I knew there wasn't a thermostat in the Bonnie when I bought it. No biggie.

So I take the housing off and find this:




if the pic doesn't work, copy and paste.

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...448_2_full.jpg

Anyhow, someone went through the trouble of removing the stat and cutting the center out. Funniest of all, they used a power tool to cut it, I can tell by the cuts. :

In the mean time I flushed the coolant system, changed engine and tranny oil, replace windshield wiper blades, put conditioner on the leather and so on.

I need to replace the oil pan gasket. Does the engine need to be lifted in order to swap the gasket?

That is awful. That'* a real nasty looking gasket too.

GEEZUS!!!!!

Oh, they left the gasket in, and put RTV over the top of it. Funniest part is, they actually removed the stat and cut the bottom half out too.

That'* horrible. A thermostat is so cheap. Don't tell me that owner couldn't afford it.

I'd suspect it was the dealer'* "Master Mechanic"....which down here means, a Mexican with a work visa and a set of wal-mart tools. (I mean Mexican-national, not hispanic..no offense, I live on the border).

The car was a one owner vehicle, a lease vehicle at that. I found the contracts and some of the maintenance schedules that were performed. The car was cared for. Now, being 9 years old, it has some wear and tear, but it'* still pretty decent.

The oil pan gasket can be removed similar to the transmission pan gasket. There is just one bolt that is a bit tricky.