Oriskany Garage Tire & Auto Service can help if the cooling system in your automobile needs a new thermostat. The need for a new thermostat generally occurs after the vehicle has turned 10 years old. The thermostat plays a crucial role in keeping the engine temperature normal. Without a functioning thermostat, your engine will overheat all the time. We will talk more about this below as well as the other signs that your thermostat is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced.
A Rusting Thermostat Housing
One of the first signs that it is time for a new thermostat is a rusting thermostat housing. What this means is that the thermostat is leaking coolant slowly out of it. This coolant is puddling around the housing and corroding it. Naturally, as with any liquid and metal combination, the coolant will eat through the metal housing. Unfortunately, if you don’t replace the thermostat while it is leaking slowly, it will develop a larger leak and you will end up with…
Coolant All Over the Garage Floor
Few things worse than puddles of coolant on the garage floor. One reason why this is such a bad thing is that you cannot drive your automobile if the coolant level in the engine is too low. The low level of coolant will cause the engine to overheat. If the thermostat has a large leak, adding coolant to the cooling system will not resolve the problem. Rather, the coolant that you added to the radiator and overflow reservoir will leak out of the thermostat, as well.
Strange and Erratic Temperature Changes
The thermostat can also cause strange and erratic temperature changes in the engine. This happens when the thermostat malfunctions. An old thermostat may not understand the engine’s temperature. Consequently, it may release the coolant when the engine doesn’t need it. This will make the engine run too cold. In addition, the thermostat may also refuse to release the coolant when the engine needs it. When this happens, the engine will run too hot.
An Engine That Overheats Constantly
Finally, all of the above will make your engine overheat constantly. In fact, if the thermostat is completely dead, your engine will overheat very quickly once you start it. If you drive your automobile with the engine overheating, you run the risk of causing serious engine damage.
Call Oriskany Garage Tire & Auto Service in Utica, NY, to schedule a thermostat test for your automobile if you are having the problems discussed above.