How do you replace the thermostat located on a VW Beetle?

Answer 1

=Answer=Wrong again! The original heading to this question was" How do you change the thermostat in a 1998 Volkswagen Beetle". The thermostat is not assessable by any way of removing any under engine shielding and further, trying to give a layman's attempt at defining the molecular thermal expansion reletivness of the thermostat is ridiculous. It is accessible by way of the second response to this question and replaceable by explanation of the second answer to this question as well; and therein should not be dispelled per the last response (Both responses are correct and incorrect). The last editor suggested the procurement of a manual, to assist in changing the thermostat, good advise. However, I have performed this repair myself, with the use of a Volkswagen manual adjunct-ed with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and went to grad school and completed my masters degree in applied physics. I say this to not sound pretentious, but to give credence to those looking for true advise in both a practical and philosophical sense. By way of their use of syntax, the first response was clearly not jesting, and the last was surely inept at trying resolution. Do as I suggested in the second response to this question and you will find your self literally hand held through the process.

both answers are correct. old beetles were air cooled, new beetles are water cooled. The first answer given was either a joke or hugely ignorant. VW Bugs are air cooled and don't have coolant hoses, thermostat housings, coolant, a temperature gauge, radiator, hose clamps, etc. It is also a potentially catastrophically bad assumption that any thermostat will fail in the open position. All mechanical thermostats have moving parts and can fail in any position. VW Bugs use a tiny Accordion looking thermostat that is attached to shutters on the fan shroud. When cold the thermostat pulls the shutters closed to impede the flow of cooling air. When hot the thermostat expands and pushes the shutters open to allow airflow over the engines cooling fins. Changing it is a piece of cake and in fact much easier than the original answer. It's done from the bottom of the engine. It's the only accordian looking thing under the car. You will need to remove a piece of cooling tin on the bottom of the motor to get access to it so in addition to a flashlight and screwdriver bring a 10mm wrench. (Now would also be a good time to get a couple cans of brake clean and use them to clean off the oil and dirt on the bottom of the engine and cooling fins). If you have further questions or need more instruction I strongly recommend you get a used Muir Manual from Amazon and thumb through the section on cooling. In my opinion VW Bugs should have been equiped from the factory with the Muir Manual.

*********Below this line is the original terrible answer************

Replacing a thermostat is a relatively easy task. If your temperature gauge is running way down on the low side and your heater isn't putting out much heat, it's time to replace the thermostat. Here is a description of how to change a thermostat. The exact location of your thermostat may be slightly different but most of them are near the top radiator hose in the top of the engine. The thermostat is normally in a housing which is at the engine end of the top radiator hose. Drain the coolant into a drain pan - toss it down the john - it's the correct way to dispose of it. Take a screwdriver and remove the hose clamp from the top hose where it meets the top of the engine. Get a flashlight and see if you can peek down the hole and see the thermostat. If it is faulty it will be open. Not all thermostat housings are identical but typically it will be held on with two bolts. Remove them. Tap the thermostat housing with a wooden block or a soft faced hammer. It should pop off easily. You can then see the thermostat. Lift it out. Don't sweat the gasket - you are going to replace it anyway. Use a new gasket. Scrape EVERYTHING off both mating surfaces. Use a single edged razor blade. Apply some blue rubber sealant to both sides of the gasket. Then grab it between your fingers and "squeegee" any excess off. You don't need a lot of sealant. Make sure you put the gasket on the right side of the thermostat. The stat will normally fit into a recess in the engine, the gasket goes on top and the housing on top of that. Wipe a bit of blue rubber sealant inside the hose, put it back onto the housing nipple and clamp it back in place. You should probably drain all of the coolant by draining the block but if you can't find the small plug it the side of the engine don't sweat it. You should mix antifreeze and water in a ratio of 50-50 and replace what you drained out with the fresh mix. If you can't get all the replacement mix in while it's cold just warm it up a bit and watch the level drop as the thermostat opens up. Then add mix until it is totally filled. Replace the radiator cap and put a quart or so in the overflow bottle (which you should have drained previously). Mine is on the bottom radiator hose.