97 Lumina 3.1 thermostat repair

Anyone have any tips or tricks to replacing the t-stat? I have removed the thottle body and air filter box and managed to remove the top bolt from the housing. However I cannot get at the bottom bolt that is right up against the manifold crossover. I do not want to remove that at all. Any special tools or techniques that would help?

Also the top bolt on the housing was so tight the top portion of the bolt threads thats part of the manifold cracked. :banghead: I hope it doesn't leak since it's on top and not on the bottom where coolant would flow. I would have never dreamed changing a t-stat would have been such a b*tch. :shakehead

the other bolt is a stud and nut, and the back hole in the t-stat housing is slotted. All you have to do is loosen that nut, then you can wrestle the housing out, without having to totally remove the rear bolt. As far as the cracked intake around the bolt, if you use teflon pipe sealer on the threads it should be ok, as long as the mounting surface is still flat and not deformed from the crack. After replacing the t-stat, don't forget to bleed the air out of the system, or you'll risk overheating the engine and blowing a head gasket.