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car problems
okay so my car usually takes 15 to heat up. if it doesn't, it stops immediately. is there something i can so it would not do that (take 15 minutes to heat up). oh i'm 16 and female...and it's a pretty old car (passed down to me by my aunt) and it's my first car. and since i'm 16, i'm broke.
thanks!!!!!(:
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Maybe give some free advice about: Cars?
Hi there,
There sure is something you can do about this, usually, though if you are anything less than mechanically inclined you should have someone else do it.
Your car has a little widget called a thermostat which regulates water flowing through the radiator.
If the thermostat is stuck in the open position, then the water is always being pumped through the radiator, which means it is always being cooled. If your car is old enough to have a non-electric radiator fan, then it is REALLY being cooled.
I have bad news and good news:
The bad news is that you may need to have someone else change it for you if you aren't mechanically gifted.
The good news is that it is a very cheap part and really easy to change on most cars.
One other thing which should be checked, if your car has one, is the updraft/heat exchanger tube which runs from the exhaust manifold to the air intake on some cars. It uses the heat from the exhaust to help your car warm up, then turns off.
The tube is fragile and often they have fallen off of older cars. It is easy to replace and fairly cheap, so don't worry if you need one.
Since you didn't tell me what year, make and model the car might be, I can only guess at what it has and does not have. If you ask other questions in the future, please include that info as it will help you get the best answers possible.
The last time I had to have a thermostat changed by a mechanic, it only cost $35 including the part. The rest of the time I do them myself and the part is usually around $10 at any auto-parts store.
Heck, if you have a friend who is a car buff... why not ask them to change it for you? Offer them dinner, a movie, a little cash or whatever in exchange. It is really easy to change a thermostat on most cars. Next to the filters it is probably the easiest thing.
Happy heating!
P.S. You are REALLY going to want to get this fixed before winter. :-)
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