Extra Mile Tire and Service advises that you can expect to get about 10 years out of the factory-installed thermostat. If you drive an older automobile, the time for a new thermostat is going to come sooner rather than later. There’s nothing to worry about, however. We are your full-service auto repair shop, and we can replace the thermostat when it needs it. A malfunctioning thermostat will produce the following problems. Some you may notice and some you may not notice.
A Rusty Thermostat Housing
One thing that you may not realize is that your thermostat’s housing is rusted. You need to inspect the thermostat regularly to detect this problem. A rusted thermostat means that the thermostat is leaking coolant. This is a slow leak that does not leave coolant spots on the garage floor. Generally, this is a sign that the coolant valve is stuck in a closed position. When this happens, coolant puddles around the thermostat housing and starts to eat away at it. Your engine may also overheat.
Engine Coolant on the Garage Floor
Eventually, the coolant will eat through the metal housing enough that you will end up with leaking coolant on the garage floor. This is a more severe leak that will reduce the coolant level in the engine. As you can imagine, this will cause your engine to overheat. If we replace the thermostat at its corroded stage, we may be able to spare you the problem of leaking engine coolant on the garage floor.
Strange Fluctuations in Engine Temperatures
Even if the thermostat looks fine, it can malfunction when it gets too old. When this happens, you may notice strange fluctuations in your vehicle’s engine temperatures. The engine may run too cold for a while and then suddenly get too hot. Then, it may go back to running too cold. This is a sign that the thermostat is not reading the temperature of the engine correctly. Consequently, it thinks it’s releasing the coolant at the right time, but it isn’t.
Overheating Quickly and Constantly
Finally, as we have mentioned above, thermostat problems can cause your engine to overheat. In fact, the engine will overheat quickly after you start it. If your engine has been overheating every time you drive your automobile, it’s possible that the thermostat has died completely and is not releasing coolant into the engine.
Call Extra Mile Tire and Service in Milton, GA, today if you are having problems with your automobile that point to the thermostat. We can test this cooling system part and replace it if it needs it.
