The procedure for replacing the water valve in a 960 is described in the faq with the following steps:

1. Disconnect battery ground. Pinch off both heater hoses in the engine compartment
2. Remove the vacuum line attached to the valve
3. Remove the valve. Clamp screws are 7 mm and you will need an extension and universal joint to access them.
4. Install the new valve and tighten the clamps. [RMagoo] The valve goes between the heater hose connected to the short pipe coming out the cylinder head and the heater hose entering the bottom tube of the firewall connector . The arrow on the valve points toward the firewall. The top heater hose goes to the red pipe behind the head leading to the water pump.
5. Install the vacuum line

I'll be replacing mine this weekend, and wondered if anyone could shed some more light on what I potentially will get into. Specifically, is it possible to replace the valve without having to drain the coolant? The procedure calls for pinching the heater hoses. What is the best way to do this? C-Clamps? And will it damage the hoses?

Also, can I anticipate getting the hoses loose from the old valve without having to cut them? I didn't buy new hoses, since FCP Groton didn't carry them when I bought the valve.

As always, all thoughts and comments are welcome.

Robert