Rexburg and Idaho Falls Auto Repair

While you might not need a thermometer to determine it is hot outside, you will undoubtedly want access to one to know if your engine is overheating or not. The thermostat in your car will work a bit differently than your household thermometer. It responds to fluctuations in temperature by opening and closing to allow coolant to flow to the engine when necessary. How Does It Work? Your car's thermostat is filled with wax. This allows it to stay in close contact with the coolant that is moving through your engine. When the temperature in the engine begins to rise, the coolant will get hotter as well. This will melt the wax, which will, in turn, put the rod attached to the thermometer outward. This will enable the coolant to flow freely when necessary. When you start your car after it has been sitting for a long time, the thermometer will naturally be in its closed position. This is because you need the engine to warm up a bit in order to get started. The lack of coolant will allo ... read more