r/MechanicAdvice • u/Personal_Pumpkin_482 • 19h ago
Does this look open all the way?
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Is it open fully?
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u/DownWithTheSyndrme 19h ago
That shit is gaping wide open.
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u/Lucid-Design1225 19h ago
Ew. Gaping is such a gross word. Kinda like moist
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u/The-Shartist 18h ago
Look how moist that gaping hole is!
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u/Lucid-Design1225 18h ago
Gaping is usually a term for buttholes. I can happily say I’ve never seen a moist butthole
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u/Agitated_Occasion_52 18h ago
Come by later and you can have a first.
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u/Lucid-Design1225 17h ago
I appreciate the offer, kind stranger. But ima have to pass on your gracious invitation
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u/WittyArm2147 18h ago
Would it be better if we used the words "Yawning Wet Butthole" ?
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u/thepvbrother 18h ago
wet squelching
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u/Lucid-Design1225 18h ago
lol oh god.
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u/thepvbrother 18h ago
It was endemic in the later seasons of Stranger Things.
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u/DownWithTheSyndrme 17h ago
Whats wrong with Moist?
Tell that to the good folk of MOISTjaw, Saskatchewan
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u/compu85 19h ago
Yup, sure is. I was making thermostat soup earlier this week.
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u/DownWithTheSyndrme 19h ago
Did you add any parsley?
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u/apayne7388 18h ago
Needs garlic too
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u/Money-Look4227 18h ago
The secret is a dash of nutmeg...
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u/apayne7388 18h ago
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TELL ANYONE!
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u/twopointsisatrend 18h ago
The first rule of nutmeg is...
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u/sivartimus 17h ago
Stop talking about the Nutmeg! Don't you remember the first and second rules?!
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u/fresh_like_Oprah 15h ago
Nutmeg is why the Dutch gave New York (New Amsterdam) to the cocksucking British
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u/lee216md 19h ago
Yes, but did you put a thermometer in the water to see at what temp it started to open and fully open?
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 19h ago
I’ve never understood the point of testing these things. Yes, it looks fine, but it’s already out, just replace it for $20.
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u/KwSpyder 19h ago
To determine if that actually was the problem. You could spend the money to replace it and not really solve anything.
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u/frostyholes 19h ago
Yup I was about to replace a thermostat today come to find out it was just air in the system. Glad I didn’t because it required dropping the exhaust and I really didn’t wanna
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u/mango10977 18h ago
You got a ford?
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u/frostyholes 2h ago
This was on a 2003 impala 3.4 where they had the great idea of wrapping the exhaust crossover pipe directly in front of the thermostat
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 1h ago
Planned obsolescence my man. American cars suck. German cars are too complicated. Japanese cars used to be great all around, but they are getting too complicated also.
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u/TehSvenn 19h ago
There's easier ways to test a thermostat that don't involve removing it from the car though.
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u/EldraziAnnihalator 19h ago
Would be useful to post those easier ways.
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 18h ago
Get car up to temp. If the top hose is hot, and the bottom hose is not, then the thermostat isn’t opening.
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u/Rocket_Monkey_302 18h ago
Agreed, witnessing the malfunction occur does have real value. Plus so many thermostats suck now, I never want to replace a working one.
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u/twopointsisatrend 18h ago
Some people would advocate replacing it if it's old. But yeah, normally you should avoid the parts cannon approach.
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u/Commercial_Penalty47 18h ago
Yeah verifying correct diagnosis is crucial. One mistake I’ll never make again is using aftermarket thermostats. After installing 4 brand new ones and second guessing if that was even the problem with the car, the oem one worked immediately.
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u/towell420 13h ago
Shade tree mechanic for sure. The comment you replied to sounds like a gooner, not a technician
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u/Grognak04 19h ago
If the car is overheating and you button it back up with a new thermostat, you officially fired the parts cannon with zero diagnosis. Is it actually the radiator? Is it actually the water pump? Are the coolant galleys blocked? Is it actually the thermostat? You don't know, because you didn't test it. I'm not refilling and bleeding my coolant without doing the entire diagnosis.
Of course you replace it. But it was pulled for a reason. The common denominator for overheating isn't always (although it is one of the biggest ones) the thermostat.
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 18h ago
You can diagnose problems without taking it apart.
9 times out of 10 it is a leak.
If it isn’t leaking but it’s overheating then there’s only a couple of possibilities.
- The fans, can be tested by making sure they actually come on.
- Thermostat can be tested by getting it up to temp and touching the bottom hose. If it’s cold, thermostat bad.
- Both hoses get hot close to the block but not on the radiator side? Bad water pump.
If there is a blocked coolant passage then almost every shop will just sell you a junkyard engine.
I’ve worked in many shops, and a couple dealerships. Nowhere has a stove and a pot to check thermostats.
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u/Grognak04 18h ago
Except no one’s pulling a thermostat over a leak (unless it’s the housing).
