opposite of engine overheating

[Esteban]

Hi. Im kinda new to all this (being cars/ blogs and car maintenance) i want to know if any of you guys know and can help me solve one of the issues im facing with the car i bought… engine takes a very long time to reach operation temperature, and the temperaure gauge never or jus a few times gets to the middle. Also when i fill the radiator (which its everyday) when the car is not on i almost dont have to pour any water but once i turn the engine on the water goes away and when i fill it there lots of tinny bubbles. Can you please advise me on what to do and how to fix this issue?
Thank you.

Topic

[dan]

make, model and year of your car?

in most cases what causes your car to warm up slowly or not warm up at all is a stuck open thermostat!

your thermostat at cold start should be closed restricting coolant flow to the engine and the heater core, then once your engine coolant reaches a temperature the thermostat is supposed to open at typically 180 190 degrees, this allows the engine to maintain a temp of 190-220 degrees typically, and also allows the engine to warm up faster so you can drive it quicker and have heat fast during cold winters.

[Esteban]

99 Dodge Durango Slt 5.9 v8

so, i should change the thermosat? is that a somewhat easy diy? Should i replace the radiator itself? is that the main reason why i have no coolant at the end of the day even when i make sure it is topped off?
I leave in a very hot place there is no winters here lol the coldest would be around 28 Celsius i think its around mid 80?
Thank you for your help.

[Jeremy Winter]

I would certainly start with the thermostat and it should be pretty painless (time and money) because it’s right there on top and the part is cheap. Here is a video I found that will at least show you where it is at. Make sure you note which direction the thermostat is in there before you take the old one off. You DON’T want to put it in backwards.

Do you see coolant on the ground when you park it for awhile? Notice the smell of it when driving? Anything like that?

[Esteban]

Thank you for the video, ive seen a different one where you have to take off the air compressor and some pulleys but this one seems like something i can actually do without loosing my mind trying to remember what goes where. To answer your question, im not sure theres a leak, and the radiator seems like its bent but i cannot afford to change it right now since its like 300 usd and for that reason i only fill it up with water, i have change the oil and filter 2 times in the last month and i do not see any water in there. The smell when i drive it… well im not sure what does it smell like.. and that is a complete different issue im having…. when the engine or at least the temperature gauge shows in the middle theres some grayish smoke coming out of exhaust but again this is only when it reaches the middle point on the gauge. How can i fix this? i really appreciate all your help, i would take it to a mechanic but believe it or not there are no reputable mechanics in my area and i rather do everything myself whatever way i can and make sure its done with the right parts.
Again, thank you for your help.

[Esteban]

So I’m replacing the thermostat… Just to find this!!!! (See pic please) it seems to be no thermostat at all and the housing and everything looks like a horror movie! Please help me, is this supposed to look like that? What should I do? Just clean around it real good and place the thermostat with a new housing and all that? Seriously please help me!!!!

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[James]

You have a lot of issues going on and replacing the thermostat is the least of them. If you are constantly putting water into the radiator then you need to find and repair the leak. If that means replacing a $300 radiator then so be it, it’s a lot cheaper than the damage you can, and will, cause to that engine by being cheap on the repair. Secondly, if you are putting straight water into the radiator you are causing two issues: 1st issue is that plain water is better at heat transfer than a proper mix of water and engine coolant, that would probably be why the engine is taking a long time to get to operating temperature. The other problem with just putting in plain water instead of at least a 50/50 mix of water and coolant is that you are robbing the coolant system of the corrosion inhibitors it needs. You are literally creating a galvanic cell between the iron engine block and whatever non-iron metals the coolant system has within it and it will rapidly corrode itself and fill with sediment as it does so. This will either create a severe blockage within the coolant system or cause a perforation within the engine, radiator, or heater core. Don’t waste time and money on the thermostat (and don’t use one that has a different operating temperature than what is specified by Dodge), fix the real problem first.

[Brandon Driskill]

Another idea on where the coolant/water is going, is into the combustion chamber. If you have steam coming from the exhaust, there’s a good chance that you have a bad head gasket. That would account for the bubbles in the coolant and coolant loss. Best of luck.

[Author]

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