How to Replace Thermostat and Housing 2002-11 Toyota Camry
Created on: 2017-10-04
This video shows how to drain and refill the coolant to access and replace the thermostat. Follow our expert steps to do this job yourself
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step 1 :Draining the Coolant
- Remove the 10mm bolts from the splash shield underneath the bumper
- Remove the lower splash shield
- Open the radiator
- Drain the coolant into a bucket
- Remove the radiator cap
- Remove the 10mm bolts from the intake tube
- Remove the intake tube
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step 2 :Removing the Thermostat
- Loosen the hose clamp
- Remove the coolant hose from the thermostat housing
- Remove the 10mm nuts from the housing
- Pull the thermostat straight out
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step 3 :Installing the Thermostat
- Press the thermostat into the housing
- Press the housing onto the thermostat
- Tighten the 10mm nuts to the housing
- Place the hose on the housing
- Tighten the hose clamp
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step 4 :Refilling the Coolant
- Slide the intake tube into place
- Tighten the 10mm bolts
- Close the radiator drain plug
- Insert the splash shield into place
- Tighten the 10mm bolts to the splash shield
- Insert a funnel into the radiator hole
- Top the radiator off with the correct coolant
- Turn the heat on
- Start the car
- Let the engine idle and bleed any air
- Remove the funnel
Tools needed
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Funnel
Socket Extensions
Flat Blade Screwdriver
Rust Penetrant
Paper Towels
Drain Pan
10mm Socket
Ratchet
Cloth Rags
Needle nose pliers
Anti-Freeze
Hi, I’m Mike from 1A Auto. We’ve been selling auto parts for over 30 years!
So take the front bumper off. You don't have to have the car in the air, but it does make it easier for us to show you what we're doing. You're going to remove this 10 millimeter bolt here: there's one here, follow them right across the front. One here, here, another one here and this one over here. Use a 10 millimeter socket. They do have a spot in them for a Phillips head screwdriver but the socket makes it a little bit easier.
To remove these lower splash shields, we're going to remove the other 10 millimeter bolts. One over here and remove these bolts here. Somebody probably replaced these with aftermarket ones, they're most likely going to be 10 millimeters like the other ones but on this car they're 1/4 inch. Drain the coolant into an appropriate container.
Open up the drain that's here. Once that's open you can actually open the radiator cap, should come out a lot faster.
With the coolant drained, you’re going to remove the lower radiator hose clamp off the thermostat housing. Hold up and hold this clamp. Almost got it to lock. They do have a little lock on them so they’re a little tricky. Set that right on the hose like that. Pull the hose off. It goes to the side.
This is your thermostat housing. The thermostat is located back here in the engine. Need to remove these two 10 millimeter nuts that are on either side. They're pretty rusty, so I'm going to spray on some rust penetrant. I'm going to put a rag here to catch any leaking coolant. Finish removing the upper nut. Walk the thermostat housing off. Set up a rag in here to catch any coolant that leaks out. Pull the thermostat straight out.
I have to break it free. It's stuck in there with the seal. Use a small pry bar or a little flat blade screwdriver or a large flat blade screwdriver. All right, it's out.
Reinstall the thermostat with a new seal. Push it in place, just like the original one. Reinstall the thermostat housing. Reinstall the old nuts. Use the socket and latch it, install the housing evenly. You want to tighten it down evenly, so it sits the thermostat and the seal down that's uneven. Now they're tight, I'm just going to stop. I'll reinstall the hose. Thermostat's replaced.
Reinstall the splash shields, slide up into the bumper. Install the other half. This piece went up into here. Just reinstall whatever hardware that's original to the vehicle that you took out here. Fill and bleed the cooling system.
We've got a special funnel set up to help us do that. You could do that with a regular funnel, just makes it a little bit easier, it's also easier for you to see it. Going to fill it with coolant, let the air bubble out. You're going to top the radiator off with the correct coolant then we'll turn the heat on, start the car, let it idle, come up to temperature and bleed out any air out of the cooling system. Now that it's bled, we take the funnel off. Carefully remove our adaptor here. Replace our radiator cap. Dispose of the extra coolant properly.
Thanks for watching. Visit us at 1AAuto.com for quality auto parts, fast and free shipping, and the best customer service in the industry.
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