Just replaced my thermostat and coolant temp sensor last night. Beyond siphoning the reservoir first, my tips are:
- Aluminum foil to catch any remaining coolant in the hoses. Then I siphoned the puddles from the foil to avoid spills when removing and had essentially zero mess.
- Wire hanger to send through the old thermostat to yank it out. My old thermostat was stuck in pretty good (zip ties broke).
- 100% silicone lube on the new seals. Housing slid back in like butter on the reinstall.