How to Deal with Your Jaguar’s Thermostat Housing Failure in Houston

A component that can wear down over time is your Jaguar’s thermostat housing. This housing is the protective case that covers your actual thermostat and is situated near the engine block of most Jaguars. The exact position may vary depending on your particular model.

The thermostat housing doesn’t just protect your thermostat but also helps coolant to circulate from the engine by allowing it to travel through the thermostatic valve. In your Jaguar, the thermostat housing is connected to radiator hoses, which are connected to the radiator. As your Jaguar is running, the thermostat housing sits in the perfect position to allow coolant to continuously flow.

This connection between the radiator and the thermostat housing means that coolant is continually flowing to the radiator, ensuring the proper temperature of your engine component.

The Most Common Signs of a Faulty Thermostat Housing

If your Jaguar is overheating, the temperature gauge could indicate extreme heat in as little as 15 minutes after starting the engine. An overheating engine is always the surest sign that your engine is not getting the coolant it needs to stay at an optimal temperature.

If this is happening, it is possible that the thermostatic valve on the thermostat housing is stuck in the closed position, which would inevitably cause your engine to overheat and will lead to serious damage if left unfixed.

While the thermostat housing on your Jaguar can cause problems if the thermostatic valve is stuck in the closed position, it can also cause complications if it is stuck in the open position. If the thermostatic valve is stuck open, you’ll see the temperature gauge reading on the cooler side. An engine that is either too hot or too cold will not operate effectively. An added complication of a cold engine could be increased emission levels.

Another indicator of a thermostatic valve that is stuck in the closed position is the coolant is leaking. The leaking occurs because the thermostatic valve is now blocking the flow of the coolant. You can usually tell when a thermostat housing is leaking with a quick visual check of the surrounding components and beneath your Jaguar.

Five Things That Can Cause Your Thermostat Housing to go Bad

Your Jaguar needs the thermostat housing to work properly in order to operate efficiently and correctly. There are a several things that can cause it to fail:

1. Improper Installation

An improperly-installed thermostat or thermostat housing can lead to some major issues. One of the most common problems involves installing the bleeder (or jiggle) thermostatic valve upside down. An upside-down bleeder thermostatic valve will prevent air from being able to bleed from the cooling system.

Another common installation issue can occur if the thermostat is installed backward. A thermostat that is pointing backward will cause the temperature sensor to pick up the temperature of the radiator instead of the engine. The thermostat will still open and close, but there will be a long delay because the heat will have to travel a longer distance before reaching the thermostat.

2. Overheating Engine

Just as an overheating engine can be a sign of a faulty thermostat housing, an engine that is overheating due to a different reason can cause a thermostat housing to go bad in the first place. The reason for this cause and effect is that the internal components in the thermostat are only designed to handle normal operating temperatures. Severely heated conditions can cause damage to these components.

3. Defect

As with any automotive part, thermostat housings are mass-produced. After these parts come off the manufacturer’s line, they are inspected by workers. Human inspections leave room for human error, and sometimes a damaged part can make its way to the production line.

4. Sludge

All automotive fluids can become contaminated over time, and coolant is no exception. When coolant becomes contaminated, it can congeal into a thick sludge-like substance. If this sludge makes its way into the thermostat housing or valve, it can cause the flow to become restricted or stopped altogether. Sludgy coolant can also prevent the thermostat from getting an accurate reading and cause delays in the thermostatic valve operation. This can lead to overheating or overcooling.

5. Age

The thermostat housing can simply break down naturally over time. The constant heating and cooling can cause the components to start to fail. You may begin to notice your engine starting to overheat or over cool as time goes by.

European Service Center for Your Jaguar’s Thermostat Housing

You love your Jaguar and you don’t want to trust an unqualified technician under the hood. If you live in the Houston, Alpharetta, Chamblee, Norcross, Dunwoody, Buckhead, Roswell, or Atlanta, GA, areas, you can trust your Jaguar to our professional and certified team at European Service Center. Call us today for an appointment.