My thermostat went bad and it looks like the radiator hose connects to the engine right under the right intake box.does anyone know exactly how I can go about changing it out?

 

From the FSM

WATER INLET AND THERMOSTAT ASSEMBLY
CO-21
< REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION >

WATER INLET AND THERMOSTAT ASSEMBLY

REMOVAL
1. Remove engine cover. Refer to EM-25, "Exploded View".
2. Remove air duct and air cleaner case assembly (LH). Refer to EM-27, "Exploded View".
3. Remove reservoir tank.Refer to CO-13, "Exploded View".
4. Remove engine undercover with power tool.
5. Drain engine coolant from radiator drain plug at the bottom of radiator. Refer to CO-7, "Draining".
CAUTION:
• Perform this step when the engine is cold.
• Never spill engine coolant on drive belt.
6. Disconnect radiator hose (lower).
7. Disconnect intake valve timing control valve harness connector (LH), and remove intake valve timing control
solenoid.
8. Remove water inlet and thermostat assembly (1).
CAUTION:
Never disassemble water inlet and thermostat assembly.
Replace them as a unit, if necessary.
INSTALLATION
Note the following, and install in the reverse order of removal.
• Be careful not to spill engine coolant over engine room. Use rag to absorb engine coolant.

 

Thanks man.much appreciated

 

What is the torque for thermostat install??

2010 G37 Sedan

 

74 INCH/LBS. or about 6ft/lbs.
In other words, not super tight.

 

Thanks for the information. Thought I chime in for replacement.

I did the repair but I realize I didnt had the torque wrench (inch/lbs). Only got the 10ft/lbs - 75 ft/lbs
Anywho.. I did it on feel & just get the feel as you remove the thermostat bolt so that you can tighten it by hand/feel.

I will see if I can upload the Invoice for parts. I bought from Infiniti but would recommend you get parts from Nissan.. much, way cheaper

Replace lower radiator hose w thermostat even if your hose is not leaking.. & vice versa. If you only replace one or the other, you would need to clean the residual to prevent future leaking so might as well replace both. (Clean radiator inlet before putting new lower radiator hose.. i think soft toothbrush & aqua is good)

Cut radiator hose after sliding clamp for easy removal. Cut it toward the end (both).. unless you are mighty strong & can pull it away from radiator & thermostat. (Of course you want to drain coolant before this)

Tricky part: Removing thermostat has 3 bolt.. You would need to slide the solenoid & unclip the sensor to allow for access to one of bolt. Remove the nut & turn it clock wise ( i think, if not counter) unclip the sensor.. press white tap & pull sensor up & out. You can remove the thermostat bolt. Dont forget the gasket when removing & installing.

Put everything back. Fill & burp coolant & hope for no more leak

 

That's all I needed since it an all aluminum ICE VQ37VHR

 

VTC solenoid does not have to be removed it can be worked around with the right tools.

Also anything under 15lbs should be easily achievable by hand with a standard size ratchet.

My trick to this is to tighten in a pattern by ratchet up until the forearm can't twist any more.

Not your shoulder, not your bicep but your wrist and forearm and you'll never break a bolt regardless how strong or weak you think you are.

The reason why I dont like to torque these types of 10mm bolts is that they stretch over time so those same 9ftlbs will snap the bolt after a few tries.

Plenty of horror stories of snapped bolts because folks installed the wrong bolt/ used the wrong tools/ lastly tried to torque 10mm stretched bolts down.

The tightening needs to be enough to crush the gasket and the gasket will take care of the leaks.

If you've taken stuff apart you'll realize how insignificant a 9ftlbs is especially if there's a gasket behind it.

Now the cam bridges usually take 5 more ftlbs however are stronger bolts for this same reason to lower the chances at snapping.

 

Whilst I am not one that bumps idle threads I thought I would chime in on this project as I am currently in the middle of this god***m headache.

Went to perform spring maintenance and noticed the coolant reservoir was empty. Radiator was still full so I just topped it off. Made a short trip to build temperature/ pressure and check for any leaks only to realize my upper hose was super hot while the lower hose was barely warm. This is a key indication that the thermostat is stuck/ dead. No visible signs of coolant leaks anywhere... Can't complain- car is almost 19-years-old with ≈135k miles on the clock so it is nearing time for some things to wear out. I already had a new thermostat on hand so I tackled it this morning.

If anyone is familiar with Cartman from Southpark.... I was channeling that profanity-laden character today having shouted every colorful metaphor in the universe while likely creating a few in the bargain. This job is way more complicated than it ever has to be.

Key takeaways:
1- Removing the fan assembly will make this just so much easier as it frees up a lot of needed space to wedge your hands/ tools into that rabbit hole where the thermostat is mounted. Keep in mind that I have aftermarket (R2C) intakes so I can remove the fan assembly in less than 5-10 minutes. YMMV. If you are more patient than I you could probably just remove the fan control module to gain a little extra space for your tools- but it will not be much.

2a- You do NOT have to remove the IVT solenoid (bank 2). Mine is the "Sport" model with the OEM oil cooler and it is impossible to remove the solenoid as there is a hard pipe for the oil cooler wedged right underneath the solenoid. You would have to remove a ton of hard-to-reach bolts just to be able to loosen up that hard pipe. I am old and I am cranky. I do not have the patience for that nonsense.
2b- as moderator BULL mentioned above, with the right tools you can access that one PITA bolt. For me, a ¼" drive/ 10mm socket with a 4" extension proved just enough to reach in behind the solenoid, break the bolt free, and remove it from the housing. Remember, these bolts are not very tight- slightly more than hand tight so it doesn't take a lot to break them free (or strip them upon tightening).

Some pics....








As mentioned above, this was way more complicated than it had to be. Granted, I am no spring chicken and I do have to come to terms that my wrenching days are limited, however, the lack of free space combined with "silly stuff" just being in the way would test the patience of Job himself.

Maybe this will help someone in the future.

 

My apologies for being so late to the party here. I replaced my thermostat/hoses when I did a drain and fill 15k miles or so and don’t recall any issues other than it’s tricky to line up the gasket because you can’t see it. I recall needing to feel around the edge. I did a snug tight on the bolts and the unit has never leaked.