While these don’t seem serious, these symptoms of a bad thermostat can lead to permanent engine damage due to excessive heat – such as seal breakages, cracked elements, and engine detonation. What would a bad car thermostat cause?Ī bad car thermostat can result in overheating and heater insufficiency. If you’re experiencing symptoms of random coolant leaks or heater insufficiency, you may want to take your car for a professional evaluation. This can lead to overheating and other related problems such as a coolant leak. When your car’s thermostat goes bad, it will not properly register your engine’s temperature, which will result in a lack of coolant flowing to the engine. What happens when a car thermostat goes bad? If you notice issues heating your car consistently, or hear a “knocking” if you try to turn on your vehicle’s heater function, that could be one of the most common symptoms of a bad thermostat for your vehicle – and you should get it checked out. Thermostat malfunction can cause inefficiencies in your vehicle’s heating system, especially if the thermostat is frozen in the “open” position of function. If you’re having issues heating your car, it may not just be the change of season. If these noises are paired with a sweet, burning scent or white smoke coming from your exhaust, it could be a result of a thermostat-related coolant leak. This will be noticeable as you drive, and can worsen as you accelerate. It may also hit boiling point, which can result in a banging or rumbling sound coming from your engine bay. If your thermostat isn’t functioning properly, your coolant may be reaching too high of a temperature – resulting in leaks. Taking the time to be seen when the problem begins can save you significant cost and time later. If you notice frequently high or low readings that are out of the norm, it may be time for a vehicle thermostat inspection. You likely reference your temperature gauge multiple times as you drive – making this one of the most common ways to spot a broken thermostat. While this can be a sign of a broken vehicle thermostat, you may want to also check for head gasket sealant issues or breakages, since this can result in similar symptoms. This can result in a “sweet scent” when you operate the vehicle, or white smoke. This happens when your engine runs at too high of a temperature due to the dysregulation, causing an overflow of coolant into the surrounding areas. When your thermostat stops working, you may notice a higher incidence of coolant leaks. This code often indicates that the engine is running too “cold” due to your thermostat’s malfunction, meaning that your car is unable to properly prepare, heat, and disperse the coolant into the engine. This is normally attributed to a bad thermostat or issues within the engine control module. You may also see a P0128 error code, which is shown when your engine is having trouble regulating temperature. Your check engine light may be one of the first symptoms of a bad thermostat that you’ll notice – illuminating on the dash with or without an associated code. Read on to learn more about the bad car thermostat symptoms you should watch for, and learn more about convenient at-home thermostat replacement options. If you haven’t serviced your thermostat, or replaced it within the last ten years, it may be time to do just that. It contributes to your engine’s overall function, timing the release of coolant to keep your car running as effectively as possible. Your car’s thermostat isn’t just to gauge heat.
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