Thermostat housing!

[chicago]

Hey all,
Went to replace the thermostat on my 88 fj 62...Broke the bolts free to take the top half off, began loosening the passenger side rear bolt...It siezed and snapped off . Took out the bottom half of the housing, cuz there was enough thread to grab it with a pair of vice grips...Well, I managed to get it out, but the bolt was so siezed in there, I cracked the lower housing where the bolt threads in around the corner... About half of the threads are still in tact.
I think I know what you all are going to say, but do you think I can run it like that and be safe, or am I askng for a lot of trouble?
The easiest repairs on this rig have been the BIGGEST headaches.

Im so bummed...I just had to do this LAST REPAIR before my trip in 2 weeks, but its probably good Im doing this rather than having this happen in the middle of Death Valley.

Chicago

 

[FJsixty2]

just did this very same repair on friday. did you actually break off part of the lower housing's corner? a little hard to envision just what happened... if any part of the housing is cracked, i'd most certainly replace it. you never know how far that 'stress' might have extended. remember to grab a new water outlet gasket. just my .02

 

[valentine]

That really sucks man.

Make sure you use anti-sieze on the threads of the bolts when you put it all back together. It will help alot when you change it the next time

Nick

 

[lovetoski]

but its probably good Im doing this rather than having this happen in the middle of Death Valley.

Chicago

I'm sure you could figure out a way to make it work with the crack, but who knows how long it'll last? As you point out above, better to fix it now than later when it'll suck...

I've learned that old corroded stuff can fail at anytime. I'm always prepared for these bits to break. It's just part of the deal with an old truck. Anti-sieze is your friend + plus a supply of metric fasteners + plus patience...

I've been there though...

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Hey-Chicago---You are going to Death Valley and you arn't sure about a major component of your cooling system??? This isn't the place for a shadetree hack. Let me tell you that they don't sell 60 series thermostat housings in Furnace Creek or at Scotties Castle.

I'm pretty sure the housing is available new, and definitely available used. Toyota uses the worst bolts for this application. They always break. I agree with the anti-seize on reassembly.

Have a great time in DV. If you get in a jam with the trip coming up, I have a spare thermostat housing that you could use and then replace.

 

[chicago]

Hey bretheren,
I figured that is what you all would say, and I couldnt agree more...
Yeah, I did crack the back corner of the housing, where its casted all the way down. For some reason I cant post pictures in a thread, otherwise Id DL a pic of it...It was the upper quarter of it, so when you thread the bolt till it bottoms out, the threads are exposed. Persosnally, I think it'd work....but I really dont want to be holding the short oend of the stick out in DV somewhere, so Im going to buy a new one.
Ive got like 5 tubes of anti sieze all around my garage since I got this rig...Every bolt Ive taken out now has a nice hefty coat of anti sieze on it. I PM'd c dan, but I havent heard back from him, and Im not too sure if hell be able to get it to me in time for the trip.
I did call the local Toyota thieves, and they quoted me 135.00 for the LOWER housing and 45.00 for the upper and 6.00 for the gasket, 1.85 for the new bolt. Its special order, so if they order Mon. theyll have it in Tues. I might just do that since time is a really big factor right now.

Thanks for the support and input.

Chicago

 

[tclndcrz]

i had the same bolt break off. i ended up having to buy a new thermostat housing from sor.com. From what i remember it was not too expensive and was really clean. i think you use a sensor or two off your old housing so dont throw it away.

the bolt that broke off on mine would not come out no matter what. i even drilled the center out and used one of the bits that backs out the bolt. i broke the small titanium and the big titanium one i bought. i also tried heating up the bolt and tried using one of those table vises.

so my recommendation is just to buy a new housing.

 

[chicago]

i had the same bolt break off. i ended up having to buy a new thermostat housing from sor.com. From what i remember it was not too expensive and was really clean. i think you use a sensor or two off your old housing so dont throw it away.

the bolt that broke off on mine would not come out no matter what. i even drilled the center out and used one of the bits that backs out the bolt. i broke the small titanium and the big titanium one i bought. i also tried heating up the bolt and tried using one of those table vises.

so my recommendation is just to buy a new housing.

Hey Boss,
Thanks for the link to that site...I had never been there before, and that is a good option for the future.
I checked the prices there, and they arent THAT much more expensive that what the toy dealer quoted, so Im going to just get em there since, A) I wont be saving that much after shipping is included and B) I need the parts BY NEXT WEEKEND when they HAVE to go in.
It just pisses me off that some of the "harder" repairs on this rig have been relatively smooth, and the "no brainer" maintainance stuff has been the biggest bitch!
Im glad Im not the only one who did this...It really WASNT my fault...I was really being careful.

Thanks,

Chicago

 

[Zack1978]

Even if the bolts didn't break, old housings are prone to getting holes in them as mine did.


Zack

 

[sisukid1975]

I've got a spare housing if you need it.

Just pay shipping and it's yours.

Fred

 

[chicago]

Thanks for the offer Fred. I really appreciate it, but I placed the my order yesterday with the Local toyota dealer...The parts will be in on Wed. or Thurs. Back on track now!!!!

This is the last bit of spec work for the trip!!!! Hopefully I wont have any surprises while Im out there. Ive gone through everything I can reasonably think of as far as perventitive maintainence is concerned.
Just all the little odds and ends have cost a small fortune...Good thing I work 2 jobs where one of them is gravy money to support this cruiser habit I have

Chicago

 

[chicago]

BTW,
should I use a gasket sealant when installing the new housing?

Chicago

 

[sisukid1975]

Thanks for the offer Fred. I really appreciate it, but I placed the my order yesterday with the Local toyota dealer...The parts will be in on Wed. or Thurs. Back on track now!!!!

This is the last bit of spec work for the trip!!!! Hopefully I wont have any surprises while Im out there. Ive gone through everything I can reasonably think of as far as perventitive maintainence is concerned.
Just all the little odds and ends have cost a small fortune...Good thing I work 2 jobs where one of them is gravy money to support this cruiser habit I have

Chicago

Sure, anytime. I've got shelves upon shelves of FJ60 and 2F stuff I'll never use, so I thought I'd offer.

Fred

 

[MDH33]

I did call the local Toyota thieves, and they quoted me 135.00 for the LOWER housing and 45.00 for the upper and 6.00 for the gasket, 1.85 for the new bolt. Its special order, so if they order Mon. theyll have it in Tues. I might just do that since time is a really big factor right now.

Thanks for the support and input.

Chicago

I just replaced a cracked lower thermostat housing, plus the two gaskets for less than $60 bucks from CDan. He had the parts to me in just a couple of days.

I used Permatex Water Pump & Thermostat Housing RTV Silicone Gasket applied very thin on the new gaskets and cleaned surfaces. Worked great.

Good luck with the repairs.

 

[chicago]

I just replaced a cracked lower thermostat housing, plus the two gaskets for less than $60 bucks from CDan. He had the parts to me in just a couple of days.

I used Permatex Water Pump & Thermostat Housing RTV Silicone Gasket applied very thin on the new gaskets and cleaned surfaces. Worked great.

Good luck with the repairs.

Yeah, I PM'd c dan,
He must be on vacation or something, cuz I never heard back from him...Besides, Im under the gun for time on this repair...I should have the part tomorrow, in the rig by this weekend and "testing" it to make sure it operates ok and without leaks...NEXT WEEK...Death Valley on BLOTCH!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the tip of the RTV silicone...I wasnt sure about that. There was NONE originally, but I guess it wouldnt hurt.

Chicago