Optimum temperature plays an important role in the excellent performance that you continue to enjoy in your Mercedes. This is why you should be very concerned when your thermostat shows signs of failure. If left unchecked and the engine gets too hot, you may not get the right reading. This will leave your engine exposed to potential heat damage which can be grave enough to warrant an engine overhaul. Let’s take a closer look at some of the causes of thermostat failure and what you should do if this occurs in your Mercedes.
As the engine your Mercedes runs, it produces heat from the combustion of air mixed with fuel. Some of this heat is what is used to power your Mercedes. What is left, which is the bigger portion, needs to be removed from the engine so it doesn’t overheat. This is where the cooling system comes in.
The thermostat in your Mercedes is the component in the cooling system that controls the flow of coolant liquid throughout the cooling system. This valve is responsible for ensuring the right amount of coolant liquid flows through the engine when the temperature gets to a certain degree. The thermostat communicates the engine temperature to the temperature gauge which lights up on your dashboard when something is off.
When the thermostat in your Mercedes fails, it will be unable to detect the temperature changes in the engine. This means that if the temperature gets above optimum, it may not be able to sense that and allow coolant to come from the radiator and flow through the engine to cool it. The result is that your engine may overheat, opening it up to bigger problems.
Common Causes of Thermostat Failure
One of the main causes of thermostat failure is wear and tear. The thermostat wears out over time like all other vehicle components. The rate of wear could be made faster by the excessive amounts of heat in your engine as it runs. A worn out thermostat will likely create bigger problems, such as coolant leaks. Since the thermostat is a valve that allows for the flow of coolant, when it fails this flow will be significantly hampered. This could result in the coolant leaking out of the cooling system and onto other parts of the engine.
Leaking coolant leaves your engine exposed to overheating. You should have your Mercedes serviced before it gets to that level. A Mercedes specialist will help you to identify the source of your leaks, because thermostat failure is not always the cause.
Other than naturally wearing out, your thermostat may be failing because of a faulty temperature gauge. Remember, the temperature gauge gets information from the thermostat and communicates it to the car’s onboard computer, which then acts based on that information. So when the temperature gauge is faulty, it may send off the wrong information, throwing off the cooling system, including the thermostat. To correctly diagnose this problem, you’ll need to contact a Mercedes specialist who is familiar with such issues.
Look for These Signs of Thermostat Failure
When the thermostat in your Mercedes fails, you’ll notice some signs pointing to the issue. The first sign is that the temperature gauge on your dashboard will remain red. The temperature gauge will likely be receiving the wrong information from the thermostat. The engine overheating light may also stay on if the thermostat fails because there’ll be no coolant flowing through the thermostat to cool off the engine.
In the same vein, the temperature gauge on your dashboard may also be erratic. You may notice that it indicates very high temperatures one minute then the next it reads low. This could be caused by the thermostat sending out the wrong data to the temperature gauge.
Another sign of thermostat failure is coolant leaks in the thermostat housing or under your car. The source of the coolant leak would need to be verified by a professional mechanic.
Motor Cars International
When your engine overheats, the components can 
easily deteriorate fast, causing you to need expensive repairs. To prevent this from happening you should seek the help of our Mercedes specialist to help you fix the problem as soon as possible.
Motor Cars International can help you maintain the life of your Mercedes. We proudly serve customers in and around in Easton, Norton, Raynham, Sharon, or Bridgewater, MA. Call us as soon as you see any signs of thermostat failure and we’ll fix it quickly for your safety and peace of mind.