Water outlet + thermostat assembly

[ACP17]

Had some real fun yesterday water leak from the water outlet, OMG what a job to get near it! Manifold off alternator, belt disconnect hoses, went to Ford and for the two parts they wanted £95! Went to europarts £27.68! Message to Ford - Stop ripping us off! Also manifold bolts why 12mm long the top and 13mm on the bottom!

 

[DOH]

Hi I have changed this part a few times in the past.

Yes it's a time consuming job . The Ford bolt heads can rust away and then be very difficult to remove (Hammer and very long chisel from under the car), so it's best to renew them as well whilst it's apart.

The thermostat housing is the same part as used on a 1.6 Zetec Focus.
There was no need to remove the inlet manifold. There is "a how to" on this site with detailed instructions.

I have found that aftermarket housings from China distort when the engine gets hot and will then leak again. Iirc the Circoli housing from Eurocarparts had the original Ford part number stamped in it. It is possible to reuse the old Ford Housing by using wet and dry and sanding it flat again e.g. on a kitchen work stop or other perfectly flat surface .

The rubber gasket & thermostat should be replaced at the same time

 

[st220kyle]

Definitely don't need to take manifold off,
I replaced the stat housing by removing the alternator and headlight

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Had some real fun yesterday water leak from the water outlet, OMG what a job to get near it! Manifold off alternator, belt disconnect hoses, went to Ford and for the two parts they wanted £95! Went to europarts £27.68! Message to Ford - Stop ripping us off! Also manifold bolts why 12mm long the top and 13mm on the bottom!

TBH, plastic and rubber parts which are not made by Ford are crap. They deteriorate quicker and sometimes are so poorly made that even installing them can be a challenge.
I agree that 95 GBP is a ripp off, but if you want a relative peace of mind...

 

[Sjoerd]

Wasn't there also a steel version done for a Focus or something? On my old red Puma I replaced it once. But that was like a decade ago, can't remember what was the donor car.