To change thermostat in vw 1982 rabbit?

Answer 1

Put the car front end up wheel ramps, or if you do not have ramps but do have some 2x6 lumber lay the lumber down on the ground and stagger the second board over top of the first. This gives you a basic ramp for one tire and you raise the car 3 inches off the ground.

Because this is work you got to do underneath the car. Get a clean 1 gallon pail so you can collect the coolant. Open the hood and remove the black cap that holds the coolant so air can get in.

. Get into your dirty clothes and have a 10mm socket on a 5 " extension and on a ratchet 3/8" drive is good enough.

. Crawl under about where the passenger sits. Follow the big bottom rad hose and that connects to the thermostat housing that is held in place with 2 black 10mm bolts. No imperial measure or inch socket will work here. 10mm or nothing. Loosen the bolts rotating counter clockwise. Have the bucket nearby and loosen one bolt but do not remove it, then loosen the other some and then use your hand and pull down on the big hose right near the thermostat housing and it will wiggle loose and start Peeing out coolant in a thin stream. Now, I am not in a rush so let it come out at a controlled speed so you collect it all. You can reuse it later.

At this point I go have a coffee...rather than lay under the car. When the dribbling stops, remove the bolts and CAREFULLY REMOVE THE IGLOO THERMOSTAT HOUSING. A reusable rubber "O" ring will come out as well. There is no paper gasket. Now if you look straight up where the housing was you will see the thermostat up inside. If this is the case, then use your fingers to pull on it and hopefully you still have the bucket there because another 2 quarts will run down your arm and into the arm pit.

Surprise ! Now you have removed the thermostat.

Putting it in is the reverse of removing it.

NOTE

If your problem was no heat or overheating then it is not the thermostat you should be looking at. It most likely works dandy.

To fill a VW radiator, you remove the upper rad hose and fill the rad hose up with coolant...this fills the back half of the engine that submerges the thermostat in coolant, submerges the temperature sensor in coolant so the rad fan clicks on to cool the motor when hot AND fills the heater core with coolant so it gets hot.

. Then you put the upper rad hose back onto the radiator and tighten the clamp. Then fill the upper coolant tank with coolant as full as you can fill it(no air space) and put the black lid on.

. Then on the passenger side inner fender there is another coolant tank which you HALF FILL UP WITH COOLANT. The lid on that tank is loose and is suppose to be loose. It just pops off when you push up with your thumbs,(and snaps down) It is meant to be loose because as the coolant heats up it expands and pushed the air out.

> when the coolant cools down say overnight it sucks in air. You engine expands and contracts like your lungs idea.

Then drive car and check the coolant level in the overflow tank (which is the tank on the passenger fender) the next morning when it is cold. You never want to be at MIN. because then you are sucking air. It is a quick "Eyeball check to see if you have enough coolant" It helps when the coolant is colored as it is easier to see the level.