If your car’s temperature gauge is bouncing up and down, this is a sign that the thermostat has gone bad. Willoughby Hills Auto Repair can replace your thermostat if it needs it. If you bring your vehicle to our shop, we will test the thermostat to determine if it is still working properly. If it is older than 10 years old, chances are, it isn’t. Aside from a funky temperature gauge, here are other indications that your vehicle has a faulty thermostat in it that needs to be replaced.
A Rusty Thermostat
If you inspect your thermostat and see that it is corroded, the valve that releases the coolant into the engine is stuck in the closed position. This causes coolant to seep out and puddle around the thermostat. Unfortunately, this liquid turns into a gel that slowly eats away at the metal thermostat housing. Naturally, this will lead to a larger coolant leak, which we are going to talk about next.
Leaking Coolant
If you see coolant puddles or spots on your garage floor, the thermostat could be to blame. As coolant eats through the thermostat housing, it will eventually end up with a hole in it that will dribble coolant onto the garage floor. Naturally, this will reduce the level of coolant in the engine and make it dangerous to drive your automobile. Low coolant levels will cause the engine to overheat. Driving with an overheating engine can cause serious engine damage such as a cracked engine block.
Erratic Temperatures
As we mentioned in the introduction to this blog post, if your temperature gauge on the dashboard is bouncing up and down, the thermostat is malfunctioning. This is a sign that the thermostat is not reading the engine’s temperature correctly and releasing the coolant at the wrong times. Consequently, your engine will go back and forth between being too hot and too cold. This can damage the engine parts as they expand and contract due to the fluctuations in the engine’s temperature.
Overheating Engine
Finally, it makes sense that a malfunctioning thermostat will cause your engine to overheat, especially if the thermostat valve is stuck in the closed position. When this happens, the engine is starved of coolant and the temperature will continue to rise until it reaches critical mass.
Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills, OH, can test your thermostat and replace it if necessary. Give us a call today so we can schedule a convenient appointment for you.
