QuestionHello, I have a 1996 Eclipse, the base model, and it runs cold all of the time. The only time the gauge raises is when the car is idleing. With this happening I am not able to get heat either. Could this problem be from the thermostat being stuck open? If so could you explain where to locate it and how hard it would be to change? Thank you.
Dirk Peterman
AnswerDirk,
Yes, most likely your thermostat is stuck open, or may even have hole in it. I've had both instances happen on my cars.
If you follow your upper radiator hose back, you find a cooling pipe with your radiator cap on it. The pipe is connected to your thermostat housing. The thermostat is located inside. If it's been a few years or over 30,000 miles since you last flush and filled your coolant, this is an excellent time. You'll need to drain some of your coolant anyway before you'll want to replace the thermostat. Places like AutoZone do sell thermostats that will fit your car, and they go around $7-$15. Also, those places also sell service manuals for about $15, which will walk you through, step by step to replace your thermostat. And if you do a complete coolant flush on your own, the anti-freeze will go for around $7.
So if you have a few free hours on a weekend, and you don't want to pay a mechanic $100 or even $200 to change your thermostat, you could do the job yourself for about $40 (thermostat, manual, anti-freeze). I've replaced several thermostats without even looking at service manuals on several different cars and it's not hard at all. You'll also need a tube of high-temp gasket sealant, so get a recommendation from the auto parts store attendant. That should only cost a dollar or two.
Good luck!
