bengsxr said:
ok I got the top plenium off and see the thermostat. I removed the bolt that holds that pipe but i can not remove that pipe enough to allow the removal. do I have to pull the dipstick pipe out of the way to pull the coolant pipe out does any one know. some help please. ok I see that the dipstick pipe has a bracket that goes under and behind the coolant pipe but you can not remove the collant pipe cause the dipstick pipe is in the way. so how in the world do you get these two untangled to remove them.
OK, you removed the two screws that hold the thermostat in place, and the one screw that holds the pipe, dipstick, and some sort of mount/handle thing in place? There shoud be a told of 3 screws removed. Once that is done grab the pipe and turn it, I can't remember if it was clockwise or counter, you do this so the little bracket that bolts the pipe down clears were the dipstick mounts, then pull the pipe out.
Now I must warn you, I went back to cadillac to get my thermostat, it seems that there are a couple diffrent thermostats that were made for this 3.0L. The diffrences are in the angle of the neck on the thermostat. The first one I got at Napa looked like the right part but, was not. The angle of the neck was off a couple degrees causing me to crack the pipe! Also cadillac did a redesign on the oem housing of the T-stat, The one I got from the dealer required me to install a longer screw in order to bolt it down. I also can remember if the dealer T-stat came with new pipe o-rings, if not I would replace them also. The service manual mention to coat the o-rings with coolant, not oil.
I hope this was helpful