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[Doctor Gollum]

You can't quite get it all out, but if it's fresh, just top it up with neat coolant when it's done

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

As for the broken banjo bolt. Hopefully you have a decent stub sticking up that you can get mole grips or similar on to.
Soak it with lots of penetrating fluid for a day or two if you can to give yourself a chance.

[Gintonic]

I m spraying the bolt every day with fluid. That became a major problem. Hopefully today I m getting every tool that Ican think of. What do you think about heating the bolts , what damage can it do to the head?

[Shackeng]

When undoing a reluctant bolt, once you have reached the torque that tells you you are about to shear it - only experience will tell you this for the given size of bolt - it is worth trying giving it a sharp tap on the bolt head and also try tightening the bolt very very slightly. Sometimes these efforts will be sufficient to break the stiction. Naturally having previously soaking it in releasing fluid will have helped. 

[Nick W]

I m spraying the bolt every day with fluid. That became a major problem. Hopefully today I m getting every tool that Ican think of. What do you think about heating the bolts , what damage can it do to the head?

unless you use an oxy-acetylene welding torch, you're really unlikely to damage the head.


I don't have any faith in penetrating fluid helping to loosen stuck fasteners, but it is a lubricant once you've got the thing turning.


If the bolt is flush with the surface, I would start  by grinding a slot in the threads to remove it. This needs to be done carefully to not damage the female threads!


If it's protruding, I would probably weld a nut to the top.

[Gintonic]

No, if the reverse grinding doesn't help, only with co2 welder, there s a lot of bolt left ( it broke where the holes are) I m quite positive that it will do the job.

[Doctor Gollum]

By the time you have scratched it out with a pick, you'll have the new parts fitted

[Gintonic]

Dr Gollum , as always you were right, there is a junk in the coolant , from the plate that was falling apart. I will have to do a flush. Please tell me what is the best way of doing it. On my vintage 1965 opel, I used to pour some liquid and run it until hot , then release. Same here?

[Doctor Gollum]

That works, if unorthodox.

You can flush (or replace) the heater matrix separately, but basically fit all the new bits and allow the sealant to fully cure.

Fill it with clean, distilled/deionised water (sold as battery top up water), set the cabin temp to Hi and leave the cap off.
Run until the top hose is hot (fans kick in and thermostat open).

Drain, radiator bottom hose or drain plug.

Allow to cool.

Repeat. Twice.

Allow to cool, refit drain/hose. Add 5 litres of concentrated pink coolant. Top up with distilled water.

Run until hot as above. Top up with water and refit cap.

Run until hot. Level should now be correct, heater free of air and working.

You could add a couple of dishwasher tablets (the briquette type, not the squishy plastic bag type) or a bottle of fernox central heating cleaner to the top hose for the initial flush. 

[Nick W]

It's not unorthodox, but normal


How about this for a method:


Buy a new thermostat and housing, then take the old stat out of the housing and bolt it back on. Make an adapter to fit in the top hose, and disconnect both from the radiator. Fit your garden hose to the adapter and flush the block until it comes out clean.


Refit the hoses to the radiator, and disconnect them from the engine. Repeat the flushing operation.


The header tank and any hoses attached to it can be flushed separately


If you have a vacuum source apply it to the HBV before doing the first part.

[Nick W]

Adapter like this:





32mm to fit the radiator hose, 1/2" for the garden hose, 8mm hole through the middle. Say 20mm long for each part, depending on what stock you have. Material is unimportant, from any machinable plastic upwards.

[dave the builder]

32mm is 1 1/4" plumbing pipe
clicky or similar

[Nick W]

32mm is 1 1/4" plumbing pipe
clicky or similar

that would mean gluing a 1/2" spigot over a hole.
Which would be easier for the poor saps that don't own a lathe

[Gintonic]

Nothing yet , can get thermostat out. Have no idea how. Took out the B bolt , disconnected the hose from radiator.Cant figure how to get it out .it won't go up , it's wider than the two heads. Can't pull it out from the other side. Since I m a graphic designer by profession, I need all of my 10 fingers , so that's it for today. I m going back on it tomorrow 😃

[Nick W]

Nothing yet , can get thermostat out. Have no idea how. Took out the B bolt , disconnected the hose from radiator.Cant figure how to get it out .it won't go up , it's wider than the two heads. Can't pull it out from the other side. Since I m a graphic designer by profession, I need all of my 10 fingers , so that's it for today. I m going back on it tomorrow 😃

You have to separate the thermostat housing from the transfer tube. Then the thermostat lifts out, and the transfer tube pulls to the side of the car.


They're often corroded together, and can both be damaged by separating them. Hence the OOF recommendation to buy a complete thermostat and housing(which is only a few £ more than the stat alone), and a new transfer tube. The snag is that the tube is GM only, and the price has risen considerably while availability has declined.


If you want to make an annoying job into a big one, you could remove the cam belt, cam pullies and the cover backing plate to remove the thermostat housing and transfer tube as one part.