Oil / Trans fluid / thermostat change Thursday - any "gotcha's"

I would caution you on removing the plug to drain the left side radiator. Michael Fankhanel and I did this same service on our 348s Memorial Day weekend, and his drain plug broke off with part of it stuck in the radiator. He took the radiator out, brought it to several local shops and after being sent away we took No Doubt's advice and pryed the metal tabs to open the platic end of the radiator up. Took the brass nut out and replaced it with a stainless steel nut and bolt using hi temp silicone gasket material to make sure it was sealed up. All together it was about an extra 5 hours to do the repairs, etc...

I can tell you that you will probably have an easier time getting the oil filter off if the car is hot.

Also, I used the Redline MTL (A GL-4 spec oil) for the transmission, and it is unbelievable how well the car shifts! I used it based on Rifledriver's recommendation, and am very happy. We did not use the recommended fill plug since I could not find a 19mm hex key. We just used the dipstick location to fill the gear oil, using a pair of long funnels.

While you have the airbox off to do the oil / filter change you should clean the contact area of the snap together connection for the positive cable and put some stabiliant or similar on the contact area to prevent future problems. Both of our cars needed to have the throttle cable tightened up. It was nearly falling out of the guide on one car, and had lots of extra slack on the other.

We did not mess with the thermostat, so no help there.

Good luck.
BT

 

He has a 355, so I don't believe this applies.

 

1. Despite what the manual says the capacity of the oil is, the full amount will not end up in the bucket -- the big fatty oil lines retain a suprising amount.

2. Have fun!

3. The oil filter holds a lot of oil -- have a rag ready to catch the drips when u spin it off.

 

The easiest way to get to the thermostat is by removing the engine lid. Four bolts and it's off. Then you'll have access to it from the top. Especially if you have a Spider or a TS. You can move the seats all the way forward, stand in the back of the cabin, and then lean over the engine bay to work on it.

 

On a side note. What rims are those on your car? Can't really tell cause the avatar is so small.

 

Nice.

I see that is a GTS so you will be able to work on the thermostat from the cabin. It really does make it much easier. But before you loosen the bolts you will want to put a towel in between the gap on the back of the engine lid and the glass. That way you don't scratch the paint or chip the rear window. Also, mark where the brackets are on the bottom of the lid so that when you go to put it back on you can line it up easier.