Removing Thermostat housing on 87 Accord

I have a 1987 Honda Accord DX Sedan. It has the A20A1 engine. There is a
slight leak from the base of the thermostat housing, where it connects to
the engine. The leak is not from the thermostat cover/outlet, it's from the
base of the housing. I want to replace the O-ring at the base of the
housing, but I can't remove the two nuts securing the housing to the engine.
The top nut is no problem, but the bottom nut is completely inaccessible.
In the times I've gotten an open end wrench onto the nut, I can't turn the
wrench because various things are blocking it, and I can't put a box end or
socket wrench onto the bolt, because the EGR pipes run directly over the
nut. It doesn't even seem like I can remove the EGR pipes because there are
things blocking them from being pulled out.
Am I missing a step here, or is it really next to impossible to remove the
thermostat housing?
Has anyone removed the thermostat housing on this car, and if so, how did
you do it?

Thank you.

--Peter Doherty

 

How about loosening the pipe and squeeze the box end wrench in there.
If the clearance is too small then tie a rope on the wrench and pull. No shortcuts
here, other than the traditional method of removing what's blocking
what. Someone else might have experiences.

 

harbor freight sells curved and angled box-end wrenches for times like
this. i kinda look at it as like a game of golf, and the wrenches as
clubs. sometimes you need an oddball tool just once to do the job.