Well hello everyone,

I guess this will be my first detailed post. Little backstory for you guys, I bought this 2007 g35x sedan in March from Philly. It was super clean had no issues and I loved it. Still do but my recent discovery has definitely put a damper on that love.

A month ago I started to have cooling issues that I couldn't track down. It first started with bubbles in the coolant reservoir so I thought the worse and assumed it was the head gaskets (scary) did a block test and was happy to see it wasn't my issue.

So next I decided to do some research and found that sometimes a radiator cap would cause a bubbling issue due to it not holding pressure anymore so I swapped that and all was good for a week or so.

Fast forward and I'm having the same issues and now I'm even more aggravated so I decided to check the lower radiator hose after a drive and long behold the damn hose is cold and the upper is like extremely hot. So now I'm like great, it's the thermostat that's sticking and this shouldn't be to much effort to change it.

And this is where things went from optimistic to just downright horrible.

I went past infiniti to grab an oem thermostat and a gasket and went home to remove the thermostat that's when the horror arrived.

This is what I removed compared to what I bought


At first glance I really thought the thermostat that was removed from the car was r thermostat for a vq35de but upon further inspection... That IS A HOLE THAT WAS DRILLED INTO THE THERMOSTAT THAT WAS DRILLED INTO THE ENGINE BLOCK BEHIND THE THERMOSTAT. 😡



Why drill a hole? Why drill a hole and then drill into the block itself? I did more looking and then found out why.

It looks and felt as though the hole where the screw goes was broken so they used another bolt to secure the thermostat to the block. I also found out that the bolts they were using to secure the thermostat was the wrong size and were being secured by more rtv. I'm being annoyed with all this stuff and I'm trying to process how to fix this situation because besides this issue the car has no issues whatsoever.

Thanks for reading my post of frustration and hopefully someone can chime in and help me out a bit.

 

1) clean it up;
2) plug the inner hole (with a stud or weld or something); and
3) weld a new "ear" where the broken bolt mount was, grind it down and tap new threads into it
4) install new oem parts

Its looks ugly cause its a hack job but probably not that bad...having to fix hack jobs like this happens more often that you might think

Just get someone to do the welding should be very little cost

 

Now I will have to find someone that will drive to me and weld it lol. This is gonna be a pain

OK first how do I clean this up.
Second can I have a welder come to me because I definitely can't drive it.

 

if you have CAA/AAA use a free tow or get a membership which will kick in after 24 hours while you call around and then use a free tow...there may be mobile welders like mobile mechanics in your local area you probably just gotta call around...

clean up with brake cleaner/degreaser brushes, maybe some scotch bright pads, lots of paper towels and a razor blade to get rid of the RTV...its a mating surface for a gasket so basically the same method as preping a an oil or transmission pan surface...just don't marr it with abrasives.

Post some pics of the after you clean up the mess so we can admire your hard work. GL

 

Ok great, I think my biggest issue will be the lack of space. The ac and rad system is in the way. Is there a way to remove the radiator without disturbing the ac condenser? I really can't see how I can do this with this stuff in the way

 

The torque spec for the thermostat bolts is pretty low I think, you would have to use an inch lb torque wrench. My guess is they over torque that bolt and striped the threads.

Absolutely vital to use the proper torque wrench when working on things like thermostat, spark plugs, etc.

 

I agree, now to figure out how to tackle this. The lack of space is what's bothering me

 

Ok lookin for opinions, would it be best to remove the front end? I really can't see how I can work with such little space. Unless someone can chime in and give me a better idea as to how I can maneuver in that area. Really would hate to have to evacuate the ac system and remove the radiator but if that's the only way then that's the only way lol

 

It begins

 

What's your plan going forward?

 

Update!

Been busy but I took care of this the cheapest way I could find because if it didn't work I was going to pull the engine and put a used one in. Pulling the head is outta my skillset unfortunately.

So I decided to use jb weld after 3 shops turned me down as far as welding goes so my hands were kind of tied really.
Sanded the area pretty good then cleaned it three times then applied jb weld. Next day Drilled, then placed a stud then let dry again for 24 hrs. Installed new thermostat and some rtv black and no leaks.

Well happy to say the thermostat was my issue, been driving it for a few days and no leaks and no more overheating.

On to the pics





Back together and happy to be driving it again

 

congrats man lol

 

Great resolve! Happy it worked out!