If you plan to keep your automobile for a long time, there will come a point when you need to replace the thermostat. Buellton Garage advises that the thermostat generally lasts seven to 10 years. In miles, this translates to 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles. We can replace your thermostat when it goes bad. We are going to list the signs of a bad thermostat below so you know what to look for in your automobile. Set up a service appointment right away if your vehicle is doing any of the following things.
Icky Thermostat
If the thermostat itself is icky because it’s covered in corrosion, it has a small leak out of the coolant valve. This leak isn’t severe enough to drip coolant onto your garage floor. Rather, the coolant settles against the thermostat housing and corrodes it by eating away at it. It’s a good idea to replace a rusty thermostat right away to avoid a larger coolant leak.
Leaking Coolant
If you didn’t know your thermostat was rusted, you may end up with coolant on the garage floor. The spots or puddles of coolant will be located underneath the engine. You can double-check to make sure the fluid on the floor is coolant by comparing its color to the color of the coolant in your engine when the engine is cold. If your coolant levels are low, this, too, is a sign that the thermostat is leaking coolant. As an aside, coolant can also leak out of other cooling system parts such as the water pump, the radiator, the radiator hoses, the seals, and the overflow tank.
Erratic Temperatures
Leaking isn’t the only problem that an older thermostat might have. An older thermostat can also struggle to understand the engine’s temperature. If it mistreats the temperature and releases the coolant at the wrong time, you will end up with erratic temperature changes in the engine. These changes will be reflected on your thermostat needle on the dashboard as it moves up and down. This is definitely a sign that the thermostat is malfunctioning.
Constant Overheating
Finally, if your engine overheats shortly after you started every time you started, this is definitely a sign that the thermostat has died and it’s time for a new one. Overheating quickly suggests that the thermostat is not releasing coolant into the engine.
Buellton Garage in Buellton, CA, can help, so call us today to so we can set up a service visit for a thermostat inspection and test.