Hi folks,
I hope this thread can be useful to somebody.
While checking for leaks in the cooling system, I found a crack in the hose connecting the thermostat housing to the engine This hose has 2 diameters and is about 4 inches long and connects to a tube that sticks out of the side of the engine and to another that sticks out of the thermostat housing. I cut out the cracked hose so I could replace it. There is less than 1/16 " clearance between the engine side metal tube and the thermostat housing tube. The only way to replace the hose seemed to be dismantling most of the front of the engine. I decided to try something before dismantling.
I removed 3/16" of the pipe on the the engine side with a hacksaw blade and slipped the replacement hose using the cleared space
It worked!!!!.
I hope this can help somebody.
Jacques

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J.R.