Well, I finally gave up and decided to hand over the car to Accel in Waltham, Mass, one of the LR-recommended independent shops, to get all the pending work done. R&R radiator, hoses and thermostat, R&R parking brake, check and R&R engine mounts if necessary, check shimmy and sway on front end and whatever else they can find. I just started a new job and won't have time to do any more weekday projects. Some of this stuff I can do on weekends but if anything gets complicated and spills over the weekend the car will be out of commission for an entire week. I'd rather just pay for the work (I find my own parts) and get it done.

 

Wise decision. Those are big jobs if you don't have a fully equipped garage with help available in the next service bay.

Do they offer any warranty when you supply your own parts?

 

No. I have warranty from where I purchased the parts. Double warranty doesn't exist. Only for the labor.

 

Update. They are doing the blower motor and replacing the a/c condenser, as well as the radiator and hoses, but they said the thermostat requires removal of the intake manifold which may take some 2-3 hours. I thought the thermostat can be easily accessed once you remove the radiator because the engine side of one of the hoses connects to it at the front of the engine block. Was I wrong about this? They said i should wait until it stops working right before i bring it in for that.

They also found a small oil leak near the vacuum pump but they said it can be deferred until the next appointment because it's small (I noticed having to add a quart every month) and they are up their gills in work. I see where the vacuum pump is located and it doesn't appear to be a very difficult R&R job. It does have a gasket ring so that must be where it is leaking.

The parking brake... they said that the cable appears to be seized. We will see if it is this week. I asked them to replace the pads anyway if they are worn.

 

When I changed my thermostat, I removed the manifold/throttle body (gave me a chance to clean them)............PITA job for sure.

 

When my independent shop replaced my radiator and upper hose, they also replaced the thermostat. They did not have to remove the intake manifold, but they did remove the front bumper, at least that's what they told me. (It would have been nice to see a fast-motion video of the work.)

I just took a look at my engine. There is access to the thermostat with the radiator out. You have to reach around the intake manifold a little, but you can get to the thermostat screws with a small ratchet. If they are replacing the upper radiator hose, then just to remove/replace that hose clamp from the thermostat requires similar access. Not sure why they insist it can't be done with the intake manifold still on and the radiator removed, but I'm just going by what my shop told me.

Also sounds a little odd that they said to defer the thermostat replacement until it fails, if I understood you correctly. Could be risky if it fails in the closed position. I recall my shop also told me they don't like to "handle" the hoses unless they are replacing them because they might inadvertently cause damage to the hose. So might be best to replace the upper hose and thermostat at the same time, if you have a choice.

 

Ok, I just sent the mechanic a note asking him to give that a try so i don't tempt Murphy at 160,000 miles. thanks.

 

Picked up the car today, all the work done for less than what Midas wanted to do the radiator and two hoses. And they took care of the thermostat! (thanks, LR2Driver!) The blower works now and so does the A/C and heater (A/C needed a new condenser). Wheels balanced which took care of some vibration. the parking brake cables are frozen. Those need to be changed at a later time. got a minor leak in power steering and transmission lines, those will also be for the next session. there is an oil leak at the vacuum pump, but i will do that one since all I need to do is remove the A/C compressor bracket and two bolts to remove the pump, already order one on eBay.

So, still not perfect but getting there. total bill was just short of $1700, not including the parts I supplied, a lot less than i thought it would all cost.

If you are in the Greater Boston area and need service, I absolutely recommend Accel Automotive in Waltham. Tell John the Crazy Puertorican sent you. But call ahead for an appointment, he's usually booked for weeks and weeks in advance unless it is an emergency.

 

Do you know how to get the plug out for the blower motor? Do you need to go from the other side? I have everything loose I just don’t want to break the plug

thanks

 

The plug is on the driver side in the LR2. You have to reach underneath to get to it and you may have to remove the accelerator pedal to get access, unless you have hobbit-size arms and hands. Press on the clips on the sides of the connector to get it to release.