YACT: What are the symptoms of a stuck open thermostat?

[Shawn]

I think my thermostat is stuck open because i get poor gas milage and it seems to take a long time before the engine heats up. The heater blows hot once the car has warmed up though so maybe the problem lies elsewhere?

 

[MikeMike]

car doesnt get up to operating temperatures no matter how long the drive

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
car doesnt get up to operating temperatures no matter how long the drive

That is not true.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
car doesnt get up to operating temperatures no matter how long the drive

well what would this do to the engine?

 

[Heisenberg]

Either the car takes a very long time to warm up, or never reaches normal operating temperature. If it doesn't ever fully warm up to the point where the computer goes into closed loop mode, this could result in worse mileage. It sounds to me like the thermostat is indeed stuck open. At least that's a simple place to start.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
car doesnt get up to operating temperatures no matter how long the drive

well what would this do to the engine?

In Florida, even during the winter, I doubt Mike's assertion is valid. It has to be pretty damn cold for the car to never reach operating temperature.

 

[Ronstang]

After reading your edit it does sound like you may have a thermostat that is stuck open. They are cheap and easy to replace on most vehicles so I would simply change it out and see.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
After reading your edit it does sound like you may have a thermostat that is stuck open. They are cheap and easy to replace on most vehicles so I would simply change it out and see.

Yeah, I figured I'd finally go ahead and change it along with my fuel filter and pcv valve since they are all the original parts and my car has 102k miles. I know they are cheap, but so am I.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: Ronstang
After reading your edit it does sound like you may have a thermostat that is stuck open. They are cheap and easy to replace on most vehicles so I would simply change it out and see.

Yeah, I figured I'd finally go ahead and change it along with my fuel filter and pcv valve since they are all the original parts and my car has 102k miles. I know they are cheap, but so am I.

What kind of car? Nothing wrong with being careful with your money but when it comes to your cr skrimping usually costs you more in the long run. Buy the good thermostat if there are different brands offered.

 

[Raduque]

Beats having your thermostat stuck closed. 20f outside and the car is overheating going down the highway

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: Ronstang
After reading your edit it does sound like you may have a thermostat that is stuck open. They are cheap and easy to replace on most vehicles so I would simply change it out and see.

Yeah, I figured I'd finally go ahead and change it along with my fuel filter and pcv valve since they are all the original parts and my car has 102k miles. I know they are cheap, but so am I.

What kind of car? Nothing wrong with being careful with your money but when it comes to your cr skrimping usually costs you more in the long run. Buy the good thermostat if there are different brands offered.

It's a 94 mazda miata. I'm on a tight budget now so I have decided to no longer waste my money on preventive maintenance (other than regular oil changes). I usually only fix things after they break now. This has gotten me in trouble tho. I almost got stuck a while back when my clutch slave cylinder failed on me (it had been leaking for about 3 years!) but I limped it home 2 miles in 1st gear in the right lane with my blinkers on. :Q Didn't want to pay to get it towed.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: Raduque
Beats having your thermostat stuck closed. 20f outside and the car is overheating going down the highway

You could have taken the thermostat out and been on your way if you had some tools with you. I usually carry a set of tools in the trunk. That way if something goes wrong I can hopefully fix it.

 

[Kelvrick]

Well, if you got what I got, its a stuck open. Need to get to that sooner or later.

Car takes forever to warm up, never gets to operating temperature if I get on the highway. Heats up when I'm staying still, cools once I move. I can cool it down while staying still by turning on the ac to kick the fans on.

 

[The Stigenator]

my focus had a stuck open thermostat.. when i let it idle (when it was runnign hot), the temprature would drop.. i remember going down teh grape vine and the temp dropped cause i didnt use teh accelerator.. i was pulling along in 5th gear with no gas at 70mph.. that's when i realised i had stuck open thermostat.

 

[compuwiz1]

The only thing I have hated about 100K mile vehicles, is for me, it just seems once you get into something and break a seal, you end up feeling like you've opened a can of worms.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: Raduque
Beats having your thermostat stuck closed. 20f outside and the car is overheating going down the highway

You could have taken the thermostat out and been on your way if you had some tools with you. I usually carry a set of tools in the trunk. That way if something goes wrong I can hopefully fix it.

Depends on the car. On my 951, the timing belt runs the water pump and to get to the thermostat you need to remove the water pump. You need at least 3 special tools and about 4 hours of labor...

ZV

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: Raduque
Beats having your thermostat stuck closed. 20f outside and the car is overheating going down the highway

You could have taken the thermostat out and been on your way if you had some tools with you. I usually carry a set of tools in the trunk. That way if something goes wrong I can hopefully fix it.

Depends on the car. On my 951, the timing belt runs the water pump and to get to the thermostat you need to remove the water pump. You need at least 3 special tools and about 4 hours of labor...

ZV

Yikes! What a hassle. Luckly mine is just inches away from the radiator.