Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!
Opening remarks:
OK, a general writeup on this has been done before for civics and integras by another OH member. I've decided to do one specific to a DC2 Integra.
Aim: Replace faulty thermostat on DC2 Integra (Symptoms of this include the car taking a long time to heat up, temperature gauge falling during high speed driving, temperature gauge flucuating during normal driving)
Required:
Before you start make sure you have:
1. Replacement thermostat + rubber gasket
2. Replacement coolant
3. Pliers
4. 10mm ring spanner
5. 12mm ring spanner
6. Large flat-head screwdriver
7. Funnel
8. Patience and/or a colourful vocabulary
Step 1.
Park your car on a level surface. It’s also recommended you park somewhere you don’t mind coolant will spill.
Step 2.
Wait for your car to cool down completely unless you like 3rd degree burns.
Step 3 (optional).
Drain the coolant if you don’t want to lose 3 litres of coolant.
I didn’t do this so wont document the process.
Step 4.
Find the thermostat housing cover. The easiest way to do this is to follow the lower radiator hose from the radiator to the housing cover.
Step 5.
Loosen the hose clamp (where the hose meets the housing cover) using pliers and pull it back.
Note the area around the housing is incredibly cramped. Unless your triple jointed and have very small hands I’d recommend removing the intake tube from the airbox and bending it out of the way (the tube not the airbox!).
Step 6.
Detach the hose from housing cover. You may need to break the seal the hose has with the fitting by gently prying the edge of it against the housing with a large flathead screwdriver. A good yank should then dislodge the hose from its fitting. Expect some leakage of coolant when the hose is removed.
Bend it out of the way to facilitate access to the thermostat housing cover.
Step 7 (This is the fun part).
Remove the housing cover bolts. There are two in total.
The first is visible in the photo below. The other is on the opposite side underneath (just visible).
I struggled and swore for ages with various socket wrenches and extenders trying to get these as they are in a very awkward position. In hind-site a simple 10mm ring spanner would have been much easier. I recommend this unless you are a masochist (ie. the same people that skipped step 2).
Step 8.
With the bolts removed (and stored in a safe place of course), remove the housing cover. If it doesn’t come off by hand force, then a gentle tap with a mallet should dislodge it. Again, expect some leakage of coolant when the housing is removed.
Move the housing cover gently to the side (as it is still attached to the coolant temperature sensor).
Step 9.
The exposed mechanism (see diagram above) is the thermostat. Remove this. It may require a little force to pop it out (I used a large screwdriver to knock it out).
If you are like me and were too lazy to drain the coolant … at this stage 3 litres or so of coolant will pour out of the hole where the thermostat was.
Step 10.
Remove all traces of gasket from the housing and cover.
Step 11.
Install the new rubber gasket on the new thermostat. Use the old thermostat as a guide if unsure.
Step 12.
Install the new thermostat in the housing the same way as the old one. The jiggle pin (the little pin thing that jiggles!!) on the thermostat should be at the top with the flat head facing out (and the spring mech. facing in). The housing is cast with notches that should orient the thermostat correctly.
Step 13.
Replace the housing cover and re-tighten the bolts.
Step 14.
Re-attach the hose to the housing cover and re-tighten the hose clamp using pliers.
Re-install/unbend/re-fix any other items now (eg. intake tube).
Step 15.
Loosen the air-bleed bolt on the engine with a 12mm spanner (do not remove it completely). This can easily be located by following the upper radiator hose to the engine. This will allow any air trapped in the system to escape during filling.
Step 16.
Move the heater controls to full heat (this opens the valve to the cooling system).
Step 17.
Remove the radiator cap and fill with coolant. A funnel is recommended here unless you played the stuntman in “Cocktail”.
Step 18.
When coolant flows freely from the bleed bolt, re-tighten it.
Continue to fill the radiator until full. Leave the cap off at this stage.
Step 19.
It’s a good idea to fill the coolant reservoir at this stage too. Fill to the MAX level marking (note this is NOT the maximum that the reservoir will hold).
Step 20.
Start and run the engine until the thermostat opens. A good guide to this is when the top radiator hose begins to get hot. This means coolant is flowing through the system. Shut off the engine.
Step 21.
Squeeze the upper radiator hose to expel any air from the system and top up the radiator with coolant. Replace the cap.
Step 22.
You are done!! Check for any leaks and run the engine to make sure it reaches normal operating temperature.
Now let’s hope we never need to do it again!
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Originally Posted by wynode
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