SloopJohnB@mac.com

Right...I had a thermostat fail after the one year dealer warranty on a TB replacement....guess who paid for the new TB and thermostat...

Even OEM replacements suck.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Elsewhere on this board people have recommended prying open the TB cover on one bank to directly view the TB for wear...in 20/20 hindsight I probably should have reiterated that as well as inspecting/removing the serp belt.

I guess you didn't use a long screwdriver to isolate the squeaking noise back in 4.01.12 or you might have heard the squeaking noise directly from the wp bearing. That still wouldn't have given you the immediate stop operation information that a worn TB did.

BTW...don't forget to replace ALL the tensioners and idler pulleys unless they were replaced 36K ago with the TB service. Looks like you get away with TB and water pump only. I wouldn't mess with that thermostat....new ones have a habit of failing quickly or lasting a long time. Unless you're doing a standard TB service, leave the thermostat alone.

TeddyKGB

Thanks guys. Yes I did replace all parts in there. Tensioner (grenade), Tensioner relay arm, tensioner roller, idler roller, water pump, thermostat, both belts. I didn't think about leaving the thermostat in, although that's an interesting idea.

yes, the cams in the picture were not aligned at TDC, I used the cam lock tool after placing the engine at TDC. the car is running well again.