If you drive an older car, truck, or utility vehicle, there will come a time sooner rather than later that the thermostat should be replaced. John Ellis & Son advises that the original thermostat is expected to last about 10 years. After this time, you may have one or more of the problems below that confirm that it’s time to replace the thermostat. Do not worry. When the time comes, we can remove the old thermostat and replace it with a new one that will restore the cooling system’s cooling ability.
Rust on the Thermostat Housing
You may be able to see that the thermostat needs to be replaced if you take a good look at it. If there is corrosion on the thermostat housing, the thermostat has a slow leak. Generally, a slow leak occurs when the thermostat valve is stuck in the closed position and cannot open. Unfortunately, this not only starves your engine of coolant but also causes the coolant to puddle around the thermostat housing and rust it. If you fail to replace the thermostat at this time, you will end up with the next problem.
Coolant Leaking on the Garage Floor
This problem is coolant leaking on the garage floor. This is a sign that the rust has eaten through the thermostat housing and coolant is leaking out of it. Unfortunately, this type of coolant leak can reduce the coolant level in the cooling system and cause your engine to overheat. It’s important to have a coolant leak repaired as soon as possible, especially if the thermostat needs to be replaced to repair the problem. Again, if you fail to replace the thermostat, you might end up with the next problem.
Erratic Engine Temperature Changes
If the thermostat starts to malfunction, it will be unable to maintain the engine’s proper operating temperature. It may release the coolant into the engine in unpredictable spurts that cause the engine temperature to go from cold to hot erratically. This is definitely a sign that your thermostat needs to be replaced. The thermostat is the cooling system part that releases the coolant into the engine.
Overheating Quickly and Constantly
Finally, if your engine overheats quickly and constantly, this is a sign that the thermostat is unable to release coolant into the engine at all. It may be that the valve is stuck in the closed position or the thermostat is no longer able to read the engine’s temperature to determine that it is hot.
John Ellis & Son in Sacramento, CA, is here to help, so call us today for a service appointment if you suspect you need to replace your car’s thermostat.
