Quote:
Originally Posted by Attacking Mid
I wouldn't replace the wp and thermostat strictly due to having the radiator off. Access to both is very good with the radiator in place (simply unscrew/remove the fan). The fact that the coolant is already drained would be a stronger argument for me, but I would only replace them if I was confident they were original or they were replaced with cheap aftermarket parts...
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I agree with this. Some things that appear to be buried deep are actually only hidden by 10 plastic pieces that can be removed in about 5 minutes total.
And the fan may appear to be a big blockage / difficulty. And it kind of was for me the first time I took mine off. Bought a special tool, etc. on eBay. But now that I've figured it out, I use only my 1-1/4" open end wrench and rubber mallet to remove it. I use antiseize on the threads and reinstall using only the wrench (nothing but the belt to resist, limiting torque); that way it comes off easily the next time. The only tough part is re-starting the threads for reinstallation, but even that is a skill that can be learned and improved.
So in general, I would evaluate replacement using careful consideration of how difficult it is to get to things. And some are easier to get to than you might first think. Even coolant drain and refill is pretty easy, using the radiator drain plug and after removing the temp sender in the lower radiator hose.
I replaced my original radiator at about 186k miles, and it was still working fine. My upper radiator hose blew (a hole wore through in the upper plastic fitting) around that time. BTW, one big issue I had was that I had many service records, but some repairs were not actually done (poor PO was ripped off time and time again by dealer and indy alike), and sometimes things were replaced and others not replaced, making no sense - i.e., no honest logical person would choose to replace part A and not part B, yet they would do that. The PO had the dealer replace the whole CCV system, lower radiator hose, reservoir, etc. as part of a huge service, not long before I bought the car, yet they left the original upper radiator hose in there.
