Ok, so things turned out to not be so bad. I soent a good portion of yesterday trying to find a 40 torx bit that was long enough to avoid the head-rounding problem that screwed me up in the first place.

Two hardware and one auto shop later and no such luck. I eventually wandered into AutoZone hoping for something. To my surprise, they actually had something that looked like it might work. It was a set of 9 "L" torx bits that came with a chintzy plastic torque handle. they were long enough but...

Long story short, length was great, but I broke the handle in 3 seconds of effort. No way I was going to be beat this time, so I jammed the bit into what was left of the handle and turned like a mo-fo. Broke that b!tch free. Very glad I have been hitting the gym all these years.

After that, it was a snap. I switched the slightly rounded bolt from the back to the front just so itd be easier should I ever have a problem with it.

Took her for a drive, and she was warm in under 4 minutes.

Interesting to note though, I ordered a 90*C from FCPGroton and received a Scan-tech unit. No problem with that, it seemed to be a nice build quality. Needle now goes a little higher than it used to with a functioning "Volvo" thermostat. Not enough to worry me, but just around 2:30 as opposed to the old 3.

Just thought Id share and say thanks for all your input.

Hi,

I was in the same exact situation as you were just last week. I attempted to get the back torx screw off of the thermostat housing only to severely round the head. I thought that the Craftsman torx bit socket with ratchet extension was good enough to get it out. But it seems that attacking that screw at even a small angle off center dooms you to rounding the head. So the following are my suggestions:

1. It sounds like you didn't round the head of the screw too badly. I'd suggest getting one of those high quality pencil-like torx bit sockets so you can get at the screw head-on without using an angle.

2. Or if you find that the head is rounded so badly that you can't use a ratchet, then you may have to end up either cutting the head off and/or drilling the screw. Unfortunately, I had to resort to this option. Fortunately, I had someone knowelegeable to help me so to save me the indignity of going to a dealer/shop. Disconnecting the fuel line will give you enough room to do the cutting or drilling.

When you get the screw out, for gods sake, don't replace it with another torx screw!! Use a hex bolt. :)

These bolts can get really stuck. Mine was on so tight the
torx head shattered (it was a short one on a 1/4 inch socket
and extension). I was a bit mad but maybe it was better that
the torx head broke then having the bolt strip (as in your case).
I think you should try some penetrating oil and let that sit a bit
before the next attempt.

Also, be very careful taking the back bolt out and putting it back.
I dropped mine down into the engine (talk about everything going bad).
I ended up tapeing a small cylindrical magnet to about 4 feet of phone
cable and dipped it down until it found and picked up the bolt (that
was lucky, something had to go right after everything else went wrong).

i used a bit thats maybe 1 1/2" long in an extension on a ratchet..a small section ratchet and extension (extension is a little over 1/4" diameter) worked a treat...

I sauspect that at this point getting a GOOD torx bit that is the right size and having a go is a good idea in that you have little to loose....

if that wont shift it i guess your into trying to cut a slot in the head and screwdriver it out, or drill the head off...remove the stat cover then try to remove the stud with pliers (or by threading anut onto it...)

i would defianately replace the bolt once your done..and if it gets to slotting or drilling you obviously need a replacement bolt on hand (and i would suggest a repalcement theromstat cover just in case....

one other throught for you...if it gets REALLY hairy...
drill the head off the bolt...then drill down the centre ofthe bolt with say a 2mm drill and the tap it...then thread a 2mm bolt into the tap..lock in place with a nut and turn it out...but that would be pretty hairy given the diameter of hole and where it is...

if you have a hold on a torx bit..but you feel its a bit iffy...you could always clean the head up (solvents!) then epoxy a torx bit in place...allow to set properly (say overnight!) then try to unscrew it...the glue might imporve things enough to do it!

I changed the thermostat in my 95 850T yesterday..... If you can angle it in right, autozone sells a 40t bit that is a little tight but may work. I had a Snap-on short 40t bit that I managed to angle in properly to remove the screw but it was tight.

Otherwise get another housing torx screw and order the 40t bit from Snap-on's web site. They have one that's 6" long and it's the one Rich uses in the Bay 13 article, it's 25 bucks of insurance - Try this - all one line


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/pro_det.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=2521&group_ID=285&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


I've ordered directly (expensive but quick) and had the tools arrive in about 3 days. When you said you possibly stripped it, is it tight enough to keep anti-freeze from leaking until you get the bit? It's not the end of the world if you stripped it but getting to it involves removing the injector cover and that's something I've never done. Let me know if I can be of further assistance or others may have additional ideas.

3. Should I try to get another bolt from dealer/service guy to avoid future problems?