Thermostat Replacement

Thermostat replacement is a relatively easy job on most cars on the road today.  The thermostat on your car is usually relatively easy to access so there aren’t many other components that have to be removed or wires to be moved and kept track of.  Also, the bolts or screws holding your thermostat housing in place are often standard sizes that can be found in a small mechanic’s tool set.  If you’re considering a thermostat replacement in your car, don’t take it to the shop, try completing it yourself!

There are a few different reasons you should consider a thermostat replacement in your car:

• Chronic Overheating
• Long Warmup Times
• Performing a Coolant Flush
• Extreme One-time Overheating

You should consider replacing your vehicle’s thermostat if you’ve got any of the symptoms above happening in your car.  If your car overheats regularly under normal driving conditions, one of the possible causes is a stuck thermostat that isn’t opening properly.  This will restrict the coolant flow through your vehicle’s radiator allowing the coolant to heat up above the normal operating temperature.  Conversely, if your vehicle’s taking longer than usual to warm up to normal operating temperature your thermostat may be stuck open allowing too much coolant to flow through the radiator keeping coolant temperatures too low for too long.

Sometimes, when your vehicle has overheated it can damage the thermostat.  This usually only happens in extreme overheating, but if it has happened, it can cause your thermostat to stick shut causing quick overheating the next time you start your engine so you should consider replacing your thermostat in these cases also.  Lastly, a great time to replace your thermostat is while you are performing a coolant flush.  Replacing the thermostat during coolant flush only adds a small amount of time and cost to the job but can help keep your car safe and running cool.  Also, if you remove your thermostat to replace it, you often have better access to flush fresh water into the cooling system of your car.  This can help make sure you have removed all the debris and dirt from your system before adding new coolant. For more information on how to flush the cooling system in your car, check out our article about flushing your radiator.

To replace your thermostat, start by draining the coolant.  There should be a drain on the bottom of your radiator, but if not simply remove the lower radiator hose and be ready to catch a few gallons of coolant.  Once you’ve got the coolant removed, locate the thermostat housing.  It’s usually at or near the engine side of your upper or lower radiator hose secured by 2-4 bolts.  Simply remove those bolts, remove the housing and your thermostat should pop out!  After flushing your system, install your new thermostat and replace the thermostat housing with a new gasket or liquid sealant.  Replace your radiator hoses and refill the system with coolant and your car should be ready to go!

If your vehicle struggled with overheating issues before you replaced your thermostat, consider adding BlueDevil Engine Cool to your engine coolant to help keep engine temperatures down.  BlueDevil Engine Cool enhances the cooling ability of your vehicle’s regular coolant to make it more effective at removing heat keeping your engine cool even under harsh driving conditions.

For more information about BlueDevil Engine Cool, visit our product information page here: BlueDevil Engine Cool

You can purchase BlueDevil Engine Cool at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like:

• AutoZone
• Advance Auto Parts
• Bennett Auto Supply
• CarQuest Auto Parts
• NAPA Auto Parts
• O’Reilly Auto Parts
• Pep Boys
• Fast Track
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
• S&E Quick Lube Distributer
• DYK Automotive
• Fisher Auto Parts stores
• Auto Plus Auto Parts stores
• Hovis Auto & Truck Supply stores
• Salvo Auto Parts
• Advantage Auto Stores
• Genuine Auto Parts stores
• Bond Auto Parts stores
• Tidewater Fleet Supply
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts
• Any Part Auto Parts
• Consumer Auto Parts

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thermostat_replacment.jpg – By ooiphotoo – Licensed by Getty Images – Original Link