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Any liquid-cooled car engine has a small device called the thermostat that sits between the engine and the radiator. The thermostat in most cars is about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Its job is to block the flow of coolant to the radiator until the engine has warmed up. When the engine is cold, no coolant flows through the engine. Once the engine reaches its operating temperature (generally about 200 degrees F, 95 degrees C), the thermostat opens. By letting the engine warm up as quickly as possible, the thermostat reduces engine wear, deposits and emissions. If you ever have the chance to test one, a thermostat is an amazing thing to watch because what they do seems impossible. You can put one in a pot of boiling water on the stove. As it heats up, its valve opens about an inch, apparently by magic! If you'd like to try this yourself, go to a car parts store and buy one for a couple of bucks. The secret of the thermostat lies in the small cylinder located on the engine-side of the device. This cylinder is filled with a wax that begins to melt at perhaps 180 degrees F (different thermostats open at different temperatures, but 180 F/82 C is a common temperature). A rod connected to the valve presses into this wax. When the wax melts, it expands significantly and pushes the rod out of the cylinder, opening the valve.
What else can I help you with?
Why cant get the heater to work in the car?
You could have a problem with your thermostat in the car.
What are the symptoms of the thermostat not working in a 1998 vw passat?
If your thermostat isn't working then the gauge on the car won't work. You may also notice that your car runs hot.
When a car thermostat does not work properly can this make your car surge when you go to acclerate if heater is on full blast in a cold car?
No
What is the problem when your car hot water needle does work?
I assume you mean "When your hot water needle does NOT work." Thermostat.
Is car thermostat necessary in a tropical temperature?
is car thermostat necessary in a tropicalize car?
What was cause a Lincoln town car to overheat?
sometime the fan do not work which can cause the car to overheat. Also it can be a fuse for the fan. Check your thermostat.
Why does my temperature gage only work when the car is idling?
Check your thermostat, it is either stuck open or not in the engine.
Could anyone tell you if thermostat is broke would the temperature gage still work on the car?
Yes the temperature gauge will still work. If it stuck open the car will run cool. If it is stuck closed the car will overheat.
How can you tell wheather the radiator or the thermostat is not working because my car has a very serious problem with it overheating?
Take your thermostat out and put everything back together, run your car without a thermostat... If your car no longer overheats, replace your thermostat.
Why might a 1989 Lincoln Town Car heater not work?
You might need a new thermostat or heater core.
Would the thermostat cause the car not to start in a 2001 Monte Carlo?
no, the thermostat would have nothing to do with the car not starting.
Why does the temperature gauge on your car fluctuate?
The temperature gauge on a car fluctuates because the car's thermostat is opening and closing. The gauge goes up when the thermostat closes and the gauge goes down when the thermostat opens.
