Hi All,

The Thermostat in my 380 appears to have failed. I have never changed a 380 Thermostat before, what other parts need to be moved out the way to do this job?

Or is there a "how to" thread for this?

Thanks for your help.

I replaced the thermostat on my 380 about three or four years ago.
The workshop manual instructions wanted me to remove half of the passenger side of the engine bay to do so, pretty much every tube, pipe and wire within cooee!
I decided that was not a valid option, so I 'did it my way'.
Which turned out to be a cinch, only took me about 30 minutes despite going slow & careful.
Going strictly my memory here, and with no 380 engine bay to refer to, this is what I did:
1. Remove the intake snorkel (two scrivets)
2. Remove the airbox (two 10 mm bolts, one hose clamp and one electrical plug)
This now gives you good access to the passenger side of the motor where the thermostat lives.
3. Put a catch tray or similar underneath to catch the coolant which will come out when you remove the thermostat. Some will come out, but not a huge amount, less than a litre. Have some rags handy to mop up spills.
4. The thermostat housing is in the middle of the passenger side of the motor, follow the bottom radiator hose to it.
5. Undo the bottom radiator hose from the thermostat housing - a simple hose clamp.
6. Try to direct the coolant in the hose into your catch can, then push the hose out of the way.
7. Wait until coolant stops dripping from thermostat housing.
8. Undo and remove the thermostat cover bolts - 3 x 10 mm. One is tucked away on the underside and not easy to see, feel around for it. You also need to lift some hoses and wiring out of the way to get at these bolts, but it doesn't have to be moved far to make enough room.
9. Once the cover is off simply pull the thermostat out. It could be stuck a bit tight so you may need to give it some gentle persuasion.
10. Take note of which way it is pointing so you know which way to put the new one in! Although I suspect it will only go in properly the right way around.
11. Put the new thermostat in (you do have a new one one handy I hope?). No gasket, it just slots in nice and neat and is held in place by the cover.
12. Bolt the cover back on, reconnect the radiator hose, put everything else back in/on.
13. Top up the radiator with fresh coolant (again, make sure you have some handy!).
14. Thoroughly clean up any spilled coolant (it's mildly corrosive).
15. Job done!
If you want, test if the old thermostat was cactus. Stick it in a pot of water on the stove and bring the water to the boil. If it was still OK you should see it open well before the water boils, if it was cactus it doesn't open even after the water starts to boil.