What does it mean when your thermostat is stuck open?
Stuck open means too much coolant is being allocated to the engine, causing the engine to be abnormally cool. If the thermostat is stuck closed, that means not enough fluid is going into the engine and the engine will overheat.
Why is the thermostat on my car not working?
When you start the engine, the thermostat will not allow coolant passage to the radiator because the engine has not heated up. If the thermostat is passing through, you have a stuck open thermostat. If there is no coolant passage at first, and even when the car heats up, you have a stuck close thermostat.
What should I do if my thermostat keeps sticking?
If they cannot move up and down then they are the main problem. Replace the valves in the thermostat hoses. Follow this step only if the valves are the main cause of the sticking thermostat. You can either replace the valves with new ones or work the valves back into a position where they can move up and down more freely. Replace the thermostat.
What are the symptoms of a bad thermostat?
Other significant symptoms that will pop when your thermostat goes bad might be as follows: The cylinder head might not work appropriately. Your automatic transmission might not be able to shift freely to hear 4 and 5 due to lack of power. Can finally cause catastrophic engine damage.
What happens if the thermostat is stuck in the closed position?
However, if the thermostat gets stuck in the closed position, the coolant can’t flow through the radiator and can make your engine overheat. To quickly tell if your thermostat is stuck, watch the flow of coolant through your radiator.
When you start the engine, the thermostat will not allow coolant passage to the radiator because the engine has not heated up. If the thermostat is passing through, you have a stuck open thermostat. If there is no coolant passage at first, and even when the car heats up, you have a stuck close thermostat.
If they cannot move up and down then they are the main problem. Replace the valves in the thermostat hoses. Follow this step only if the valves are the main cause of the sticking thermostat. You can either replace the valves with new ones or work the valves back into a position where they can move up and down more freely. Replace the thermostat.
How can I tell if my thermostat is open or closed?
Take the thermostat out of the pot to see if it’s opened. Pull the thermostat out of the water with your tongs and set it on paper towels to dry it off. As the thermostat heats up, the spring should compress and the center ring will separate from the outer ring to make a gap in the middle.