Why does engine temperature drop to almost cold when I go down hill?

10

Asked by Shmeeloo Dec 10, 2015 at 12:49 PM about the 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer ES

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My car was overheating, and thank God I caught that and made it to the mechanic. He switched the thermostat, but the radiator still wasn't heating up. He tried putting a hole in the t-stat, didn't help.(Could it have?) it turns out the water pump was totally dead (the "teeth" fell out!), and he switched it out. Now the engine takes a good while to warm up, and if I go down hill... the engine actually cools down.. to 1/8 the gauge, instead of staying right in the middle. Did the mechanic ruin the t-stat? Is it stuck in open? The only way to prove this to him is to have him drive up a big hill with me... the temp gauge stays in the middle when its idling by the time I get to the mechanic's. Any advice? Thanks!

4 Answers

143,545

It will be the hole he drilled in thermostat,put you a new one in it.

1 people found this helpful.
10

Is it really bad for the engine to run cold like that sometimes? How long can I drive with it like this? I've heard of people expanding the hole on t-stats a bit... why do this?

1 people found this helpful.

Because they hear things they don't understand, and drill holes in parts that are engineered a certain way for a reason. Yes, a cold running engine is very bad. It is designed to run at a relatively high temperature and cooled by the circulation of coolant by water pump. It is NOT wise to mess around modifying a thermostat. The manufacturers know what they are doing, and 'why' ? Because they think they know more than the designers and engineers

2 people found this helpful.

The engine will not run as efficiently as it should if it is cold all the time and you won't have heat inside the car.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Lancer

Looking for a Used Lancer in your area?

CarGurus has 131 nationwide Lancer listings starting at $4,977.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Daniel Foster
    Reputation
    360
  • #2
    bejeanntte
    Reputation
    330
  • #3
    Michael McGrail
    Reputation
    310
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
3 Great Deals out of 9 listings starting at $14,795
Used Honda Civic
186 Great Deals out of 4,226 listings starting at $2,499
Used Toyota Corolla
139 Great Deals out of 2,287 listings starting at $3,495
Used Mitsubishi Eclipse
6 listings starting at $4,500
Used Toyota Camry
45 Great Deals out of 1,150 listings starting at $3,900
Used Ford Mustang
54 Great Deals out of 1,606 listings starting at $6,200
Used Mazda MAZDA3
89 Great Deals out of 1,278 listings starting at $2,966
Used Honda Accord
53 Great Deals out of 1,019 listings starting at $2,995
Used Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback
20 listings starting at $7,995
Used Subaru Impreza
36 Great Deals out of 652 listings starting at $5,995
Used Volkswagen Golf GTI
27 Great Deals out of 592 listings starting at $6,898
Used BMW 3 Series
63 Great Deals out of 1,233 listings starting at $3,995
Used Lexus IS
29 Great Deals out of 400 listings starting at $5,400
Used Dodge Charger
31 Great Deals out of 972 listings starting at $4,888

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.