thermostat and housing replacement

[alpha omega]

hi, doing the timing belt and water pump soon so i thought i would do the thermostat at the same time as the temperature has been fluctuating.but audi have said, i need a thermostat and housing and 2 bolts.has anyone replaced theirs and how much of a job is it to do. 2.0tdi 2011 cjcb engine thanks....i got the ina timing belt kit from eBay item no 163819738374.....water pump meyle hd from justgermanparts on eBay no item number as bought on the phone.....diesel engine timing locking tool kit eBay item number 266086716338......5l 5/30 oil ebay item no 165102605855.....went to audi for the oil filter(mahle) and sump plug.my air filter is clean but part number is 8ro 133 843 k from audi.thanks stephen

[alpha omega]

got the info now(stupid brain of mine) for the thermostat it seems straight forward.its at the back of the alternator. drain cooling sytem remove a couple of pipes and 2 bolts. replace with the housing ,thermostat,rubber ring, and 2 new bolts.not picked up the parts from audi yet thanks all

[Steve Q]

Glad you got sorted 🙂

[alpha omega]

23 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Glad you got sorted 🙂

thanks steve just waiting for the part from audi hope i dont get stuck doing the timing.i like a challenge i did the timing on the volvo that was straight forward enough i will post pics of that sometime this week.ps i tried opening a message in my hotmal about the thermostat replacement and it then disappeared was it from you ?...sorry all having to go out will be back later

[alpha omega]

update just pcked up the thermostat and housing and 2 bolts inc vat £60.76 pic 2 part no from audi.....update 14/06/23.... pic3....just going to replace oil,oil filter,sump plug.thermostat/housing 2 bolts...and timing belt kit.tensioner.3 rollers.belt.new bolts.wish me luck see you in a couple of days lol....

[Steve Q]

3 hours ago, alpha omega said:

update just pcked up the thermostat and 2 bolts inc vat £60.76 pic 2 part no

Not a bad price. You're better than me. I haven't got the patients to do the work on mine. 

[alpha omega]

hi steve just got back on line. i looked on eBay first but was unsure if one would fit mine.i didnt want to mess about as i am doing the timing at the same time.

[alpha omega]

all done. small write up coming soon. a bit busy at the moment with other things regards stephen.😎

[Steve Q]

11 hours ago, alpha omega said:

all done. small write up coming soon. a bit busy at the moment with other things regards stephen.😎

Nice one, glad you got sorted. A right up would be great when ever possible 🙂

[alpha omega]

 

