I was going to swap in a new coolant control valve, but I could not get one of the bolts off that holds the bracket on the frame for the part that needs to be replaced. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get that bolt off? Not the one from the top but from the side? Also any reputable places in the Chicago area, prefer south, to swap in a new coolant control valve?
I'm not sure if you took of the drivers headlight to get to the valve. That method didn't give me any issues
No. I never thought of that. Any videos or write up's on here you can point me to? I have watched a few on you tube about the swap and pinching the coolant lines to prevent coolant loss.
You can look up videos for the inverter coolant pump replacement. It's right next to it and it'll show you the access by removing the headlight
Definitely pull the headlight. Takes just a few minutes, and not only does it give you easier access to the mounting bolts and hoses, you can actually get the valve out through the side instead of out the top (impossible w/o lifting inverter) or out the bottom. I did this repair this weekend. This picture attempts to show the access available with the headlight removed. You could probably get away w/o cable-operated hose clamp pliers, but it does make it easier, as you can hold the clamp open and leave both hands free.
Thank you everyone for the help. I pulled the driver head light and swapped the unit in about a total of 2 hours. I am a 4th gen Corvette guy ('85 L98 and '92 ZR-1) so working on cars is no big deal for me. I went to home depot and made a tool to crimp the cooling lines. The extra nuts are to extend the flat washer as far down as possible. That bottom line must have a lot of pressure on it because I could not get it to seal off. I ended up putting a bunch of Teflon tape around a spark plug and just temporarily plugged it then pulled it out and put it back on. I believe I lost about a 2 cups of coolant which I topped of with new correct model coolant. Here is a picture of my tools. I am fiscally conservative so spending $300 + on labor for this is a no no. Note the $1 yellow gloves! Thanks again everyone!
A #2 rubber stopper from Lowe's plugs up the hoses nicely. I believe a #2 rubber stopper is the same size as a #7 cork.
