Today I was giving some thought to changing thermostat and cleaning my MAF, due to a decrease in fuel economy. Long story short, I went outside to see how much of a PITA it would be to change the thermostat. I followed the upper radiator hose to the engine, if I'm correct, the thermostat is just under the intake tube, just before the throttle assembly, and in a plastic housing. I then noticed that a sensor looking thing ,right behind the thermostat, had coolant around it. The sensor is about 1 inch tall, is toward the driver side, has an electrical connection, and seems to be held in place with a "C" shaped retention clip. Is this in fact the coolant temp sensor? How hard is it to replace? Thanks for any help!

 

Thats it. There may be two. One for the computer and one for the gauges.

 

It turned out to be a leaking thermostat housing, apparently a common problem. I got the "updated" housing, a new thermostat & gasket, and my MAF cleaned for $182 - Merry Christmas.

 

Ouch... where did you buy the housing at?

Rich

 

It had to come from the dealership. The price includes labor & 2 gallons of coolant.

 

Mine is leaking as well. Been putting it off cause it looks like the intake has to come off to change it. Plus I am in the middle of replacing my slave and clutch. $182 sounds like a steal to me. I am calling the stealership tomorrow.

 

I didn't get it done at a dealership, the parts just came from there. It was done at a private shop for $182. The price included the thermostat housing, new thermostat & gasket, MAF cleaning, 2 gallons of coolant, and labor.

 

They lost 2 gallons of coolant replacing the housing! How'd they accomplish that?

 

They did a drain and fill while they were at it