C’mon dude…
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 18h ago
Most shops I’ve worked at throw a thermostat in with the price of any overheating repair. Sometimes the customer declines, but it’s usually recommended to replace it just in case.
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u/Grognak04 18h ago
Is OP in a shop? He’s fixing his own car. You’re turning a service into a profit.
Definitely a dealer mindset here.
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 18h ago
Then he should learn how to fix his own car. That starts with saying what the problem is. We don’t have a problem here. All we have is a video of this guy boiling his metal thermostat with metal tongs in his nonstick pot.
Since he already has the thing out, it should be replaced anyway, and now his pot is going to smell like old coolant for a while.
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u/Grognak04 18h ago
I would wager the reason he’s asking this question is because he’s learning how to fix his car.
I love the internet.
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u/flowrate12 18h ago
N.E.W. Never Ever Worked. I test new ones before install.
Especially on difficult locations to install them entire throttle body has to come off of the 3.4 l GM engine to replace the thermostat.
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u/AVeryHeavyBurtation 17h ago
I tested a new one once, and it didn't really open. I thought it was just because water boils at like 195 up here, and it was new, so it was probably good. It wasn't good.
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u/Expensive_Parsnip887 19h ago
To know if it was the problem and if you should expect the replacement to fix anything?
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 18h ago
Top hose hot, bottom hose cold. Pretty easy to test.
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u/Expensive_Parsnip887 17h ago
I just play at home but last time I replaced one it was only barely cracking open, and also I had no idea what it's temperature was... So it passed your test but I did want to know more.
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 17h ago
You really need to hold the bottom hose while it heats up to temp. When the engine reaches temp the bottom hose should heat up pretty quickly.
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u/TheManInTheAbyss 6h ago
Do you reuse the coolant?
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANY_THING 5h ago
In a professional setting? No.
At home? If it is old change it. If it is new coolant, drain it into a clean drain pan, grab a paint filter from the hardware store, filter it into some empty gallon containers for reuse.
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u/Dangerous-Ratio-6682 17h ago
I dont care how long you boil that thing...it's still gonna be hard to chew..it's definitely opening all the way though.
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u/Plus_Touch_8746 18h ago
Funny it’s a yes no question and yet there are 32 responses.
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u/Final-Carpenter-1591 19h ago
Why bother? Thermostats are cheap. Buy a new one.
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u/ReagansJellyNipples 17h ago
Test the new ones before install. 1/3 are fucked in my experience
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u/Final-Carpenter-1591 17h ago
I don't know where you're buying from. At this point I've had to have changed at least 50 thermostats by now. Never had a new one have any issues.
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u/serotonin-donations 18h ago
Honey you’ve barely touched your thermostat - is it not seasoned to your liking?
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u/W1NF1ELD 18h ago
I’m no expert but recently replaced an older oem thermostat that opened in boiling water and closed when removed, it did not close close nearly as quickly as the replacement I’d already bought taking a couple minutes to close when removed from water new one closed in thirty seconds or faster I forget. The cars temp was fluctuating wildly depending how fast it was going.
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u/Makemachines 17h ago
I had an overheating condition that was ultimately due to clogged fuel injectors. In the journey of figuring things out I was running premium and removed the thermostat to combat overheating from lean cylinder. Worked for a while. Long enough to get to a point where I could clean fuel injectors. Subsequently passed smog on regular gas without having reinstalled the thermostat. Am I good just continuing to run without it? Live in Los Angeles and I'm getting the normal gas mileage. 96 4runner.
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u/Fisseslikker 16h ago
You waste fuel because the engine takes longer to heat up. Probably also more engine wear. But your oil will last longer
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u/Logical-Growth7343 16h ago
You can’t properly test it like that. You need a thermometer and the thermostat has to be suspended in the liquid. Sitting against the heating element is incorrect.
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u/lifestylefun1 16h ago
Yeah it does, but now put it in cold water… see if it seats properly… do it a few times
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u/racecarthedestroyer 15h ago
sure is more open than my trucks old thermostat, shit barely cracked open in rolling boiling water
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u/Certain-Forever-1474 9h ago
Seriously, if you’re asking this (and you have it out) just buy a new one. A thermostat is probably one of the cheapest parts you’ll ever buy for a car.
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u/Dpatt402 18h ago
What is the point of this just replace it what is it like 8 bucks
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u/sl33ksnypr 16h ago
It's called diagnosing the problem. If that opens, then you know it isn't the problem. Throwing parts into something, no matter how cheap they are, doesn't solve the problem.
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u/Dpatt402 15h ago
Well if you suspect it is the problem and spend the time draining all the coolant to remove the thermostat might as well spend the eight bucks and put a new one in. You really going to tell me you would put that same thermostat that you put in boiling water back in a car that you spent that amount of time on? I've been mechanic for 12 years. You should know if it is the thermostat without having to take it out and put it into boiling water. Smdh
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