The mileage milestone for a new thermostat is usually 100,000 miles. This is about how long this cooling system part will last. Unfortunately, if the thermostat is malfunctioning, your engine will most likely overheat all the time. We will talk more about this below. We are also going to list the other signs that your car needs a new thermostat installed to keep the engine’s temperature at normal. You never want the temperature to rise above 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
Corroded Thermostat Housing
One common problem from which older thermostats suffer is a slow leak. This means that the coolant seeps out of the coolant valve and gathers around the thermostat housing. The thermostat housing is made of metal, so the coolant will start to corrode it. If you see that your thermostat housing is corroded, it’s important to replace the thermostat right away. If you fail to do this, the coolant will continue to feed off the metal and cause…
Leaking Engine Coolant
This is a more severe coolant leak that will leave you with coolant on the garage floor. Unfortunately, it’s a bad idea to drive your automobile if it is leaking engine coolant because the level in the engine will be too low. Consequently, your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine will overheat while you are driving it. An overheating engine can cause damage to various engine parts such as the head gasket or engine block. As such, have your vehicle towed to our shop if it is leaking engine coolant.
Erratic Temperature Changes
An old thermostat can do more than spring a leak. It can also cause erratic temperature changes in the engine because it is malfunctioning. The thermostat may start to misread the engine’s temperature and release the coolant at odd times. This will cause the needle on your temperature gauge to move up and down erratically while you are driving. If the thermostat malfunctions completely, it may refuse to release the engine’s coolant because it will think that the engine doesn’t need it.
Constant Overheating
You don’t need us to tell you that all of these things are going to make your engine overheat constantly. In order to maintain a normal temperature, the engine needs plenty of coolant circulating through it. If the thermostat fails to release the coolant or is leaking coolant, your engine is going to get very hot very quickly after you start it.
Bring your vehicle to our shop if you are having problems with the engine’s temperature. This could be a sign that you need a new thermostat.
