TransWikia.com

Does drilling a hole in thermostat affect engine temperature during cruising speed? (Please read my explanations before answering)

Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Asked on June 28, 2021

I want to drill a tiny hole in my thermostat to help get rid of the air which is trapped behind the thermostat after replacing my coolant. Unfortunately, my car has only one bleeding screw which is before the thermostat.
I just want to make the hole for air bleeding purposes (not for bringing the temp down) but I’m worried about engine temp when I’m cruising at highway speeds.
My thermostat is rated at 83 degrees Celsius and engine temp on the highway is around 80.
What I want to know is whether one tiny hole in thermostat can cause the engine to run cooler or not?
I don’t want to make my engine run cooler than normal.

2 Answers

Yes, you can drill a small hole in your thermostat if you're bothered that you won't be able to bleed the system without it and no, it won't make any appreciable difference to the operation of the system

If you think about it, the effect of turning your car heater on will have a greater cooling effect on the engine than allowing a 1 mm wide low velocity stream of water through the radiator. If a car engine could be effectively cooled by a tiny stream of water then radiator hoses wouldn't need to be 2-3 inches wide

If you remain bothered about drilling a hole perhaps instead consider wedging the thermostat open a tiny amount using a chunk of something that will melt (wax) or dissolve (a fragment of a boiled sweet)* so that it will go away but honestly, as the commenters have indicated, the designers of your car's cooling system knew what they were doing and unless you're certain that your car came with a holed thermostat (that you've since replaced with a non-holed one) and you've certainly caused yourself a problem, then I wouldn't worry about it

* I wouldn't personally do these things because I don't think there is a need, but i offer them as ideas because it may help you sleep at night

Answered by Caius Jard on June 28, 2021

Waste of time. Air can already leak through the thermostat.

Thermostats are baffles, not seals. The difference is a seal prevents all flow, a baffle only prevents significant flow. Baffles are used when the same fluid is on both sides and when a small amount of leakage is tolerable.

Answered by Harper - Reinstate Monica on June 28, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP