So I suspect that my thermostat is stuck open, but I want to run by the symptoms with you guys to see if I'm right.
1. The car stays cold a long time. My car knocks when cold, and it stays cold for about 15-20 minutes after starting it. I can warm the car in my driveway for 15 minutes and it'll still knock until I've driven the car a little bit.
2. Heater isn't completely hot. I recently took a small road trip (about 60-70 minutes on the freeway) and even after it running for over an hour, the heater is blowing warm air at best. I thought the heater core might be clogged up, but in junction with the other problems, I think the thermostat might be stuck open.
3. When I first got the car in the summer, it would warm up so the gauge was sticking straight up (between the R and M of norm) but now the hottest it EVER gets is just barely above the blue area in C. At first I attributed this to the fact that during the summer, my heater was always off. But now that it's winter, my defroster is always on.
If you guys agree that the thermostat is to blame, can you give me some tips on replacing it? I've seen thermostats replaced before, but I dont even know where it is on my car, or how to replace it.
Thanks guys.
1. The car stays cold a long time. My car knocks when cold, and it stays cold for about 15-20 minutes after starting it. I can warm the car in my driveway for 15 minutes and it'll still knock until I've driven the car a little bit.
2. Heater isn't completely hot. I recently took a small road trip (about 60-70 minutes on the freeway) and even after it running for over an hour, the heater is blowing warm air at best. I thought the heater core might be clogged up, but in junction with the other problems, I think the thermostat might be stuck open.
3. When I first got the car in the summer, it would warm up so the gauge was sticking straight up (between the R and M of norm) but now the hottest it EVER gets is just barely above the blue area in C. At first I attributed this to the fact that during the summer, my heater was always off. But now that it's winter, my defroster is always on.
If you guys agree that the thermostat is to blame, can you give me some tips on replacing it? I've seen thermostats replaced before, but I dont even know where it is on my car, or how to replace it.
Thanks guys.
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