Article by Steamboat L. Salter

If you auto’s passenger compartment is too chilly this winter – even though you have your car’s interior heater blasting away – and your vehicle’s engine is no doubt warmed up – then your problem can easily be your automobile engines “thermostat”. The thermostat in your auto’s power plant works somewhat in a similar – though somewhat in a different manner than the thermostat at your home or office.

Although an auto gasoline engine must be cooled by the radiator and cooling system, your engine cannot be cooled excessively. Engine parts work better and best within certain temperature ranges. Most motorists know full well that there vehicle’s engine performs best when “warmed up”. To warm up the temperature quickly and maintain the temperature at a desired level, an automotive component called a “thermostat “is employed.

The thermostat is basically an automatic temperature sensitive valve, which is closed until the glycol anti-freeze engine coolant warms up sufficiently. The closed thermostat keeps the engine coolant circulating at that point only throughout the engine – as opposed to being circulated in the cooling system – including the radiator – whose job is to reduce and eliminate heat. Instead of allowing cool fluid to pass needlessly through the radiator – cooling the antifreeze fluid “down” and thus preventing the fluids from warming up, a closed thermostat does its job well, and thus retains and limits circulating coolant fluids in the warm areas of the engine only. Hence you’re motor, and eventually the warm coolant which will flow to the heater of your automobile’s interior can warm up much much faster and give you the luxury of good heat output – and thus a nice and toasty warm car interior. Once the engine does indeed warm up, the thermostat will function accordingly opening up its passageway and permitting the now warm coolant to flow through, into the hose on top of the radiator. By now you as an auto driver will be enjoying a good flow of solid heat from the heater inside of the passenger compartment.

The coolant in a standard, typical engine is generally maintained at temperatures in the ranges of 180 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. On a hot day in the summer however, coolant temperatures may rise greatly to as high as 250 degrees F., particularly if the engine itself is being strained and working hard. This can occur for example when a vehicle is climbing a mountain, pulling a heavy trailer behind it, or even sitting in heavy traffic where the air circulation is poor.

However thermostats sometimes fail. They may just not work, they may be old a non functional or any of a number of reasons. If the thermostat of your car fails – is non-functional and remains in an “open “position, then the anti-freeze in your engine and of course interior heater core, can never really warm up and get hot. A thermostat that always remains open, and cannot close, often on the cold and certainly the coldest days will never allow engine coolant to fully heat up. Cold heating fluid to your car heater, and thus little or no heat what so ever. True this may be an inconvenience of sorts to you and your motoring party. In addition however this can well be a safety hazard as well.

Without a functioning heater in your passenger compartment – and especially if you are transporting a number of passengers – your defrost function of your heater will not work well. Your defroster may throw up air onto the windshield. However it can only be cold air which will not thaw out frost on the windows. On top of that if you have passengers additional condensation and frost may well be deposited on all your windows as well – obstructing your view of the road and roadways and creating unnecessary driving hazards.

The automotive and safety message is. If your engine will not warm up sufficiently – even in summertime driving, then it’s a simple matter to have your vehicle’s engine thermostat checked. If this automotive component is found or deemed to be troublesome or not functioning correctly then it’s a simple and relatively inexpensive matter of replacement of the thermostat part by your local garage, auto dealer or local mechanic.