken bits can can reduce coolant flow so be sure to remove as many of them as possible.

[rlim]

I'm unsure if the impeller broke apart when it failed. The pump made quite bbit of grinding noise before the coolant started leaking out of it. Once I got home, I did not attempt to drive the car and had it towed to my mechanic who replaced it. The car did not overheat when I returned home except for coolant dripping from the rear of the car. He did not mention about the impeller breaking but merely a straight forward replacement of the pump.

I figured prior to flushing the entire cooling system and replacing back with Porsche coolant, I want to address the heating issue by replacing the thermostat, which is why I'm probing around for an DYI on the replacement.

Thanks

[rlim]

Loren, the fans at the front are working as well

Edited May 9, 2010 by rlim

[70Sixter]

I'm unsure if the impeller broke apart when it failed. The pump made quite bbit of grinding noise before the coolant started leaking out of it. Once I got home, I did not attempt to drive the car and had it towed to my mechanic who replaced it. The car did not overheat when I returned home except for coolant dripping from the rear of the car. He did not mention about the impeller breaking but merely a straight forward replacement of the pump.

I figured prior to flushing the entire cooling system and replacing back with Porsche coolant, I want to address the heating issue by replacing the thermostat, which is why I'm probing around for an DYI on the replacement.

Jake Raby has a video DIY either on his flat6innovations site and/or youtube for the 160 deg thermostat from LNE or Jake. Complete assembly so you do not need special tool.