Thermostat is a crucial component of your vehicle and as the name suggests, it is used to monitor the temperature of your engine. Thermostat in a vehicle controls the flow of coolant to the engine by monitoring the relative temperature of the engine thus deciding whether the flow of coolant needs to stop or continue. There are two major problems that can stop the coolant flow and seriously damage your motor. When the thermostat gets stuck in the open or closed position respectively giving out false readings. There are ways by which you can tell your thermostat is not functioning the way it should be and needs to be replaced.
1. Overheating of Your Car
To understand this symptom, understanding the working of a thermostat is crucial. When the engine starts, the thermostat doesn’t have much of a function but it just waits for the engine to heat up quickly and reach an optimal temperature good for the efficiency of the engine. Following this, the thermostat releases the coolant when the temperature starts going above this level. In the case of a faulty thermostat, the temperature will keep rising and the thermostat will not release the coolant which will result in overheating of the engine and in turn the car. This will not reduce efficiency but will also affect the life of your engine.
2. Weird Sounds from Under the Hood
If you have been hearing unusual sounds or noises from under the bonnet of your car, the reason could be a faulty thermostat. The noises can be for other reasons too but certain noises like the rumbling, gurgling and boiling can be attributed specifically to thermostat issues. This requires immediate professional attention and should not be neglected. These sounds are warnings before a major problem occurs and should be repaired as soon as possible.
3. Corrosion and Rusting
Not all problems can be heard or felt in the functioning and some need to be diagnosed physically. It is a good practice anyone who owns a vehicle to regularly diagnose their car and have good understanding of what the possible problem could be. A thermostat is a circular ring framed structure and you need to check it for corrosion and rusting. If you see anything like on your thermostat, you should check out a thermostat buying guide and replace your thermostat with a new one.
4. Heater Not Functioning
For those living in places where the temperature drops to low levels, heaters is an essential commodity. If you find your heater functioning abnormally, the possible reason could be a faulty thermostat. Thermostat detects temperatures and a heater works according to the detected temperature. Since the first step of temperature detection could not be completed, the heater does not function properly. It is not just the heater going to have problems, in certain cases even the air conditioners can have problems especially if it in the automatic mode of cooling.
5. Deposits on Thermostat
This is also better diagnosed physically to understand the reasons of your thermostat not functioning properly. If you find your thermostat with deposits of sludge and scale, that’s the reason behind your thermostat being blocked. Possible reasons behind this could be non-compatible or contaminated coolant. It is important to make sure that you take care of the compatibility of the coolant along with the thermostat. You should then change the entire set of thermostats along with the coolant pipe to make sure you don’t face similar problems in the future.
This was to aware you about the possible symptoms of a problem in your thermostat and the signs that you should replace it. A faulty thermostat can be a problem for the engine and also increase your cost repairs if neglected. So, be sure you heed attention to these signs and be safe.
