Yes.

The proper way to replace the coolant elbow is by removing the belt tensioner assembly.

well that is currently removed, actually more so loosened than removed...but one side of the coolant elbow goes into...youre going to love my technical terms here..."the thing the alternator bolts too" if im not mistaken, which is a sold piece of i would assume iron, that cant really be moved at all, its part of the block or something i think...and the other side goes into the lower manifold, and really theres very little room to work with and the elbow doesnt give at all...so i dont see how it could possibly go in there, but maybe it does....ron350 its says you have a 96, are you speaking from experience i hope?

Hay I did not say it was easy to do.

Yes the tensioner assembly is the large aluminum thing that the alternator is bolted on and the heater hoses hook to.

Hoov, now that I have more time after the drama in the forums above I can tell you that the 'get a manual' comment wasn't a slam. You should really have one for that. It makes it alot easier, and it'* $15 well spent for Chilton'* #28200. Should be available locally.

On the coolant elbow, it'* not just the Series 1 L67 that doesn't have them. The L27 doesn't either. What we DO have is the coolant bypass fitting in the LIM that likes to fail. Most 'aftermarket' stores like Advance, AZ, NAPA, etc, offer an aluminum replacement, and the dealer now makes them from steel. Neat advantage to steel....you can drill it out for better coolant flow so it'* not the restriction in the system.

Glad you're gettin' er done.

replace that coolant elbow while you have it apart. Its only $7 at the dealer and comes with both seals. with the mileage you have I wouldn't trust the one on there for much longer.
If this part fails you Will get stuck on the road.

I'm actually considering changing mine out. Just because they go and get ugly. How bad is it to swap one out? I'm thinking maybe a belt swap at the same time.