Sometimes you just shoot yourself in the foot....

[streck]

So, does the power steering pump and/or reservoir need to be removed to change the thermostat housing lower?

I was doing some work on the V70 today to include a new thermostat, temp sender, coolant flush, distributor and rotor, yada, yada....

While trying to avoid removing the fuel line going to the rail and reinstalling the thermostat housing upper, I stripped the threads for the rear bolt. Since the fuel line was in the way, access to the bolt, I tried the finger start it as much as possible before tightening with the #30 torx.....It went well until I met resistance before the bolt was half way seated.....I knew it was not good and backed the bolt out.....then found that the first quarter of the threads were stripped.....Damn, I hate making work for myself...Off to order a housing lower and tackle this next weekend....

So, it looks like a tight fit to get at the housing lower....any advice?

[vegasjetskier]

1/4 of the threads isn't too bad. You might be able to get away with leaving the lower on. Can you get the bolt in straight after cleaning the threads out? Do you have a tap you can run down in the threads to clean them up?

[streck]

OK, so I revisited this effort and removed the fuel rail and line to get a straighter shot at the bolt and tried to put it in straight....It felt like it was going but then get tighter than it should....after removing it again, over half the threads are shot...Damn.....

At least everything else went great and the temp sender fixed the overtemp indication....The thermostat housing just leaks now when the coolant flows through the thermostat..

[vegasjetskier]

You could Helicoil it.

[streck]

You could Helicoil it.

I'm not very experienced with installing a helicoil. Would it hold under pressure?
And where do I find them? I take it, I'd use the original bolt as a template to get the right thread pitch?

[vegasjetskier]

You can get them at Amazon.com. They might be available at your local hardware store, auto parts store, Sears, or Harbor Freight Tools.

It will be stronger than the original material because the coil will have more of a bite into the parent metal than the original bolt threads did.

Yes, use the original bolt to determine the size and thread pitch. Your local bigbox hardware store should have a gauge in the fastener section you can use.

[streck]

Helicoil it is. Doesn't look too bad. I'll check the thread pitch and length and order it.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[turbotim2]

For $45, I would go with a new lower. Helicoils are great for some things but remember, to get the same size bolt back in there you are going to have to drill out the stripped threads, tap the hole for the helicoil, turn the helicoil in and hope it stays put while putting the bolt back in. Just my 2 cents.

[streck]

I'm thinking it's worth the risk compared to removing the housing lower....

[streck]

So, does the power steering pump and/or reservoir need to be removed to change the thermostat housing lower?
So, it looks like a tight fit to get at the housing lower....any advice?

So the short of the long is that I could not get the lower bolt out so I just made the best out of the condition of the threads in the current housing.
I did get enough torque on the bolt to keep it from leaking.

The problem is getting around the bracket that holds the power steering pump and AC compressor. I couldn't find a T40 with a handle that would reach the bolt and the socket is too large to fit between the housing body and the bracket....

Anyone need a thermostat housing lower....or I'll return it eEuroparts.com and at the restocking fee...