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Thermostat housing question.


Philbo

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Hey guys, sorry if this is a dumb question or has been covered before. I went to replace my thermostat in my '90 reatta and am having trouble with the thermostat housing. I cannot get it to seat flush to the intake manifold to save my life. I push it in as far as I can and it still sits up on the side without a bolt.  I even took the throttle body off (which was quite a bit of work) to get better access to the housing to get it seated as best as possible. Am I doing something wrong here or is this normal? Please see picture. And yes, I do have the right thermostat.

Message_1611542964476.jpg

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That is normal. The housing seals with the o-ring around the inserted part. It throws everyone when they first encounter this design. If you try to pull it down flush all around you will snap the ear from the elbow. The throttle body housing actually helps seat it a little straighter by providing an extension on the casting that can be used to lever against to press the elbow down a little flatter as the bolt is snugged up. 

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36 minutes ago, 2seater said:

That is normal. The housing seals with the o-ring around the inserted part. It throws everyone when they first encounter this design. If you try to pull it down flush all around you will snap the ear from the elbow. The throttle body housing actually helps seat it a little straighter by providing an extension on the casting that can be used to lever against to press the elbow down a little flatter as the bolt is snugged up. 

Yeah I tried prying downward on it in the way you describe. I figured I was just not getting the right angle on the force. 

 

I guess as long as I'm this far in, I'm just going to go ahead and do the intake gasket. Been meaning to get to it at some point and might as well do it now. Are there any items that would be good to replace while I have it taken apart?

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Pretty much anything that needs to come apart to remove the manifold only makes sense unless it has been done in the last few years. Bypass hose from the water pump, o-ring for the heater pipe, pcv grommets for convenience. EGR gaskets and cleaning the IAC system is easy on the bench, a good option. Many of these items will come with an intake manifold gasket set. Reinstalling the throttle body and manifold adapter will be better done on the bench too. Those little heater pipes are not fun.

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Yeah already had some trouble with the little heater pipes.  What about the fuel pressure regulator? I've heard that they cause problems.  I think mine is fine as far as I can tell.

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3 hours ago, Philbo said:

Yeah already had some trouble with the little heater pipes.  What about the fuel pressure regulator? I've heard that they cause problems.  I think mine is fine as far as I can tell.

I have never had one go bad, so I can’t say? 
My car is a summer only driver so I tap the holes for the heat pipes and plug them, so I don’t have experience trying to reassemble. 

 

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