Running without a thermostat valve

**daimaoh** · March 31st, 2008 04:30 PM

my radiator cracked due to a faulty thermostat valve.

tinanggal na lang ng mechanic at hindi na pinalitan.

so far, same pa rin yung normal running temperature ko based on my gauge.

since we live in a tropical country, do i still need replace it?

thanks

**mazingerZ** · March 31st, 2008 04:42 PM

Yes. Why, because running without a thermostat means that you are running your engine cold every time you start it much longer than with a thermostat that closes and opens whenever your engine reaches its optimal temperature. In short, your engine would take a longer time to reach its optimal temperature. Better replace it bro, mura lang naman.

**daimaoh** · March 31st, 2008 05:29 PM

weird thing is mas mabili sya uminit to optimal temperature ngayon. or is that due to the faulty thermostat before? or maybe dahil summer ngayon?

Originally Posted by mazingerZ

Yes. Why, because running without a thermostat means that you are running your engine cold every time you start it much longer than with a thermostat that closes and opens whenever your engine reaches its optimal temperature. In short, your engine would take a longer time to reach its optimal temperature. Better replace it bro, mura lang naman.

**DonT** · March 31st, 2008 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by daimaoh

weird thing is mas mabili sya uminit to optimal temperature ngayon. or is that due to the faulty thermostat before? or maybe dahil summer ngayon?

Most probably, you need to get teh radiator cleaned...assuming there is no change in the coolant level.

**mazingerZ** · March 31st, 2008 05:48 PM

Yup, tama si sir dont, baka barado ang radiator mo. With regards to radiator failure, I dont see any connection relating to the thermostat. Ang scenario kasi kung meron kang thermostat is that closed siya during initial startup, meron nang water sa loob ng water jackets ng engine mo, naturally iinit yung nasa water jackets, which causes the thermostat to open (gurus correct me if im wrong is it 110 degrees celcius?), then circulation of water will happen. Tama ba? Baka lalo ka lang nalito hehehe

**XTO** · March 31st, 2008 05:52 PM

mabilis mag-init? check your water pump and the radiator itself.... ilang years na po ba? you have the choice: replace it or have it overhauled then finally replace your thermostat- importante yun....on the part of the mech - madali kasing mag-alis kesa maghanap.

**DonT** · March 31st, 2008 05:34 PM

Yes, it is required to replace it for economical/ efficiency reasons.

However, whats the connection between the Radiator failure and the thermostat. I guess this is also one of the urban legends which must be busted.

**daimaoh** · April 1st, 2008 04:29 PM

not sure why the top of the radiator cracked. thought it was due to the closed thermostat. temp gauge went over the red line. kaka-overhaul lang ng radiator a few months ago. tumagas yung hose sa likod ng engine.

now, the top is replaced with a fabricated one after another overhaul. still no thermostat any everything still seems normal.

i'll probably replace the thermostat... just to be sure.

thanks

Originally Posted by DonT

Yes, it is required to replace it for economical/ efficiency reasons.

However, whats the connection between the Radiator failure and the thermostat. I guess this is also one of the urban legends which must be busted.

**userfriendly** · April 1st, 2008 05:05 PM

The plastic top cracked bec the plastic is like a fuse for your radiator. Its designed to give incase of overheat to protect your head gasket.

**jaguarpw** · April 1st, 2008 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by userfriendly

The plastic top cracked bec the plastic is like a fuse for your radiator. Its designed to give incase of overheat to protect your head gasket.

Upon reading this thread I can't help but reply because last Sunday, this is exactly wht happened to my car

. I was navigating a winding uphill climb on a mountainous municipality - a route that i have never tried before. I could feel the strain on the engine as I sometimes downshift to 1st gear when i need all the torque i can get. I also shutoff the aircon. All the while, the temp gauge in the dash indicated normal, so there was no worry whatsoever on my mind.

Then i heard an explosion and steam was coming out of the hood. Upon opening the hood, i found the radiator plastic cover was broken; I picked up the broken piece few meters away. It was a classic example of overheat. Thank God my engine was okay.

So yesterday, I replaced my radiator. I also charged 2L coolant.

Now my question is: Why did my temperature gauge fail to indicate the hotness? Is my thermostat ok? So far, during cold start, the pointer is at "C" (cold), then after a while of driving, the pointer goes to around 25% to 40% mark but never from my experience did it exceed 40%. That's why nagulat nalang ako nang biglang sumabog.

My plan is to verify if my radiator fan does work. Am i right that it should start automatically once it senses the prescribed temperature?

Another concern is: once you experience an overheat, what should you be on lookout for? I was told that the cylinder head might have been damaged nd that one sign of this is bubbles in the radiator. So far naman, I couldn't see any bubbles when i cahrged water and let the engine run at idle. So does this mean, wla problema cylinder head and gaskets ko?

Thanks in advance for your ideas....