Stop by York Tire & Auto Service right away if you are having problems with your automobile overheating. This can be a sign that the thermostat has gone bad. The thermostat generally lasts a decade before it malfunctions and needs to be replaced. If you continue to drive your automobile with a faulty thermostat, you run the risk of zero coolant circulating through the engine. This can cause your engine to overheat severely and can damage it beyond repair. An engine that is too hot can easily blow the head gasket, crack the cylinder block, or crack the exhaust manifold gasket.
Corroded Thermostat Housing
One sign that your thermostat needs to be replaced is if the housing is corroded. This is an indication that coolant is slowly leaking out of the coolant valve. This can happen if the valve gets stuck in the closed position. Unfortunately, the coolant will settle against the thermostat housing and eat away at the metal. If the thermostat is not replaced right away, you will end up with…
Leaking Engine Coolant
Few things are more frustrating than backing out of your garage and seeing fluid on the floor. Cut the engine right away and grab a white cloth or paper towel to check the fluid’s color. If the color on the garage floor is the same as the color of the coolant in your engine, you have a leaking thermostat. As we mentioned above, the corrosion will eat through the thermostat’s metal housing and put holes in it.
Unpredictable Engine Temps
Even if your thermostat isn’t leaking, it can malfunction and directly affect the engine’s temperature. If your engine has been running too cold, only to run too hot, only to run too cold again, the thermostat is unable to detect the engine’s temperature. Consequently, it is not releasing the coolant at the right time. Rather you have sporadic releases of coolant that cool off the engine temporarily until it overheats again. This is a sign of a malfunctioning thermostat that needs to be replaced.
Constant Overheating
Finally, your automobile is going to overheat constantly if it needs a new thermostat. Unfortunately, the thermostat can die completely and never release the coolant into the engine. This will cause your engine to overheat after you start the automobile.
Call York Tire & Auto Service in Red Lion, PA, today to set up a service appointment so we can replace the thermostat if it needs it.
