Do-it-yourself Opel Astra thermostat repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of the Opel Astra thermostat from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

The cooling system of an internal combustion engine requires periodic maintenance. Often it all comes down to replacing antifreeze every 1-2 years of operation. Unfortunately, this is the wrong approach, because this system is quite complex and has a large number of parts, each of which plays a role during the operation of the motor. Let's look at the Opel Astra N thermostat, its features and device.

The thermostat consists of a spring, a cylinder and a special pin.

The essence of the work lies in the fact that in a closed cylinder there is wax in the form of a ball. Under the influence of temperature, it begins to melt and expand. The pressure pushes the pin, which in turn opens and closes the valve.

It turns out that initially the large circle is closed and the coolant circulates only in the small circle. When a certain temperature (operating) is reached, the valve opens and the coolant circulates in a large circle - through the radiators. Working on a small circle provides a faster warm-up of the engine, and more on a large circle - effective cooling while driving. For this, in fact, a radiator is provided, as well as electric fans. The radiator in modern cars is cooled either by a stream of air or blown by fans.

This node fails extremely rarely, but it does happen. If you do not notice a breakdown in time, then you can overheat the engine or wait for hours to warm up to operating temperature. All this is due to a jammed thermostat valve.

It can stop both in the closed position and in the open position. If the thermostat is stuck with a closed valve, then when a certain temperature is reached, circulation does not go to a large circle and the cooling efficiency of the motor decreases. As a result, overheating. If the valve is open, then the car will warm up for a long time and fuel consumption will increase. In any case, you need to understand that jokes with cooling the internal combustion engine are bad and the sooner measures are taken, the better.

Video (click to play).

The process of dismantling this unit on an Opel car is somewhat different from others. The first step is to understand where the thermostat is located. It is located to the right of the engine, between the battery and the motor, closer to the latter. To carry out work on replacing the thermostat, you need to remove the battery and, preferably, the platform for its attachment. It is very simple to do this, we throw off the terminals and unscrew the three bolts.

The next step is to remove the terminal from the thermostat housing and dismantle the branch pipe. A certain amount of antifreeze will pour out, so prepare the container in advance. After that, unscrew the 4 torx screws (asterisk) and take out the thermostat. At the same time, you can make a visual inspection of it. If the rubber seals of the valve are out of order, then a replacement. The same applies to the case of jamming. In principle, replacing the thermostat with an Opel Astra N is performed in the same way as for any other car brand, except that in our case you need to remove the battery for more comfortable operation. Now let's move on.

One of the most important moments is buying a new thermostat. Today there are a huge number of them. The best ones are original. True, such products have a high cost, but the quality is almost always consistent. There are Chinese counterparts, they are characterized by low cost and poor quality. It is highly discouraged to install such thermostats due to their unpredictability.

The best option is a high-quality analogue.It can be a suitable thermostat from another car or from a well-known brand at an affordable price.

Consumer reviews, for the most part, come down to buying the original. Its price is about 800-1000 rubles, but the quality is at a very high level.

As noted at the very beginning of this article, the cooling system needs to be serviced regularly. If you decide to change the thermostat, then it's time to fill in new antifreeze and replace the filler cap. The latter also has a valve that is triggered when a certain pressure in the system is reached. If it does not hold, then the antifreeze will boil not at 120-125 degrees, but already at 105. If it is stuck in the closed position, it can rupture the radiator due to excessive pressure.

In any case, it is better to install a new cover and replace the antifreeze, especially if this has not been done for a long time. As for the coolant, it is also important to pay attention to its quality. It is advisable, of course, to fill in what is recommended by the manufacturer or certified analogs. Poor-quality coolant can lead to such unpleasant consequences as constant operation of cooling fans, boiling, etc.

Often, the replacement of the unit is not required, and the malfunction may be caused by another reason. In this case, it is recommended to check the thermostat. This is quite simple to do. On a warm engine, try the upper and lower pipes leading to the radiator. Both should be hot. If the lower one is cold, then this indicates a jammed valve in the closed position. Consequently, the coolant does not circulate in a large circle.

You can also try the bottom of the radiator, if it is cold and the bottom pipe is hot it is likely clogged. In this case, before replacing the antifreeze, it is necessary to flush the system several times and clean the radiator from the outside, as it becomes clogged with road dirt. If the “Opel Astra N” 1.6 thermostat is still inoperative, then it must be replaced as soon as possible.

As you can see, it will not be difficult to replace the Opel Astra N Z16XER thermostat on your own. This can be done with a minimum amount of tools. All work will take from an hour to two. But you can get experience and a couple of thousand savings. Try to monitor the tightness of the system. If there is a leak in the radiator, then it must be eliminated. This can be done either by soldering or replacing with a new one. You can also use a special powder, which is poured hot into the filler neck of the cooling system when the engine is running. The powder can tighten up a small leak and thus solve the problem for a while.

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As you can see, there is nothing difficult in changing the Opel Astra N thermostat yourself. Its price is about a thousand rubles (original), a high-quality analogue will cost 600-700 rubles, and frank China - 300-400. Not such a large amount to save money, especially since the part is quite responsible and should work like a clock. It is imperative to buy the right thermostat as there are “late” and “early” ones. Their difference is that some open with a slight delay, while others, on the contrary, earlier. It is better to use the VIN number of the car and buy exactly what was from the factory.

Watch an interesting video on this topic