duncmc Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 This morning I thought I would fix the small leak from the plastic bleed screw ontop of the thermostat housing on my 300tdi. Snapped right off didnt it! Does anyone have any quick ways to rmove the remains? I am currently digging it all out. I have tried a big screwdriver, tapping it round, biggest screwdriver i can wedge in, but it is just all breaking up. Luckliy I have a brass one ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 just persevere with removing it in bits, any bits that drop in to the stat housing can be fished out before you start yje engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncmc Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Thanks Western. Some muppet had stuck it in with Hylomar or similar!. I have got it all out now. I think I might just take the thermostat out though to be sure no bits have been missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncmc Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 I am glad that I did take the thermostat out now, quite a lot of debris that I would have missed. And I had a slight drip from the bottom of the top hose onto the elbow anyway. Just to top up coolant now, then carry on with what I was going to do today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 a worthwhile diversion & glad you've got all the bits out, hope the rest of today is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royaub Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Hi duncmc I hope you don't mine me asking I have 110 1995 defender with a 300tdi engine yours looks the same .what Brand of coolant do you put in it . Your is green mine is blue so I hope I ham putting the right one in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncmc Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 The green coolant was in when I bought it. The other 1995 300tdi defender that I had also had green coolant. The stuff I had in to top up was blue. It is just an ethanol free coolant with protection for aluminium engines meeting the spec in the handbook and workshop manual. So now it is greeny-blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royaub Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Thanks for getting back to me I will look into it i think the one i put in is ok Thanks agen Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharpy1980 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 thats wierd I snapped exactly the same part on my mates disco today, I also took the stat cover off but used a blow torch to melt the remains out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncmc Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Thats a good idea. Only wished I had took the housing off first then caught all the bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmerboy_y2k Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 If you go to your local DIY place you can get a brass blanking plug as a direct replacement for the crappy plasic one and cheaper than X-Eng's very nice shiney ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick miller Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I did exactly the same with my 300Tdi recently, only a large chunk disappeared down the housing to rest by the head inlet. I had to remove the whole housing, refit with a new gasket. Do the radiator one whilst your at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncmc Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 I bought 2 brass plugs off e-bay for £4.00 plus P&P. I did do the radiotor one whilst at it, that came undone easily thankfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Plumbers suppliers, they're about 25p each Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncmc Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 About 25P! Pitty I don't need more, I know now for next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reiny Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 This topic is exactly the one i've been looking for. I have the exact same problem but I don't have any spares in hand. The problem is that I'm currently on an overland trip and I'm bang in the middle of a mountain range in Sicily (I'm from Malta). Luckily, my parents are about an hour away and they offered to drive me to the nearest dealer (about another hour away from here) tomorrow morning to purchase the cap. For the time being, I've slapped a great big gob of Hylomar 302 over the bit that remains screwed within the housing and have plonked the bit that snapped off on top of it. This happened just before dinner tonight and it was dark and getting cold so I left it be. I was thinking of trying to secure it with cable ties tomorrow morning. Do you think that this is enough for the 150-or-so mile trip that I need to drive to get me to the ferry to return home? Hopefully I'll be able to purchase the damn part tomorrow morning but I had better plan for the worst case scenario. The engine hasn't overheated in any way and even though there's a largish trail of water beneath the vehicle, the level of coolant in the reservoir has only dropped by about half an inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 X-eng do some nice alloy plugs for there.http://www.x-eng.co.uk/X-Cap.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 This topic is exactly the one i've been looking for. I have the exact same problem but I don't have any spares in hand. The problem is that I'm currently on an overland trip and I'm bang in the middle of a mountain range in Sicily (I'm from Malta). Luckily, my parents are about an hour away and they offered to drive me to the nearest dealer (about another hour away from here) tomorrow morning to purchase the cap. For the time being, I've slapped a great big gob of Hylomar 302 over the bit that remains screwed within the housing and have plonked the bit that snapped off on top of it. This happened just before dinner tonight and it was dark and getting cold so I left it be. I was thinking of trying to secure it with cable ties tomorrow morning. Do you think that this is enough for the 150-or-so mile trip that I need to drive to get me to the ferry to return home? Hopefully I'll be able to purchase the damn part tomorrow morning but I had better plan for the worst case scenario. The engine hasn't overheated in any way and even though there's a largish trail of water beneath the vehicle, the level of coolant in the reservoir has only dropped by about half an inch. I think it would be quite risky driving 150 miles like that, the coolant becomes pressurised as it warms up and I'd think you run the risk of it spraying out and the engine overheating. 300 tdi's are very sensitive to coolant levels as the water pump is mounted high up. Do plumbers merchants in sicily possibly stock the brass version of the cap like the uk ones do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reiny Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Thanks for your replies fellers but I really don't know whether or not they stock them here. I'm not a local so I wouldn't know. This morning my parents are coming over and they're taking me to the nearest dealership. Hopefully I'll find the part in stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Plumbers suppliers, they're about 25p each Mo Yep, 1/2" BSP, just be careful when using as BSP plumbing plugs are a taper thread, so don't be getting too heavy handed when tightening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reiny Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Thanks to all for your replies. I managed to purchase the correct part and fitted it. Removing the broken part was going to be a pain so I resorted to hammering a small chisel down the plug slowly in order to break it off piece by piece. After about 10 minutes, I decided to remove the thermostat to avoid damaging it, tapped the broken plug just once and out it popped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japstick Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 This exact thing happened to me today. The thermostat plug sheared off clean. Even though I had the thermostat out while trying to get the remaining plug out, some of it still went down into the head. I have air-con on my disco, so the pump (compressor) needed to come off to get access to the lower left (as you look at the engine) bolt on the thermostat housing. Once I figured this out it all went swimingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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