Wouldn’t it be nice if car thermostats lasted forever? Well, if you are a driver that purchases a new car within 10 years, your thermostat just might last forever. The average lifespan of a car thermostat is 10 years. If you drive an older automobile, you may end up with the faulty thermostat eventually. Boulevard Auto Repair can replace your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s thermostat when it needs it. We are going to list the symptoms of a faulty thermostat below for your information.
Corrosion
One thing that can happen is the thermostat’s valve can get stuck in the closed position. When this happens, the engine coolant leaks out of the valve and puddles around the thermostat. Unfortunately, because the coolant is a liquid, it will corrode the thermostat and the thermostat housing. As the coolant hardens into a gel-like substance, it will settle on the thermostat and thermostat housing surfaces and create problems. It’s important to replace a leaking thermostat, even if it’s a minor leak.
Leaking
You will definitely want to replace your car’s thermostat if it is leaking coolant onto your garage floor. This leak can reduce the coolant levels in the cooling system significantly. This will obviously create problems within the cooling system and your engine will overheat. We will talk more about overheating below. You may notice that you have spots or puddles on your garage floor underneath your automobile toward the front. This can be an indication that your thermostat, water pump, or radiator is leaking.
Strange Behavior
To verify that it is the thermostat, you may also want to pay attention to the temperature gauge on your vehicle’s dashboard. If the thermostat is malfunctioning, the needle will go up and down sporadically. This is an indication that the thermostat is not releasing the engine coolant at the proper times. Rather, your engine may run too hot because the thermostat has not opened the valve to release the coolant. It may run too cold if the thermostat leaves the valve open and releases extra coolant.
Overheating
Another sign that your thermostat needs to be replaced is if your engine overheats quickly after you start your automobile. This points to a problem with the thermostat releasing the engine coolant as the engine heats up. If it isn’t releasing the engine coolant, the engine will overheat.
Boulevard Auto Repair in Sherman Oaks, CA, is here to help with all of your automotive service and repair needs, so give us a call today. We can inspect your thermostat and replace it if necessary.