Price sounds about right for the parts based on what I paid about a month ago. Also, just to re-iterate - be careful with that little hose on connecting the thermostat to the rest of the cooling system. It’s a pain in the ass to get to and get on and off due to its size.
In the same boat, I just got 5 quarts shipped in and was about to do the switch out. I guess I’m holding off for now until there’s a new remedy.
Welcome to the forum, CHAOTIC!
I put mine at the passenger seat footwell. Seems to work well and stays out of the way. Remains accessible if you need to unplug the main cable. I ended up using the accompanying brackets to drill into the plastic piece, using some small screws for the attachment.
So the leak was in one of the hoses feeding the thermostat body (the short hose nearest the engine). I replaced this hose when I was changing the water pump, but was a bit too aggressive with the pliers trying to get it on (it’s in a very awkward position). Rather than have to take the whole...
Chasing it down a bit further - looks like it’s one of the hoses connected to the thermostat housing or something in that vicinity based on the concentration of coolant in the area.
Looks like a job for next weekend :/
I was able to replace the water pump/radiator + thermostat and pulleys last weekend, more or less without issue. I did notice, when I put everything back together that I was getting some coolant spraying around the engine - almost as though it was hitting the fan during driving.
The coolant...
So took the whole thing apart yesterday, and outside of a few stubborn nuts on the cooling fan, the process was fairly straightforward. That being said, I’m having a hard time figuring out if the water pump was actually bad. The bearing seems to spin freely and is mostly clear of obstruction...
I ended up getting a pet cover. Downside is you can’t use the LATCH Anchors, but it does a great job protecting seats from seat indents and food.
I’d also recommend no shoes in the car for kiddos - the car seats end up very close to the front seats and prime targets for kids’ feet in front...
Welp, looks like 120 is gonna be the big one. I was already planning on swapping the AHC fluid and doing the brakes. My wallet is not gonna be happy, but I guess doing it yourself means one can buy a lot of tools, right?
Also, any other items to swap while I’m down there? Thermostat? I bought the car at about 90k and has been an absolute champ for the 30k miles, wanna do what I need to to keep it running smoothly.
I did some more digging. Looks fairly certain that it is the water pump based on the coolant leakage around the gasket when viewed from the top. Radiator has not been replaced, but looks to be in good shape for now, although I’m guessing this is probably coming soon.
Doing a “standard” oil change and noticed some evidence of coolant leaking. Tracing the leak up, I’m thinking it’s the water pump. Some info - the LX is about to hit 120k, not sure if the water pump has been done yet. Went for a weekend of off roading last week over Memorial Day weekend + 500...
Let me know if you end up going up on Friday - it’s looking like I’ll need to be back on Saturday afternoon, but still want to camp and meet the group, and can make Friday work.
Those look fantastic - same tire I was looking at so good to know no issues with rubbing etc. Just a supposition here, but I think that due to the larger tire size the miles traveled counted by the odometer vs actual is a bit off, so your real world mpg may be better than what the computer is...