Removing 1989 Camry 4 cylinder Thermostat

[NYCBOY21]

I found the thermostat and bought a new one but i found the two nuts that are holding it in place but one of the nuts is impossable to get to, i cant fit any socket or wrench in there to turn it, i read a separate articles discussing how easy it is to remove the thermostat on the 4 cylinder. Can anyone tell me what i need to take off to get to the nut to fit a wrench/socket over it to take it off or what tool i need. thx.

[IvanHoe]

visegrips might do the trick

[Camry215K]

On my 1990 Camry, I had fits with the one that's tucked in behind the bolt for the a/c compressor. No combination of sockets/extensions that I had would fit in the space left between the compressor & the nut on the thermostat. What finally worked for me was removing the oil filter. With the filter out of the way, there was room to get a six-point box-end wrench in there. It was also frozen up pretty good. It took several soakings with PB-Blaster and Liquid Wrench to free it up. Good luck with yours.

[Doctor J]

I used 1/4 inch drive ratchet and 3 inch extension.The squares were worn a little that added some flexibility to get around the lower radiator hose.