....UPDATE.....you will need a timing locking tool kit(pic 1) some spline split sockets/triple square sockets(see pic 2) torx sockets,t20/t25/27 and more.a pry bar.scaffolding bar or similar for leverage(if your needing to remove the alternator to get to the thermostat housing)....replaced the timing belt,tensioner,3 pulleys,thermostat and housing(thermostat and housing replacement is all in one for this engine).and would suggest replacing auxillary belt,tensioner and pulleys at the same time.(mine already done)(i did not change the alternator pulley as way too difficult to remove in situ at the time.changed the oil and oil filter and sump plug.i left the air cabin and fuel filter as all had been changed a while back.....this is how i did it,i am no mechanic,and please put me right on any mistakes to help others.....start the car.put in first gear.switch the engine off.chock the back wheels.undo the negative battery(10mm)loosen the nuts on the 2 front wheels.jack up the car and put an axle stand underneath each side.remove the 3 bolts immediately under the front bumper,(torx screws on mine)then remove more torx screws from the large plastic undertray.and remove the tray.while your there put a(in my case)a washing up bowl under the oil pan and undo the 16mm and remove the sump plug..once drained replace the sump plug with a new one(sorry dont know the nms for this)i just tightened it to what i thought was tight enough. i then removed the oil filter(32mm)noting where the 3 rubber rings are and replace them and the filter, but remembering to clean the oil filter container out first before putting the new one in. .sorry dont know the nms for this either, so i just tightened it to what i thought was tight enough.i then unscrewed the expansion bottle cap which holds the pink coolant(g13)and unclipped the small pipe from the front of the expansion bottle.then i used another washing up bowl and put it underneath the nearside left bumper where the black drain hole plug is and unscrewed this carefully with a pair of plyers and let the cooland drain off.once drained i tightened the plug back up.i then removed the top plastic cover that sits above the radiator(4 torx screws)then a small plastic cover( where the air filter box is.(2 torx screws).i then unplugged the wiring from the both headlights.then i removed 3 torx screws from the front right wheel arch cover and peeled the arch back so i could get to one( i believe) 10mm bolt on the front edge of the wheel arch and unscrewed that.(you will need a long extension bar for this bolt and a torch to see it))..do the same on the nearside wheel arch. then i used 2 axle stands underneath the fron bumper to support it as i peeled back carefully either side of th edges of the front bumper and then carefully pulled the front bumper forward just far enough to undo both fog light switches.then carefully remove the bumper.i then undid one pipe from the top right of the radiator(see pic) then went underneath  and removed the coolant pipe immediately below the radiator(the one with the black drain plug on it its hel one by a clip just lift that clip up.then on the front nearside of the car is a large air pipe remove that with a large screwdriver.then go to the front offside of the car and remove the bottom part of the pipe from its plastic housing with the same screwdriver.next there are six bolts holding the crash bumper bar on.i used a long extension bar plus a scaffolding bar for leverage to undo them.i think they are 13mm bolts.(2 of the bolts are in a recess.again a torch needed.you can then bring the front end forward a few inches what mechanics call  "a service mode".carefully keeping the front end supported on the axle stands.to prevent putting the ac pipes under pressure....next remove the top timing cover ( x3clips)then remove the middle (i think) 3 tork screws then to remove the bottom timing belt cover you have to remove the rubber cover from the crankshaft pulley with a screwdriver then remove (x4 m10 bolts)(i marked the pulley to make sure it went back in the same position.)then removed the pulley.mine came off easy, some are tight. remove x2 torx screws and take the bottom timing cover off...."Now"  i suggest you look on youtube(i will show a video i saw on youtube once i have finished a write up. or wherever the info maybe available to you.i tried to follow some youtube videos on how to set the timing.but mine never lined up no matter how many times i turned the crankshaft pulley(19mm socket).frustrated i grabbed a cuppa,then went back to the car and realised instead of looking for the camshaft pulley hole i looked at where the other 6mm locking tool hole was at the side of the small cog to the righ(see youtube video)and noticed 2 "prongs" and noticed once in view around a quarter to nine,then the hole lined up in between the prongs.then checked the camshaft side and that hole was lined up too in what i call a smiley face opening....so locked them both in with the locking tools.then was able to use the red locking tool to lock the bottom cog."NOTE" i used the locking tool with the arrow showing to the left of the red locking tool so it lined up with one of the crankshaft holes...."please seek advice" as many will know that you can destroy your engine if you set the timing wrong...i then loosened x3 m10 bolts from the camshaft pulley and 3 from the small cog to the right of the timing(is it called a diesel pump cog).apparently the reason for loosening the 6 bolts is to get the timing belt cover off and to get it back on easier.(it was still tight.)please now follow the video for the rest noting the belt information(numbers and letters runs to the right when fitting and make sure when inserting the tensioner into its lug(see pic)and when the time comes to tighten the tensioner,that the arrow lines up with the gap in the tensioner so before tightening the tensioner nut.........moving on to the thermostat which comes complete with the housing i had to buy 2 new bolts separately to go with it.cost around £62.....the thermostat lies in an awkward place at the back and to the left of the alternator.i found the best way to remove the thermostat and housing was to remove the alternator, large airpipe, and the throttle body(good excuse to clean that while its out(left the old orange gasket in.so remove the auxillary belt by pushing down on the 13mm tensioner bolt then removing the belt noting which way round the pulleys the belt went(i have already changed the tensioner belt and pulleys(apart from the alternator pulley.then remove the 2 long bolts from the alternator(one is hidden in a recess i think they are 13mm ones.then grab a pry bar/crowbar and at the top of the alternator carefully force the alternator away from the engine and eventually after a bit of jiggling will come lose then unplug the switch from the back of the alternator and then undo a 10mm or 13mm nut from the back of the alternator too.and remove it.now remove the throttle body(which was attached to the large air pipe) x3 torx bolts...the thermostat housing is in a recess,once you have undone the 3 pipes that are attached to the thermostat housing then undo the x2 bolts holding the thermostat housing in place with a 10mm socket and long extension and ratchet.mine was well and truly stuck in so had to use a crow/pry bar.once removed clean the area where the thermostat sat.refitting is reversal of removing."NOTE" what a pain trying to re-attach/join the small thermostat pipe back to the long pipe to the right of where the thermostat fits...its getting your hand in to try and push the pipe back on...once i got it on i clamped it after springing a leak from it once it was all back together(a few hours of work wasted).....tips..... there is a thread that the tensioner sits on(timing belt side)....in order to remove it i put a 15mm nut and yes 13mm nut together tightened them up then held the 13mm nut in place and undid the 15mm nut anti clockwise to undo the tensioner thread and put a new one on.i could not undo the other thread below to replace it as it was rusted in(apparantely these can break off).and i could have broke it so i left it in place.pictures coming soon dont forget to clean out the water pump once you have removed the 3 10mm bolts...."NOTE" there are conflicting ideas of what nm settings nuts and bolts should be thats why i have not put them in this listing.i am posting 2 videos up here from youtube....both videos show how to do the timing....my timing set up is in the first video....but the reason i want to show you the 2nd video is that they show some of the neutimeter settings(not perfect).....just found out the 3 camshaft sprocket bolts and the fuel pump sprocket bolts should be tightened to 20 Nm.as stupid as it may seem.make sure when replacing the rollers that they go back the right way.apologies for a yawning write up and any mistakes thanks...ps i used shell ultra pro 5/30 for this engine and it takes 5 litres

 

 

[Magnet]

Many thanks indeed Stephen. Great stuff, and I’m sure it will be a great help to others who intend to tackle these jobs. 
Certainly a good and often overlooked tip is to replace the auxiliary belt at the same time. Thanks for reinforcing that recommendation. 
Only thing I would have added was to set the heater controls to max. heat before switching off - really an historical procedure on my part, and possibly not that relevant now-? 
Looking forward to Part 2.

Kind regards,

Gareth.