VFR 5th Generation Thermostat Replacement

It wasnt hard it was just a pure misery i misrouted the vac hose no 4 wrongly so i had to take this piece of **** airbox out 3 times. I got the hang of it now so it goes quite quick now. I will upload some pictures of my battle later.

 

what did you replace the thermostat with? Did you use an OEM stat or did you go aftermarket? If so what brand/ part number if possible. I cannot find any after market thermostats at all

 

I've had this one in my '98 for the last 5 years without any issues.
It fits many Acura and Honda cars. I bought it from a local auto parts store. I searched on Amazon and found that you can have it delivered for less than $12.

Applications

Year Make Model
1998-1999 Acura CL
1990-1993 Acura Integra
1999-2001 Acura Integra
1990-1993 Honda Accord
1996-1997 Honda Accord
2002-2002 Honda Accord
1984-1991 Honda Civic
2003-2005 Honda Civic
2000-2001 Honda CR-V
1988-1991 Honda CRX
1993-1996 Honda Prelude
1990-1990 Sterling 827
1981-1986 Toyota Pickup


The flat flange that makes the base or frame of the thermostat is larger than the stock one in the VFR.
You will need to grind or file about a 16th of an inch (if I remember correctly) off of the outside diameter all the way around. I found it easy to do with a bench grinder while allowing it to slowly turn between my thumb and forefinger.

It is identical in all other ways. Except for price.

 

Anything else I should do "while I'm in there" with this? Have AS3 silicone coolant hoses + SS clamps on order, along with 3.5 and 8 mm silicone vacuum hoses on order from Amazon for nearly everything under the TB. Want to (sort of) balance out "while I'm in there" and going crazy vs cost and what actually needs done

 

Doing a valve clearance/adjustment is the sort of thing that is easy when you've got the top of the engine undressed to the point where you can replace the thermostat. There's not a lot of cost associated with a valve clearance check/adjustment, but it's an investment of effort and concentration to do the job correctly.

 

Also, when you've removed the throttle body assembly to gain access to and replace the thermostat you have easy access to the fuel injectors, they can be pulled out and sent to a fuel injector specialist for inspection, assessment and cleaning. This servicing isn't too expensive and having the fuel injectors out of the engine gives you an opportunity to replace all of the fuel injector O-rings (they're 24 years old now, rubber parts are "consumable items" and should be "renewed" occasionally for best performance).

 

Mmm good point. Should also note I have all 5 coolant o-rings on order with the t-stat because of all the pictures I see showing how flat and corroded they are

 

Another "cost free" item to tick off while you've got the coolant drained is taking the radiators off the bike and giving them a good cleaning. The rads on my '99 and my '01 were very dirty and full of little stones and debris. Worth doing.

You gotta know the cooling system will be able to move heat out into the atmosphere better with clean radiators.

 

you were ahead of your time with your avatar, I remember seeing the dumpster fire years ago and did not give it much thought. Now it applies to everyday life. Peace

 

I was recently divorced when I joined VFRWorld, the dumpster fire avatar pic felt appropriate at the time, now my personal life is more stable but you're right, in almost every other way the dumpster fire avatar still feels right.