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Howto - Thermostat replacing

skhell

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Location
Portugal
Car
1.8, 6th gen Accord
As some of you might know, I had some engine overheating issues, and the culprit was a dead thermostat.
I took some pictures of the process and decided to make this small howto.

Please note, my car runs on LPG, you might see "weird" things in the engine bay, such as the LPG filter or the LPG injectors. Also, my car is RHD, the LHD version may have other components near the thermostat housing, such as the brake or clutch elements.

The process is very simple. Make sure you are working on a cold engine, otherwise you can burn yourself, as the system is under pressure and the coolant can be quite hot.

The first thing to do is to remove the intake pipe which goes from the throttle body to the air filter box. This is quite easy, just loose two bolts, one on each end, pull off the pipe, and you are done. Make sure to remove the breather tube which goes from the intake pipe to the valve cover.

After doing that, you must get something like the next pictures, with the thermostat housing at sight.



Then, remove the fan switch connector, and the bolts which hold the thermostat housing. There are 3 bolts which hold the thermostat housing: the 2 marked with a red arrow, and a third marked with a yellow arrow, which is quite hidden. Near the yellow one, there is another bolt which hold that metal plate. It's also a good idea to remove that bolt, so it's easier to reach the 3ยบ bolt.



After removing the bolts, pull the thermostat housing, and you should see the thermostat inside. It might be stuck, take it out it with a pliers. Note the position of the thermostat, that "nipple" should be at that position. Also, the sealant has a small "part" which fits a recession in the housing, so there is no way to install it in a wrong position.






In the following picture, its possible to see that little part of the sealant which must fit the recession of the thermostat housing.



Then, just put the new thermostat in place, in the right position, ***emble everything together in the reverse order and fill the radiator with anti-freeze. Let engine run and look for leeks. In the next days, you should look the level of the anti-freeze, since it may go down a bit as the engine bleeds it self. The F18B2 engine doesn't need to be bled, but if your engine needs manual bleeding, make sure you do it, otherwise you may have overheating issues.

If someone have any question, let me know, I will be happy to help B)
 
nice writeup and i'm sure this can be applied across even the 7th gen. The principle remains the same. Good work, rep point coming your way
 
Great write up Pedro, Sure it'll be of help to others.
 
Excellent write up, I'm sure it'll come in handy one day.

Is the thermostat a serviceable part? I.e. is it advisable to replace after x miles / years or just wait and see if it breaks?
 
Great DIY pedro have a rep point from me mate well deserved.
 
Excellent write up, I'm sure it'll come in handy one day.

Is the thermostat a serviceable part? I.e. is it advisable to replace after x miles / years or just wait and see if it breaks?
Thanx :rolleyes:

I think it's not a serviceable part, at least it's not in the service schedule plan. I was planing to replace it in about 40/50K Km together with the timing belt and water pump.

So, I guess one can replace it together with the water pump, since you are with already working in cooling system.

Still, if if it fails, and you don't let the temperature rise too much, you will not have any problem, although you can get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a overheating engine...
 
Come on Mods, this needs to go to the DIY section :p

A great addition - well done Pedro mate.
 
Yep, great write up. Its stuff like this that gives me a little bit of confidence to tackle jobs myself. Thanks.

:)
 
Dude thanks for putting the how to on the forum mate!!!!

Have a rep point on me!
 
Hey Pedro,

I went and done my thermostat and scheduled coolant change today using your how-to.

I did have some difficulties with access to the hidden bolt and also the lower of the front two housing bolts. What made it easier for me was getting the lower radiator hose unclipped and pulled off the thermostat housing. You can see from the first pic it is quite tight in there with the hose above and wiring harness below. Once the bracket bolt (in yellow) was undone I also nipped the plastic clips that protrude upward and freed the harness for more room.

Tools used
1/4" rachet with 3" extension and 10mm socket for bolts all round (1xbracket, 3xthermostat housing)
Needle Nose pliers for hose clamps (breather and lower radiator) ,thermostat removal and bracket clips.
Flat screwdriver for air snorkel
Spill Free funnel for filling and bleeding http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-24610-Spill-Free-Funnel/dp/B001A4EAV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349535991&sr=8-1&keywords=spill+free+funnel
Honda OEM coolant
Drain Plug Gasket

So thanks again for your howto....hopefully a few more worry free years on the cooling system B)


Andy
 
Good to know it helped someone :rolleyes:
I bet that in RHD car is harder to remove the bolts because of the brake pedal and clutch ***embly, which might be in the way...

That spill free funnel is quite handy, I might get one the next time I replace the coolant ;)
 
Nice write-up Pedro. Really good close up pictures.
 
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