Most of us welcome the opportunity to save a lot of money by taking care of some basic and intermediate car care on our own. Replacing a thermostat can be challenging, but you can be successful if you plan properly and take your time with each step. Read on and learn how to change the thermostat in a kia soul.
If your car shows signs of overheating when stopped but cools down when moving, it may be a sign that the thermostat needs to be replaced.
How to Change the Thermostat in a Kia Soul
The steps you must follow to replace the thermostat in a Kia Soul vehicle are as follows:
- Park your Kia Soul on level ground and engage the parking brake. Let the engine cool down for at least 30 minutes before starting the procedure.
- Place the drain pan under the vehicle and completely drain the cooling system. The Kia’s coolant drain plug is located at the bottom of the radiator. Some model years may require you to remove a plastic motor brush guard from below. These guards can be removed with a socket wrench. Put the coolant in a safe place while you change the thermostat, keep it away from children and animals because their sweet smell and taste attract them and can be deadly.
- Use the pliers to remove the upper radiator hose clamp that connects to the thermostat cover, located on the passenger side of the Kia Soul’s engine compartment. Covers the opening of the hose to prevent contaminants from entering the cooling lines.
- Remove the bolt from the thermostat cover. and then set the lid aside. Remove the gasket and the thermostat. Thoroughly clean the opening where the thermostat was mounted; discard the gasket, it cannot be reused.
- Put the new thermostat in place, and then put on the new gasket and thermostat cover. There is a bolt that mounts these three parts; tighten this bolt to 14 or 19 foot-pounds with the torque wrench. Replaces the upper radiator hose.
Advice
Inspect the coolant you drained from the vehicle. If it’s dirty or contaminated, replace it with fresh coolant. If not, refill coolant from coolant reservoir (removal of radiator cap is not recommended). If you are replacing coolant, check with your local waste authority for proper coolant disposal. Engine coolant is toxic; it can harm animals and humans and contaminate water.
