Can I drive my car with a broken thermostat?
Yes of course you can! And, you may be surprised by just how far you manage to go, before the engine overheats, seizes, and turns into an immovable, useless, expensive to replace, chunk of metal!It’s probably easier to remove the plates, pour gas all over the inside, and light a match—the effect is about the same. Thermostats invariably fail in the “closed” position so the “shelf life” of a car with a bad thermostat is measured in minutes.You need to borrow a car and go buy another thermostat and gasket—-or at least the gasket. Typically, the cover is held on with two bolts, so use a wrench (or pay a mechanic) to remove the bolts, and then the old thermostat. If you haven’t been able to afford a NEW thermostat, use the new gasket to re-install the cover, and don’t drive too far, especially in winter, til you actually get a new thermostat.
Is it okay to drive your car without thermostats?
If you take out the thermostat then the coolant will just flow 100% by the water pump. Assuming that your system is properly sized so that cutting off flow with the thermostat will result in the proper operating temperature being met then running without a thermostat will always result in a lower than intended operating temperature.Here are some things that will happen:Your engine will run cooler than the desired temperature most all of the time andit will pollute more since it is tuned to run at the designed temperatureYour heater will take longer to become effective since the coolant is used to warm the heater core heat exchanger so you may, on cold days take longer to warm the cabin andmore importantly, it will take much longer to defrost the windshield using the defroster function.Probably it won’t hurt short term to the car engine itself, I don’t think. But in the long term operating it significantly below the designed temperature could have a number of effects, perhaps on lube viscosity, various carbon buildups that lead to other engine performance problems and possibly permanent damage.I once had a mechanic shop replace the thermostat and flush the coolant. When I get it back the car took forever to warm up the heater and get the engine to the temperature. I eventually took off the thermostat housing and found he had placed it about half way off and clamped it down with the housing out of position- it didn’t leak but the gap on one side pretty much made it free flowing.
What does it mean when a car's battery light turns on while the car is moving (eventually car decelerates and stops)?
The alternator is failing or has ceased functioning. Whereas the engine's torque is usually giving your car constant electricity using the alternator, when it fails to do so the battery's reserved power is then used. Usually the battery is only used to start the vehicle. It obviously has enough power to spark the plugs, but only for so long, especially if you are also running your radio, A/C, headlights, etc. Once the battery is dead, the car is dead.This happened to me more than once. The alternator has a finite life in every car, so there comes a time when it will die, and it will almost certainly not be at the most opportune moment. Recognize signs of this happening before it is too late. Mine was failing for months before it inevitably gave in and I finally figured out what was wrong. A similar issue is if your serpentine belt snaps, the engine is no longer running your alternator, whether it's in good shape or not. This will cause more issues than the car just dying in five minutes- the water pump will cease functioning to cool your engine down and you will eventually overheat it and perhaps irreparably damage the vehicle.There are possibly other things that can cause this issue but this seems by and large the most likely.
How long could you drive without a drive belt?
In a modern automobile …one made within the last 20 years or so …it would depend. It may overheat first or it may deplete the battery …or both …before you or the engine stops driving it.The drive belt …aka serpentine belt …drives all or most of the accessories on modern engines.For some vehicles, particularly overhead cam (OHC) vehicles, the water pump is often driven by the belt spinning the cam shaft. On other engines types, overhead valve (OHV) engines in particular, the water pump is driven by the serpentine belt.But in both types of engines the alternator is almost always driven by the serpentine belt.So, in all cases, if the belt breaks you can drive until the battery dies …since that’s the only source of electrical power in the car when the alternator isn’t working. How long the engine will run on just the battery is a function of the health of the battery and whatever other electrical loads there are (like the electric fuel pump, electric cooling fan, AC compressor clutch, HVAC fan, headlights, wipers).If you have an OHC engine where the water pump is run off the cam belt then chances are you won’t overhear the engine right away; a good flow of coolant will be running through the radiator. If you’re running at a steady speed …like on the freeway …the battery will probably die before the engine overheats …but if you’re slogging along in rush hour traffic, maybe not so much.If you have an OHV engine, the water pump gets taken out with the busted belt and you lose good circulation of coolant through the radiator. Chances are the engine will begin to overheat relatively quickly …or at least a lot sooner than for an engine with a working water pump …especially if you’re running in slow moving traffic.So, there ya go.Ideally, being a good car owner, you check that belt for wear and tension and get it fixed before it bites you in the ass.
What could be the cause of a car’s temperature gauge to fluctuate?
There are several possibilities.1) faulty teperature gauge. In this case the gauage will have to be replaced. This is relarively simple and inexpensive depinding on the make and model of the car.2) Issue with the radiator, coolant of the car. This could be caused due to insufficient coolant, leakage of coolant, damage to the radiator of the car. This will require extensive repair. In this case, it is advised to get the issue diagnosed and fixed at the earliest to avoid engine damage due to over heating.Hope this helps. :)
Is it safe to drive a vehicle without power steering fluid?
No it’s not. While you CAN drive without it, the potential failure could result in stranding you on the side of the road. Anything built in the last 15 years most likely has a serpentine belt system that powers all your accessories.When you run out of power steering fluid, the bearings in your power steering pump no longer have lubrication available to keep them cool. Those bearings will fail, the pump will seize and that will result in your serpentine belt to fight against one accessory that is no longer moving. The belt will fly off the engine and all other accessories, water pump, A/C, alternator etc will be powerless and your vehicle will shortly cease to run from overheating or dead battery.