A cry for help from my 2.1MV brethren!

[Aidan]

with the Irwins the allen head bolts are usually doable - I have good tstat housing here if reqd.
plenty plushgas or rostoff and maybe some heat if it looks bad

[silverbullet]

No no no. Stop and engage services of a professional or there will be tears a plenty.
Irwin nut-busters are a mechanic's life saver when all else fails. Trust me.

[mark]

the colour is right for lpg (shouldve read it properly)..........but your in a different place now.......... chin up it'll be fine

mark

[silverbullet]

I can't emphasise this enough: step away from the electric drill! I have seen more stuff buggered that way by have-a-go heroes to last me another lifetime.

[chuckle-bus-tom]

It's the back two. The one closest the gearbox has enough to grasp on, but my bolt extractors are too bulky so going to get some Irwin jobbies from Machine Mart tomorrow. The back left one is drill able from the underneath, so I'll helicoil that barsteward. There's no way in pissing about taking the studs out of the engine block.

[silverbullet]

Helicoiling is a lot easier once the housing is off, you can see if the drill is vertical and centred before pressing on.
The M8 cap bolts will be surrounded by alloy corrosion in their drillings, its just the way of things. Heat and penetrating oil are your friends.
Best of British for a good job.

[chuckle-bus-tom]

just theoretically, can I get away with just 3 bolts? Sometimes stupid questions don't necessarily require stupid answers

[chuckle-bus-tom]

Seriously. German engineering as not clever it's "feck" stupid. It makes no sense for things to be this convelouted. Why is there a) no space to work, b) a component that will probably need replacing held in with sodding Allen bolts c) a chuffing fuel tank in my way

Where are the matches, I'm doing an insurance job

[chuckle-bus-tom]

No no no. Stop and engage services of a professional or there will be tears a plenty.
Irwin nut-busters are a mechanic's life saver when all else fails. Trust me.

They don't even fit over because of the proximity to the housing.

I want to KILL

[chuckle-bus-tom]

Amazing, got the thermostat housing swapped with the replacement from Aiden. I took cunning and, in the end, a stinking great chisel and a hammer.

Next problem: stupid radiator bleed screw is just a spinnin' and a spinnin'! Local GSF has one in stock (a 44 radiator that is) so changing the thermostat has now run close to £500 with parts, new tools and sundries.

[silverbullet]

Well done. Stat missing or faulty? Clearly all well over due and what price reliability?

[chuckle-bus-tom]

Odd. Despite the old thermostat being stuck closed (and I really mean stuck), all this buggering about doesn't seem to have done much. Although a new radiator and rad temp sensor makes the fan come on less - it used to come on the second the needle went past half.

The revs are all over the place still. I had the throttle wedged while I was bleeding the coolant system and it was jumping about like the engine was trying to play some Mozart!

[silverbullet]

Tested with boiling water in an old mug, twice over, still not opening? If so then defo dead. Idle symptoms are one for the true digifant experts. Guess at throttle pot/idle switch setting?

[chuckle-bus-tom]

its running better than before, although a quick burn round the block isn't the best test, so I am going ahead with my plan to drive to Nottingham tomorrow to pick up the Vindic cover that the seller has kindly been holding for my while this shizz gets sorted, but not before stopping in on the man with the digifant plans, Mr A J Simmoooooooooooo. He knows my van (and has been graciously imparting his wisdom via text message) so hopefully can fault find quicker than me.

My money is on the throttle return switch being fubared.

If you'd like my old thermostat housing to recon, Silverbullet, then let me know and I'll drop it off when I'm next passing.

[silverbullet]

Cool, can do. When you're ready.
It's Ian btw