had some of a chance to tinker with this today..
First up, the thermostat.
It's held on by 2 10mm bolts:
Top one seen here
Bottom one accessed via 3/8 ratchet and extension
It was patently obvious what was up with the old stat:
The new one was fitted (took 2 attempts to get it to seat properly) and new coolant was added and bled through.
I found removing the hose next to where the thermostat mounts means you can put the stat in its holder, and slot into the block. This means the stat stays in place and seals properly
Result?
A nice solid 90, and working heaters
The fuel level sender is also on the list of things to do..
A test drive revealed no problems so I returned to look at replacing the stop solenoid.
Initial inspection said it looked like too large a job to do in the time and light available, so it waits for another day.
Next it was "what do these switches do?"
The answer is nothing obvious, bar the green one lighting up.. anyone any ideas?
Then it was "hunt the exhaust blows"
That'll be the centre one...
And
This will be the rear one..
Gauges at the end of the 40 miles run home.
Sat nice and solid there regardless of speed.
You can see the oil gauge is showing that the oil is sufficiently warm to have thinned properly, which means the engine is at full operating temp.
I swear it feels nicer to drive - almost as if the engine is working more effectively (and the veg is warmer!)
Hopefully this will bear out in an economy increase.. almost 1/2 a tank down so should find out soon.