Stuart, I don't think there's much you can do about some coolant loss,
since that thermostat housing sits right here bolted to the block, and you
can't pinch it off. You can pinch off the other hoses and mitigate the loss
abit. You can also close the heater valve and mitigate some of the
loss from that. But, if you take a minute to study how those little sensors
go in, you can see That you can be quick about it. Be sure to put some
Vaseline or silicon lubricant on the O-ring before you put the center back
in. That will keep it from getting hung up on the plastic housing. Also
somebody to hand you or be under the car to insert the clip would be
another timesaver.

Jim

On Monday, January 26, 2015, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote:

> Still chasing bugs in my son's '87, and I'm going to replace it and the O2
> sensor.  It's got erratic high idle, stumbling when cold, and I think it's
> running rich when warmed up.
>
>
>
> Just wondering if there is a way to minimize coolant loss.
>
>
>
> There are a lot of pipes into the T-stat housing, and I can't clamp them
> all
> off.  And, does the O-ring tend to stay in the bore and need to be hooked
> out, or will it come out with the old sender? I'm going to replace it.
>
>
>
> I may just use this as an excuse to flush and replace the coolant if I'm
> going to lose a lot anyway.
>
>
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
> Stuart
>