Saab 9-5 thermostat replacement - V6 petrol/gasoline engine

[Edison Guerra]

The dipstick tube removal is key to getting the thermostat pipe out. It comes out with a good hard pull, I used a vice grip. Anyone that says they got the thing out without removing the dipstick tube did a lot more work than they need to otherwise. Also, do no undo the thermostat housing bolts before removing the pipe going to the thermostat housing, I did, and that cost me time... This can be an easy job if you get everything out of the way, try to cut corners and it become impossible!

[chrisguy]

Hey guys, I hope someone sees this!

Today I was driving down the highway when coolant started spraying everywhere. It appears that pipe has come out of the thermostat housing. Based on what I have read here there are supposed to be two o-rings that go between the thermostat housing and that the pipe that connects to it. Interestingly enough, I never saw those when I replaced my thermostat a few months ago. I am wondering if they were lost/broken when the thermostat was replaced before I owned the car. I simply used RTV gasket sealant when I replaced the thermostat and thought it was weird that there was no o-ring nor clamp to hold those metal pieces together. SO.. I am looking for confirmation that there is an o-ring that goes between the thermostat housing and the metal pipe that connects to it. Also, there should be two o-rings side by side? And there is no clamp or anything to hold the pipes together besides these o-rings?

Does anyone have the dimensions of this o-ring?
Besides waiting two weeks from shipping for Eeuroparts I found this at my local store:

Murray Temperature Control 2270 - Thermostat Gasket | O'Reilly Auto Parts

Thank you for any help!