Symptoms of a bad thermostat
Thermostat is a component of a car engine cooling system, which plays a vital role in regulating the engine coolant circulation process. As an illustration, the thermostat will work in the following conditions.
When the engine is cold (engine coolant temperature is low), the thermostat is closed. It makes the engine coolant heat up faster and quickly reaches the normal engine working temperature.
After the engine temperature rises and becomes hot, the thermostat will open, and the engine coolant can flow to the radiator to cool it down again. This condition will continue as long as the thermostat can work properly.
When the thermostat is bad or abnormal, the engine will have symptoms that you can watch out to prevent further engine damage due to a bad thermostat. So, what are the symptoms of a bad thermostat? Here are signs that you should be aware from a bad thermostat.
1. Engine overheat
The first symptom that often arises due to a bad thermostat is the engine overheat. Overheat is a condition when the engine temperature is very hot and makes it abnormal, breaks down, and even gets damaged due to jammed engine components.
Engine overheating due to a damaged thermostat will occur if the thermostat is closed tightly. The position of the thermostat that continues to close causes the engine coolant circulation process to stop.
The engine coolant that is already hot (inside the engine room) cannot be flowed into the radiator to be cooled, and vice versa, the lower engine coolant temperature inside the radiator cannot enter the engine due to the thermostat that keeps closing. As a result, excess heat will occur and makes the engine overheats.
2. The air conditioner feels warm
The next thing that can be a symptom of a bad thermostat is the air conditioner feels warm. This condition is the result of a bad thermostat were closed and makes engine overheating.
In some car brands, the air conditioning (AC) system is related to the temperature and engine workload. When the engine overheats, it's also turned off the AC compressor to reduce engine load.
Deactivating the AC compressor when the engine starts to overheat will reduce the engine load and give the driver more time to get to know this condition (overheat) immediately.
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3. Difficult to reach a normal engine working temperature
The next symptom that arises when the thermostat is going bad is that the engine's normal working temperature is difficult to reach. Yes, a faulty thermostat will make the engine take a longer time to reach its normal operating temperature. This condition mostly happens in the morning when the engine conditions are still cold.
It often happens when the thermostat is damaged in an open condition. Yes, a faulty thermostat (open state) will cause the engine to take longer to reach its normal working temperature.
The engine coolant, which should not circulate before the engine reaches its working temperature, has recirculated back to the radiator earlier due to the open state thermostat. Likewise, what's inside the radiator will also be pushed back into the engine. As a result, the normal engine working temperature will be difficult to achieve.
4. Excessive fuel consumption
The last thing we know as a bad thermostat symptom is that fuel consumption is more excessive. It results from the engine's normal working temperature that difficult to achieve due to the engine coolant that circulates continuously through the engine.
When the engine temperature is cold, the amount of fuel sprayed into the combustion chamber will be more excessive compared when the engine has reached normal working temperature. It means a bad thermostat will make excessive fuel consumption for the engine.