Ok, I'm about to change the antifreeze but the previous clown, sorry owner has severed the top off the plug on the thermostat housing. To make matters worse they used putty hardening stuff to fill the hole then glued the sheered piece on top again.

Question is, will I still be able to complete the job by using the radiator cap and coolant reservoir? Is the thermostat housing easy to replace?

Looking outside, gale force wind and howling rain, I should have done this job in the summer

Maybe you can get the extra height you need by unbolting the expansion tank and lifting it, and filling it to the right level with the engine running to remove any air lock in the thermostat housing but I think you should plan on fixing the broken plug, if its plastic you should be able to cut it out quite easily, if brass it might be real pita :frusty:

Thanks for your reply.