Bad Gas Mileage(thermostat sensor)

[aldwinenriquez]

How is the thermostat sensor related to performance or gas mileage?

I saw this in the web : http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed...ewtrouble.html

11) Wrong or malfunctioning thermostat in cooling system.

Can anybody further explain this?

[daniel2002p]

hmmm im gonna gues that unless the engine is at its peak temp, or colder in this case it takes more gas to keep it running, like when u start the motor cold it revs up till its ward, and if the thermostat is out it would not let it get up to temp and therefore use more gas

D

[Bitter]

2 fold problem
1. takes longer to heat up so it runs in warmup mode longer
2. during normal driving the engine can dip to the warmup temp threshold and run poorly


warmup mode burns more gas and runs sluggish because of several things, the trans shifts differently and some sensor inputs are ignored.

[toyomoho]

Operating at engine temps lower then designed for results in increased engine wear, higher fuel comsumption and lower HP output.

[REN69]

I'll be replacing my thermostat after reading this thread.. it makes sense when I think about how my car stays in warmup mode even when it's not cold outside. Thermostats are cheap so I'll give that a shot.

[Got50Fever]

And if you fail smog on your HCs (if you have to pass smog) t-stat is a good place to start looking for the problem