Can I drive my car if the thermostat is bad

[Shanda]

Can I drive my car if my thermostat is bad I need to take my car to get the
part and then drive about 20 miles to have my son in law put it on is that
gonna hurt the car

--
posted from
http://www.motorsforum.com/tech/can-i-drive-my-car-if-the-thermostat-is-bad-115019-.htm
using MotorsForum's Web, RSS and Social Media Interface to
rec.autos.tech and other automotive groups

[.]

On 8/23/2014 9:18 AM, Shanda wrote:
> Can I drive my car if my thermostat is bad I need to take my car to get the
> part and then drive about 20 miles to have my son in law put it on is that
> gonna hurt the car

How do you know it's bad? Is it stuck open or closed? Although
not a good practice to drive w/o a thermostat, if it is stuck closed
(no flow through it), you'll absolutely have to remove it first, then
you can use the vehicle just for the period you describe.

[Steve W.]

Shanda wrote:
> Can I drive my car if my thermostat is bad I need to take my car to get the
> part and then drive about 20 miles to have my son in law put it on is that
> gonna hurt the car
>

Depends on what you mean by bad. How do you know it's bad?

If it's stuck open so the engine takes a long time to heat up, then you
shouldn't have a problem other than it doesn't warm up.

If it's stuck closed so that the engine overheats then you won't want to
drive it because it will likely overheat.

IF you think it's bad because it has already gotten hot or overheated
then it may be that damage has already been done. Depends on the engine,
how hot it got and what you did when it got hot.


--
Steve W.

[JR]

If you take it out and want to test it,see what the temperature rating on the it says. Put it in a pan of water on your stove. Turn on the heat and check it with a thermometer. If it is good, you should see it start opening.

[Scott Dorsey]

Shanda <065b0505594b06f549...@example.com> wrote:
>Can I drive my car if my thermostat is bad I need to take my car to get the
>part and then drive about 20 miles to have my son in law put it on is that
>gonna hurt the car

If it's broken in a way that the engine is running too cold, you'll be fine
for 20 miles. If it's broken in a way that the engine is running too hot,
don't drive it. Watch the gauge on the instrument panel and see which it is.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[kassim...@gmail.com]

no you cant drive

[paulama...@gmail.com]

My thermostat gage is not moving at all can i drive it. Its a 2001 lmp

[Scott Dorsey]

In article <f018eb6b-520a-41d2...@googlegroups.com>,

<paulama...@gmail.com> wrote:
>My thermostat gage is not moving at all can i drive it. Its a 2001 lmp

Maybe, but I'd fix it. The thermostat is likely fine... but someday it
might not be and you'll never know until you ruin the engine. So fix the
gauge. Likely it's just the sender and you won't even have to go into
the dashboard.

[Paul Hovnanian P.E.]

paulama...@gmail.com wrote:

> My thermostat gage is not moving at all can i drive it. Its a 2001 lmp

Fix the gauge. Or buy an Ultra Gauge. Plug into OBDII port and get a real-
time display of all available engine parameters.

--
Paul Hovnanian mailto:Pa...@Hovnanian.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.
-- Tom Waits

[Sanity Clause]

<paulama...@gmail.com> wrote

> My thermostat gage is not moving at all can i drive it. Its a 2001 lmp

I'm only a week late. Hopefully you haven't destroyed your engine yet. :)

If the engine coolant is too low (or empty), the sensor won't be immersed, and
won't send a proper signal to the gauge. Once the engine gets so hot from
lack of coolant that it's about to melt, the heat will "soak" through the sensor's
body and the gauge will move. Please check your coolant level before that.

[Liz]

replying to Steve W., Liz wrote:
Steve my heater blows cold air. Someone told me it's my thermostat any feed
back for me? Its a 97 town car lincoln

--
for full context, visit https://www.motorsforum.com/tech/can-i-drive-my-car-if-the-thermostat-is-bad-115019-.htm

[AMuzi]

On 11/14/2018 8:18 AM, Liz wrote:
> replying to Steve W., Liz wrote:
> Steve my heater blows cold air. Someone told me it's my
> thermostat any feed
> back for me? Its a 97 town car lincoln
>

I do not know.

But I certainly would not turn the key on that or any other
vehicle until checking the coolant level and checking the
oil stick for white/tan crud.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

[Steve W.]

Liz wrote:
> replying to Steve W., Liz wrote: Steve my heater blows cold air.
> Someone told me it's my thermostat any feed back for me? Its a 97
> town car lincoln
>

There are a few things that can cause that, a bad thermostat is one.
However there are a few things you can check.
One - is the coolant full?
Two - Start the engine. Let it run about a minute. Now put your hand on
the upper radiator hose. Is the hose warm? If it is there is a good
chance the thermostat is stuck open. With it closed the coolant should
stay in the engine and the hose shouldn't be heating up yet.
Three - After it has run for a while touch the two hoses that feed the
heater core. With the heat ON they should both be about the same
temperature. If one is hot and the other is noticeably cooler you have a
bad heater core and the coolant isn't getting through it.
Four - If all the above seem to be correct and working properly it can
be that the blend door inside the heater case itself isn't moving. That
would likely be a bad actuator or controller.

If you want a more in depth reply along with images and such you can
visit 2CarPros.com. It's a free site where we answer automotive
questions. Be sure to give as much information as you can about the
vehicle please.

--
Steve W.

[thekma...@gmail.com]

Shanda: I don't know if it's the case nowadays, but back in
my day - pre-1980s - quite a few folks were driving around
with replacement thermostats installed backwards in higher
mileage cars. Didn't affect engine performance or drivability,
but the driver had no knowlledge of engine temperature until
steam started shooting from underhood, lol!

I'm dismayed how back then something as simple as an
engine thermostat wasn't KEYED to make it impossible to
install more than one way.

[Xeno]

Anyone with a clue will *know* that the element needs to be towards the
*source of the heat*. IOW, it needs to face down towards the cylinder
head. If someone installs one backwards, don't ever let them near your
car. They are total nuff nuffs.

--

Xeno


Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing.
(with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson)

[thekma...@gmail.com]

Xeno wrote: "If someone installs one backwards, don't ever let them near your

car. They are total nuff nuffs. "

Well apparently it was a pretty common mistake,
back then, as I heard about it and read about it
often in magazines and early on when Usenet
started.

[Xeno]

As I said, the people were nuff nuffs and definitely not *thinkers*.
Most likely not properly trained to boot. Not the sort of people you
want working on *your* car.

[thekma...@gmail.com]

"definitely not *thinkers*.
Most likely not properly trained to boot. Not the sort of people you
want working on *your* car. "

And it happened both in licensed garages
and with doityourselfers under shady
trees.

[Xeno]

As I said, and for the third time, definitely not thinkers.

Not everyone in licenced garages is properly trained and many aren't
qualified. I've been in the trade for 50 years and have seen it all. I
should write a book!

[Kevin Bottorff]

thekma...@gmail.com wrote in news:0ba1ab01-95bf-43d1-aa65-
0402b9...@googlegroups.com:

I don`t know where you came up with this stupidity, but as a wrench back
then it was NOT a common thing. very few cars could they even be put in
backward and it would overheat in a short time if you did do it. And I
NEVER heard of a pro shop doing it, only some dyiers. KB

[Xeno]

Pretty much how I see it.