Thermostat skimming - wise or not?

[sjmtlewy]

Continuing the story of my water pump replacement...

The thermostat housing face that mates with the pump has a few small nicks in it. I've already got a new gasket, would applying some sort of sealing compound as well be sufficient to make good seal?

[Aidan]

yes a smear of blue hylomar both sides of gasket would be good, don't go overboard tightening things though

[sjmtlewy]

Could have sworn I added a post asking whether it would be a good idea to skim it...

Cheers for the reply - A local specialist is willing to skim it for £15. Is this a good idea / possible / worth it / necessary? Do you happen to know if there is enough tolerance?

[Aidan]

don't know, wouldn't advise it as it's such a rare part now, if it doesn't work then you'll struggle to find another, and it could easily cause the bolt threads to strip trying to compress something further than designed; it's only 1 bar of pressure in there, unless the damage is really bad and extends all the way from the inner bore to the outer edge of the flange I wouldn't even think of it, even then I'd probably go with a sealant or a two pack filler type material

[sjmtlewy]

Ok. Sound advice.

Now I just need to get the thermostat cover off. book says it 7Nm - feels like someones either overtightened it, or its seized.

Luckily if it all goes wrong, that same specialist also does extraction and helicoiling.

[Aidan]

corroded by coolant weep and differential corrosion,
lots of plus gas and patience, maybe even a little heat and cool but the bolts can easily shear in my experience

[billy739]

keep this in mind......

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :MESELX:IT

[sjmtlewy]

Is that the same one you were advertising on For Sale? I dropped you a PM about that one...

[billy739]

nope .
different one .

the one in 4 sale is used,as stated. also it includes the cover and flange.

[sjmtlewy]

so... can I buy it?

[sjmtlewy]

Found a local chap who renovates old 1930's cars for a living and is going to do some stud extraction on the housing for me (studs to the lower section are seized). He's also insisting on "flashing" the gasket face for me - whatever that means.

[sjmtlewy]

Broken and sezied studs removed, threads repaired and faces cleaned - not bad for £25. Hopefully now it will last another 25 years.

If you're near Romsey and need some work done, I can recommend: http://www.osullivan-autos.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;