

#Bad coolant thermostat symptoms how to#
How to change a faulty thermostat?Ĭhanging out faulty thermostat is not difficult but you need to be cautious not hurt yourself with boiling water or radiator fan. If you decide to do it yourself, it’s quite a cheap fix. The replacement thermostat itself just costs around $10 to $20 So, labour cost will come around $70 to $110. It takes around 1 hour to replace a thermostat. If you do decide to work on your car yourself, keep in mind that do not work when the engine is hot. Most mechanics don’t ever bother fiddling with the malfunctioned thermostat as it’s always better to throw in a new one. And couple of bucks will get you a new one.

That said, thermostat is a fairly inexpensive item. Even giving it a good clean and re-installing it properly in the housing can sometimes fix the issue. Yes, sometimes it’s possible to repair the faulty thermostat. Watch this video to understand: Can you repair the faulty thermostat? This allows spring loaded valve to close back. This pushes the spring loaded valve and opens the outlet towards radiator.Īnd as the engine temperature starts to drop back, the wax hardens and shrinks. This wax expands once the engine temperature goes over the normal range. Thermostat relies on the wax filled casing. Once you’ve identified it, you need to get it out of the housing to repair to replace it. Thermostat is usually 2 to 3 inched in diameter. Follow the upper radiator hose going towards the engine. Thermostat housing is located between the engine and the radiator in all liquid cooled engines. But, when thermostat is about to go kaput, the engine temperature might start fluctuating while driving normally. Ideally, the temperature gauge of your car should stay in the middle green zone (between 195 degree fahrenhiet to 220 degree fahrenhiet). So keep an eye out for the red or green coolant pooled up under your car. Too much coolant pressure can also blow past the coolant hose.

And if that coolant falls on the hot engine part, you will see steam coming from under the car hood. This excess pressure can cause the thermostat housing gasket to leak. When the engine has overheated due to thermostat in closed position, a lot of pressure gets built up as flow towards radiator is blocked. If you notice that the engine is taking too long to warm up, then that could be due to thermostat stuck in open state. This allows the engine to reach optimal temperature quickly. This means that the coolant in the engine cooling channel does not flow into the radiator. When you cold start your car, the thermostat should be in the closed state. Keep driving an overheated car and you could cause serious damage like blown engine head gasket and warped engine cylinder. And that’s it, you’ll have to stop the engine and wait for it to cool down. Just driving for 15 minutes like this will bring the engine temperature needle in the red zone. If the thermostat remains stuck in the closed position, the coolant can’t flow to radiator to cool down. Overheating engine is one of the most concerning problem due to faulty thermostat.

Can I drive my car with faulty thermostat? 1) Overheating.How much does it cost to replace a Thermostat?.3) Leaking Coolant or steaming underhood.
