ok, i didn’t search much but i did check a few things out.
kind of in the middle of a bunch of stuff.
what i read was:
drain the radiator
remove the air intake hose
follow the upper radiator hose to the engine and unclamp/remove.
remove the two 10mm bolts, pop the old out.
clean the housing & engine openings, pop new one in with new gasket in the correct position.
simple questions though,
I have big hands, any recommended additions/changes to the above method before i get into it?
i know changing a thermostat is a relatively simple job and i have done it before on older american cars but i want to get all the tips & tricks i can before i mess with it on my integra.
seems like the thermostat is in a tricky place and in the past GETTING TO whatever im trying to repair/replace has been more difficult to deal with than the repair work so i want to be prepared. 
(examples: starter, iacv, icu, upper pcv hose, speedometer cable, etc etc.)
I think you meant follow the lower radiator hose to the engine, that should connect right on to the thermostat housing! Um you should drain the coolant either by the drain plug or just remove unclamp bottom hose that is connected to the radiator and le It hang loose, that should drain it more! Doing so from the hose, ull have less mess when you go do the thermostat
hrm.
what i read was that it was the upper hose. well at least i kind of know what to expect now.
last time i was at the junk yard i took a few things off as practice but didn’t actually get to the thermostat because a lot of the engine was tore apart and i couldn’t tell what was what.
i suppose it cant be any more difficult than getting the iacv off or one of the other things i mentioned. 
going to give it a shot today.
i need to see if i can find a pic or something.
obviously 2 different engines here but this should be close enough,
Its easy… and yes, its the LOWER radiator hose… The top hose connects to the cylinder head, the bottom hose connects to the thermo housing. Once you get those two 10mm bolts out, getting the cover off can be a bitch, especially if it hasnt been changed out for a long time… if needed you can pry or use a hammer to lightly knock it loose.
Having big hands does make it a bit more complicated as its pretty cramped, but you’ll manage.
ty.
picked up a new one and a gasket, i checked out the location before i went to the store and its a bit cramped, hoses, wires, etc. but i can touch both bolts with my fingers, so i should be able to get a socket to them.
I think the biggest pain in the ass is just going to be catching all the coolant in something.
aww crap. forgot to get the gasket sealant. guess i will have the wife get a tube on the way home tomorrow, i don’t feel like spending 15 minutes waiting for the car to warm up again for the 5 minute drive.
every time i need to do something on this car people tell me “It’s easy” and when i go to do it, i can’t because it isn’t.
i’m convinced everyone on this forum is a midget, with midget tools.
anyway… i drove the car up my ramps, drained the radiator, pulled the air intake hose off, pulled the radiator hose off the thermostat housing.
but i cant get to the top right bolt, I’m wondering if a Universal Joint Socket Adapter for my 1/4" ratchet would work.
the 3/8" i have is too big so cant get it all the way on the bolts because there is a hard line that runs against the transmission between the starter and thermostat and i cant move it.
opinions from someone that has done this?
just figured i would get opinions first, cant go out and get the adapter till later anyway.
Its easiest with a long (6inch) extension… The shorter the extension, the more of a pain in the ass it is…
tried that, wouldn’t work.
had better luck with the 3/8" universal joint adapter plus the 6" extension, but even that i couldn’t get all the way on the bolt.
You could use a racheting open end wrench, that will get to it for sure, which is what I use.
you mean like this? http://www.amazon.com/Metric-Pcs-Ratchet-Box-Wrench/dp/B0013VEZ88/ref=pd_cp_hi_1
or one with a hinge in it so you can get to it from an angle? like http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944006000P?prdNo=2
that could work actually.
i tried to use a regular open ended wrench but couldn’t get the right angle on it without it slipping off.
i used the one like from the sears link just without the hinge. just have to slip the side with the racheting over the bolt and it should get it off
hrm.
did you take anything off the engine beside the air intake hose & the radiator hose going to the thermostat housing?
just tried a 7/16 box wrench just to SEE if it would be worthwhile to get to the store and buy a metric set…
defintly seems like the only way to go on this.
10mm socket 1/2" drive with 6 inch extension just hits the starter and wont turn the nut because of angle slip.
if i JUST put the socket on the bolt there is less than half inch of space between the bolt and the hard AC line (i think) SO, a universal joint adapter will be the same problem, one of these 10mm flex sockets MIGHT work but not worth the expense.
going to have to get a box wrench.
non-ratcheting because they are cheaper, and there is barely enough room to turn a regular one so i don’t want to push my luck.
Nope those are the only two I took off, um the one on the top right bolt I went down from the valve cover on down and then just rachet it off, although there not much room to rachet it but enough to get it off, ull just have to rachet after rachet til it’s off
kk. thanks. yea, theres about an inch of room to work the wrench and not very much leverage. haha
guess it would have helped to have a set of WRENCHES to begin with instead of always relying on sockets.
lesson learned. going to find a decent set of metric at some point but for now i will hunt down a cheap long 10mm just to get me through this one job.
No problem! Just go to harbor freight or something and it is a 10mm
Ratchet wrench/gear-wrenches are a god-send, they make things much easier in cases like this. If there is any room to get a 12-point closed-end wratchet wrench on there, then you’re golden. Thinking back on it though, I remember cutting/scratching the hell out of my hands changing the thermostat last time… having big hands does suck, huh? Lol
god man you know it.
my car still has EVERYthing in the engine compartment, working power steering, ac lines, the works.
so everything is in the way.
ever do the ICU, starter, or speedometer cable (from the tranny end)?
hell, even putting the clips back on the air intake filter box is a pain sometimes.
12inch long needle nose pliers helps a lot on this car. mostly to grab all the CRAP i drop behind the engine while working on it
got it.
old one was ruined and somehow had a square nut wedged in it.
sears had a 18 piece craftsman inch/metric combination set for like 20 bucks with tax.
about the same price as the cheapest set at harbor freight and that set was only metric.
it still took some work to get it out, and the bottom bolt was hard because the 3/8 joint extension was too wide/big, and my 1/4 set is missing the universal joint adapter… but i managed to get it.
for future reference:
10mm 12point box wrench along with a 1/4" drive ratchet with joint adapter and 3 or 6 inch long extension are pretty much must have tools if you don’t have just about everything removed from that side of the engine. even the starter is in the way.
running great, warms up consistently and stays warm, temps are stable and a little cooler at max.