Where exactly is the Thermostat located on a 97 Dodge Dakota and when do you know its gone bad?
Monday, April 19th, 2010 at
3:01 pm
What kind of signs would I be getting if It had gone bad? I have water leaking from a mysterious location I believe to be around the Thermostat. I can send a picture of what Im seeing to anyone who thinks they would be of any help to me. Thanks ahead of time. Poor college student in need.
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the thermostat is located in the engine see for the top of the radiator hose fallow that hose to the engine You will see some kin of a metalic ball and then the engine block.
the thermostat is inside that ball.
the thermostat open at 180 degrees and close at 179 degrees.
you may have a small hose leak around the stat .when a stat goes bad the motor gets way too hot because no circulation is go on ..as a consequence when the motor has had enough then
the water will go flying out the bottom hose back into the radiator and erupt like a volcano out of the radiator in spectacular form and burn hell out of everythang within reach of the radiator cap. vomiting a brown nasty liquid out at temperatures in excess of 200 degrees f. not very nice.most of these do not leak…they puke! a tiny leak can be spotted quickly by waiting till the motor is cooled down and filling up the radiator and letting the engine compartment dry out and using a pressure pump on the radiator and pump up the pressure and see if you can spot any leaks or if its a tiny leak make a note of the pressure reading on the pump and go get some coffee and come back in a while and see if the pressure has dropped. If its a tiny leak then you may be able to cure that with a simple powdery product called stop leak DON’T use the liquid stuff. use the powder.
Follow the upper radiator hose back from the radiator. The point where the hose reaches the engine is usually where you will find the t-stat housing. One symptom of a failing t-stat is constant overheating. An over full coolant reservore can also occure. Luke warm heat from the hvac when hot is selected is another one that comes to mind
. Thermostats usually fail in a safe or open position. The coolant leak sounds like a gasket failure. That costs about $5.00 for a gasket or silicone sealant.