alright guys please dont say search as i do and all i get is useless crap. my mechanic is telling me my whole throttle body etc on the 2.8 has to be removed to replace the thermostat. is this really needed? any help or step by step instructions, why cant i just somehow jimmy out the 2 bolts on the t stat housing without removing everything? help please! thanks

 

it may be possible, i removed my throttle body when i changed my thermostat.

is there any reason you cannot do this yourself? a basic socket set and 20$ torque wrench is all you will need. the procedure itself is incredibly simple. and once you have done this you may be ready to move on to more complicated mechanical procedures.

 

the reason i cant is one of the bolts is stuck big time, even my mechanic used heat etc. he said it will need to be snapped, drilled out, and helicoiled. i dont want that so im trying to do it without removing it.

 

and you dindt try pb blaster yet!!!??? anyways there is always a away to get them off. i forgot where you live in ny but if your not to far away come by my shop and ill give you a hand. btw changing them out with the TB on is possible, just a PITA.

 

i replace mine 5 months ago, ya it was a pain cuz i didn't take off the throttle body, i would take the throttle body off make ur life a hell of alot easyer trust me. even though i had the tools to remove the thremostat from my V6 w/o removing the throttle body it was a super pain in the ***.

 

if you can't get the TB off, just take the 10 bolts out of the plenum and pop it off as a whole.

 

any tips on how to do it with the tb on? how bad could it be its only 2 bolts?

 

I agree with Scotty, remove the plenum with the TB attached and change your t-stat. I did this a few months ago (after I changed the rockers to 1.6, the water pump went and changed the t-stat while off) you wil have to disconnect the TB collant hoses.

No there is no way to do it with the TB in place that is "easy".

 

depends how big ur hands are and ur tools, i got away w/ it w/ some extentions, swivels, and i didn't take off the throttle body. plus u got to clean up the old gasket, thats where small hands comes in handy. its possible to get the thermostat off w/o removin the throttle body, i'm living proof lol but trust me if i were goin to do it again i would take off the throttle body

 

ill give it a whirl with the tb on tomorrow, ive got a swivel and 4 extensions, well see.

 

I took my TB and plenum off when I replaced mine. Sure it takes a little longer and can be a PITA but it is worth it. Your hands will thank you.

 

Take it off.

As for the snapping the bolt. That would be the LAST thing to do.

 

i pulled the plenum. had to take a lot of crap n wires apart, then im putting the tstat back together and the housing CRACKED in 2 pieces, and it wasnt even torqued yet, and go figure i cant find one ANYWHERE in any parts stores period, they cant get 1. so now i gotta wait til tomorow, and call junkyards. what a biotch.

 

I hate seeing this. All these little problems that I could have helped with if I still had my other camaro!

I'll take a look in my garage for a housing. Won't guarentee anything tho.