Your car’s thermostat is part of the cooling system and it plays a critical role in keeping the engine’s temperature normal. The thermostat keeps track of the temperature in the engine so it knows when to release the coolant. Once the engine starts to get hotter than normal, the thermostat opens of valve that allows the coolant to flow into the water pump or circulation. If your thermostat goes bad, which can happen after about 10 years, you may have one or more of the following problems.
Corroded Housing
If the car, truck, or utility vehicle that you drive is older, we suggest that you pop the hood and inspect the thermostat when the engine is cold. Your owner’s manual should have an engine diagram to help you locate the thermostat. The thermostat itself is protected by a metal housing, but it is this housing that you want to check. If it is corroded or rusted, your thermostat is leaking engine coolant. It’s best to replace the thermostat now rather than let the coolant leak get worse.
Leaking Coolant
If you don’t replace the thermostat, the corrosion will eat through the metal housing and your thermostat will start leaking coolant on the garage floor. This can reduce the level of coolant that is circulating through the engine and cause the engine to overheat. If you drive your automobile when the engine is running above 220 degrees Fahrenheit, you can cause damage to the engine that includes cracking the head gasket or the engine block. This is serious damage.
Temperature Changes
Your thermostat may also start to malfunction when it gets too old. In other words, it will read the engine’s temperature incorrectly. When this happens, you may see the needle on your temperature gauge moving up and down erratically. This is a sign that the thermostat is releasing coolant into the engine in spurts. Unfortunately, there is no way to repair this problem. Rather, we will have to replace the thermostat with a new one that is functioning correctly.
Constant Overheating
Finally, and as we briefly touched upon above, the malfunctioning thermostat can make your engine overheat. This could be because the engine does not have enough coolant because of a coolant leak. It can also be that the thermostat is malfunctioning and failing to release the coolant. Either way, your engine will get hot quickly after you start your automobile.
Give us a call today if you are having problems with your vehicle’s thermostat. We can test the old thermostat and replace it if it is gone bad.