Discover the Importance of Car Thermostats: A Step By Step Guide to Replacing it Yourself
Your car’s thermostat plays a major role in keeping it running smoothly. When it gets too hot or cold, the thermostat will automatically turn on the heater or AC to keep your car at a safe temperature. But over time, these components can wear out and need to be replaced.
If you notice that your car is having trouble warming up or cooling down, check the thermostat first. If it’s not working right, chances are it needs to be replaced. The good news is that this is a relatively cheap and easy job that most DIYers can tackle in a few hours.
One of the biggest factors that determines how easy it is to replace your car’s thermostat is the type of vehicle you have. For example, some cars use a coolant reservoir which makes accessing the thermostat much easier than others. In this article, I’ll go over how to replace a car’s thermostat no matter what kind of vehicle you drive.
When it’s cold outside, the thermostat will open up and allow coolant to flow through a heater core which is located in the front of the engine block. This allows warm or hot coolant to pass through and immediately turn into steam that drives the car’s engine. When it gets too hot inside the engine, the thermostat will close and stop coolant from flowing through the heater core. This will cause the coolant to cool down and turn back into a liquid.
Replacing Your Car’s Thermostat
Replacing your car’s thermostat can be done by most DIYers in about 3 hours or less. You’ll need some basic tools like a socket set and wrenches, as well as an extra pair of hands to help hold parts in place while you screw them back together.
Before you get started, make sure that your car is cool enough to touch without the risk of burning yourself. You’ll also want to remove any belts, fans or anything else that may be in the way when working on your engine.
Now that you’re ready to start work, I’ll go through how to replace a car’s thermostat. In this example, I’ll be working on a 2001 Honda Civic LX Sedan that uses the traditional thermostat system common in older cars. The steps will vary depending on what type of vehicle you have and how it’s designed. Note: These instructions are for the front end of your engine. If you’re working on the rear (rear-wheel drive), refer to the rear section of your owner’s manual for additional information about replacing parts back there.
First, you’ll want to remove the fan shroud and fan. This will give you access to the water pump and thermostat housing.
- Disconnect the battery by removing the negative cable from the battery’s post.
- Remove the fan and its housing (this may require a wrench or socket set).
- Unscrew the two bolts holding down the fan shroud and remove them from the car.
- Use a wrench to disconnect the power steering belt from its pulley.
- Use a socket set to remove the pulley that holds the fan’s power steering belt.
- Remove the two belts from their respective locations and disconnect the rest by hand so they don’t fall off completely.
- Unscrew the water pump from its housing and place it in a safe location where you can get at it later on when needed for replacement.
Now that you’ve removed all of the parts necessary, you’ll want to clean out the area around the thermostat car housing. This will give you access to the rest of your engine and make it easier for you to work on while replacing the thermostat.
- Remove all traces of dirt or oil from around the area where you’ll be working so that they don’t get into any of the new components when you install them later on.
- Use some degreaser or carburettor cleaner to spray down the exposed areas of your engine block, as well as any other parts that may have oil or dirt on them.
- Clean up any traces of degreaser with a rag and some water so they don’t get into your new components when you put them in later on. Now that the area is clear, it’s time to remove the thermostat itself. You’ll need an extra pair of hands for this part because it can be difficult working around two sides of the engine at once.
- Unscrew the thermostat from the car housing and set it aside. You may need to use a wrench for extra leverage when removing the thermostat from its housing.
- Use an oiled rag to clean off any traces of coolant that may have gotten onto your engine block or new thermostat. Now that you’ve removed the old thermostat, it’s time to replace it with a new one. 13. Put the new thermostat in place and screw it down with a socket set.
- Install the water pump back in its housing and tighten it down with an adjustable wrench or socket set. If you’re having trouble getting your new thermostat to fit, try loosening up the water pump so you have more room to work with. 15. Replace the power steering belt and tighten it down with a belt-tightener tool. Make sure that the belt isn’t too loose or too tight when tightening it down.
- Install the fan and its housing. Make sure that it’s installed in the same place as before so you don’t have any trouble tightening down its bolts later on.
- Install the fan shroud and tighten it with an adjustable wrench or socket set.
- Replace the battery by connecting the positive cable to its post, and then replacing the negative cable back into its post.
- Start your car and check for leaks using a wet rag around all of the areas where you replaced parts or tightened them down. If there are any leaks, you’ll want to fix them right away before they damage your engine block or other components.
That’s it! You’ve successfully replaced your car’s thermostat and saved yourself a few hundred dollars in the process. Now that you know how easy it is to replace your car’s thermostat, why not do it yourself? It will save you time and money, and help you learn more about your vehicle in the process.