|
I have a 1990 240 Wagon that I love. But, I've been out of town for a couple of months and it has mostly been sitting around (my roommates drove it and started it every once in a while). Upon my return the 'check engine' light was on. I've noticed that the temp gauge doesn't get to the middle anymore and I get horrible milage (in the mid teens). I believe that the thermostat is stuck in the open position (I felt the hoses after a quick lap around the block and the hose from the radiator to the thermostat was warm). Could this cause poor milage? Perhaps the computer is feeding the cylinders a high fuel-air ratio to heat them up? The car seems to run fine in every other respect (maybe a little bit of a rough idle)...
So, my question is: do you believe that the thermostat is the problem? And how difficult is it to replace it? Specifically, do I have to drain the cooling system in order to do it?
Thanks for any help,
sloan
|