My car is doing the "overheat but not overheating" thing- temp goes to red, car runs rough, but it's not hot. Pull over, turn off and back on 30 seconds later and it's good to go.

From reading other posts, it sounds like thermostat is a possible culprit. How hard is it to replace t-stat? Where is it located? Anything else I should check?

I've got a 2002 2.5 X type w 81000 miles.

Thanks

 

sacrider, the thermostat is located on the front of the engine. If you follow the bottom hose from the thermostat back towards the center of the car, the hose will make a 90 degree bend and start heading upwards. It will rise about a foot and then go to a 3 bolt flange. That flange is where the thermostat sits. So, to change the thermostat, you need to pretty much drain the whole coolant system. From there, you undo the three bolts, pull out the thermostat, put in the new one and bolt it all back up. Don't forget to add coolant. You will need to access it from under the front end.

 

Is it a tough job? Any special tools or real hard to get to bolts? If not, i'll get to it tonight.
Thanks!

 

Bumpity Bump from last year,

I had my X Type inspected for the extended warranty agreement, and on the yellow warnings on inspection print out, they said leaking gasket on thermostat.

Would it be best just to change the entire themostat?
Does anyone have any pics or guides to help me change it out?

I just changed a busted rad hose that came from the reservoir to engine block. I get a coolant smell and I believe the thermostat to be the culprit, no leaks on garage floor, coolant stays same for a month.

Thanks guys!

- Dave

 

my recommendation is if it aint broke don't fix it. You know the gauge stays a micron under the center, if you don't see cooland, and the temp is good leave it alone.

I had my beemer in a shop for a gasket repair, picked it up and the guy told my wife it needed front and rear pads, she said how soon, he said she shouldn't drive it. She freaks and calls me to pick her up, I tell her to drive the 2 km home and I'll look. She has 1/8" of pad both front and rear, I bought pads the next day and did the front thinking the guy might have seen something with the inside pads that I didn't. Pulled the wheels and all pads were fine.

Not saying the shop you went to were lying, but things are slow......

 

the thermostat housing can be opened, cleaned up, and resealed... not a big job, will need some coolant to top up what is lost..

 

Thermo,
You have to access it from underneath the front end and not through the top when changing out the t-stat on the 04, Jag, X-type 3.0?

 

I've changed a few of these out and it's way easier if you pull off the front cover, get 2 ext. and a universal joint, attack it from beneath. That's if you want to pull out the whole "upper-raidator hose", but if you'd just like to pull the thermostat housing, you get underneath it, there are 3 bolts holding on the housing, pull those, then pull the housing. You can replace the thermostat from there and bolt everything back up.