Comparing the Price of Used Car to the Price of a New Car

Part 5 - DIY
The car worked great for a while! No more overheating. Easy commutes, reckless accelleration and carefree air-conditioning use.

By the end of August the weather was at maximum roast and the car was overheating again. If I had originally brought it to the dealership, would this problem have been solved already? Did I screw myself by involving three different teams of mechanics?

It seemed like the elite skill of a mechanic is troubleshooting. You've got a hood full of expensive parts bolted together, which ones do you replace?

My next step was to try it myself. I have some tools, and an inordinate trust of Youtube videos. It was time to replace the thermostat myself. I hated not knowing what the hell was actually going on in my engine. The fan was working, the radiator seemed full... why was the goddamn engine overheating? Surely this thermostat was staying closed when the engine got hot.

A thermostat, cold in the photo above, hot in the photo below. The difference is that the top spring is compressed in the bottom photo, opening a pathway through the sombrero-shaped top.

I bought a new thermostat and a gasket. Maybe the springs on the thermostat were getting softened by hot water or something. I went ahead and tested the new one in a pot of hot water. It was enlightening to see it work. At about 170 degrees, the center cylinder slid down, opening a path within. It worked, and I felt confident it was going to work when I got it into my car.

For added difficulty, I decided to start at midnight in a poorly-lit garage. I felt bulletproof!
I drained the radiator, unbolted the housing and pulled out the (one month) old thermostat. It looked unbroken.

Are you really doing car repair if you don't have to fix a bike to ride to the parts shop?

I discovered three ways to fail. First, I used what I thought was a gasket, but what turned out to be a sticker in the shape of a gasket.

Second, I overtightened one of the bolts and cracked the housing. The third try was the charm. I successfully got the thermostat installed. I also took special care to bleed all the air out of the cooling fluid system.
Tragically, this didn't help. The car overheated anyway.

Please Continue Reading Page 6 >

back to the introduction