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Look around the housing for signs of a leak, like drops of coolant, drip marks, and deposits. If you spot coolant under your car, don't automatically assume it's coming from the thermostat housing. Keep in mind coolant can leak from dozens of parts. Like all gaskets it gets dry and brittle with age and no longer does its job. Instead, the source of the leak is often the gasket that prevents coolant from seeping out of the thermostat housing as it flows between the engine and the radiator. It's not the thermostat itself that leaks it contains no coolant. Coolant leakĪnother tell-tale sign of a thermostat-related problem is a coolant leak. While we don't recommend driving a car with an overcooling problem for hundreds of miles, it's not usually an issue that requires immediate attention. Most of the woes caused by overcooling are longer-term ones it's a problem that can reduce your engine's life, for example. You'll be hot, and this won't fix your thermostat by any means, but it might help you get to your destination without a costly towing bill.

EVANS COOLANT PRIUS FULL

If the engine is merely running hot, try turning the heater on full blast to dissipate some of the excess heat. It's never a good idea to continue driving if your car is overheating, so stop the engine as soon as it's safe to do so if you notice (or smell) that the temperature is rising to a dangerous level. If you don't have one, monitor the various warning lights in the instrument cluster. Overcooling causes its fair share of issues as well. This happens when a thermostat gets stuck open. As the name implies, that's the opposite of overheating: the engine never reaches operating temperature. One of the lesser-known symptoms of a bad thermostat is overcooling. In turn, this can cause major and expensive damage. If it's stuck in the closed position, it won't let the coolant reach the radiator and the engine will overheat. This happens because a thermostat can get stuck as it ages. With that said, overheating is the most common symptom of a bad or a failing thermostat.

Air-cooled engines are few and far between these days, however, so there's a strong chance that this guide applies to your car. Overheating (or overcooling)įirst, note that air-cooled cars are not equipped with a thermostat at least not one like we're describing in this story. Here are some of the symptoms to keep an eye out for if you think your thermostat is failing. It's a relatively simple part, but it's also a wear-and-tear item that needs to be replaced periodically. As the engine heats up, the thermostat gradually opens to allow coolant to reach the radiator. If the engine is cold, the thermostat stays closed to let it warm up. It controls the flow of coolant between the engine and the radiator. The thermostat is a crucial part of your car's cooling system because it plays a significant role in regulating the engine's temperature.

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