thermostat

[pr0n]

can u run a car without a thermostat?.
what are the sideeffects of running without one on.

[calais_cruzin]

without one wen u sit at the lights the temp will increase alot quicker than with one.

I used to have one in my vn that was stuck open, used to heat up quick but still went n didnt over heat, it just got hotter quicker.

I did end up puttin the thermo onto a switch near dash soo wen i pull up i could switch it on n get it cooled down.

Also wen goin on h/way the temp will sit on the bottom, and tells ecu the car is not at runnin temp n feeds more fuel to it. (mech told me this not sure if true)

[SweetWagon]

yes u can but i wouldnt recommend it, it regulates the temperature to an extent, without one, it will take fairly longer to warm up and run generally colder than normal, when mine seized OPEN it hardly ever got of the first line on the guage. Generally the will use more fuel and engines dont like being run too cold either so its best to have one.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Also wen goin on h/way the temp will sit on the bottom, and tells ecu the car is not at runnin temp n feeds more fuel to it. (mech told me this not sure if true)

True to a point, when it is a cool day it will stay colder but it also heats up more on a hot day especially if you use your aircon.

The thermostat is there for a reason, use it wisely.

[defa]

i ran my car without one at all and it never ever got hot. not sitting. the needle would move up about 1 mm and that was it. don't do ti unless you have to. u se to get pretty good fuel economy though. don't know why.. cos i shouldn't have been

[SweetWagon]

without one wen u sit at the lights the temp will increase alot quicker than with one.

I used to have one in my vn that was stuck open, used to heat up quick but still went n didnt over heat, it just got hotter quicker.

I did end up puttin the thermo onto a switch near dash soo wen i pull up i could switch it on n get it cooled down.

Also wen goin on h/way the temp will sit on the bottom, and tells ecu the car is not at runnin temp n feeds more fuel to it. (mech told me this not sure if true)

this sounds like your was stuck closed, not open. If they're stuck open it will just run as cold as it can, all the time. theyre job is to warm the motor up as quick as possible as regulate as set temperature to an extent where its fully open and the thermofan cuts in.

True to a point, when it is a cool day it will stay colder but it also heats up more on a hot day especially if you use your aircon.

The thermostat is there for a reason, use it wisely.

it wont heat up more on a hot day, than if you did have a thermostat, because most likely on a hot day it will be fully open anyway like it should and the thermofan will be doing all the work cooling it down.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

With no thermostat, the coolant races around faster than it should and the radiator isn't doing the job it was designed for, all you are doing is running hot coolant back through the engine which heats it even more.

The thermostats job is to restrict the flow of coolant through the radiator so the air flow can cool it down, when the engine coolant reaches a certain temp the thermostat opens so the radiator coolant can then be circulated through the engine at a cooler temp. The fan is a secondary cooling device, it only cuts in when the radiator isn't doing its job...ie: when stationary or going too slow for the air to cool the radiator.

[mag]

With no thermostat, the coolant races around faster than it should and the radiator isn't doing the job it was designed for, all you are doing is running hot coolant back through the engine which heats it even more.

The thermostats job is to restrict the flow of coolant through the radiator so the air flow can cool it down, when the engine coolant reaches a certain temp the thermostat opens so the radiator coolant can then be circulated through the engine at a cooler temp. The fan is a secondary cooling device, it only cuts in when the radiator isn't doing its job...ie: when stationary or going too slow for the air to cool the radiator.

Couldn't have said it better

Yes temp and a flow restriction but some people won't believe it!!

[SweetWagon]

With no thermostat, the coolant races around faster than it should and the radiator isn't doing the job it was designed for, all you are doing is running hot coolant back through the engine which heats it even more.

The thermostats job is to restrict the flow of coolant through the radiator so the air flow can cool it down, when the engine coolant reaches a certain temp the thermostat opens so the radiator coolant can then be circulated through the engine at a cooler temp. The fan is a secondary cooling device, it only cuts in when the radiator isn't doing its job...ie: when stationary or going too slow for the air to cool the radiator.

i know, but it wont overheat without one, once the motor starts getting hot they open all the way anyway.

[pandaman]

i know, but it wont overheat without one, once the motor starts getting hot they open all the way anyway.

Even in the open position they provide a fairly large restriction, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The main function of the thermostat is temperature regulation, rather than running an engine without one (whereby the engine has no temperature regulation) a better option is to fit a cooler thermostat which opens fully at a slightly lower temperature, another option is to drill a small hole in the disc of the standard thermostat, this also helps with bleeding air from the system. I drilled a 3/16" hole in mine and it works well, under average cruising conditions the temperature sits at around 1.5 to 2 bars on the gauge depending on ambient temperature. And bleeding air out of the system whenever I've had it in pieces is now dead easy.

[vt1538]

The temp guage gives you the temp of the coolant not necessarily the engine. The coolant needs to be reasonably static against the cylinder walls & combustion chamber to remove heat. If the coolant is circulating too fast it can cause various hot spots in the engine causing detonation etc. Also as has been stated the coolant flowing too fast through the radiator will not dissipate as much heat.
A thermostat fully open is less than half the size of no thermostat. If you have dramas with your thermostat you can remove the middle section & put in the housing to get you out of trouble. Never run without one.

[SweetWagon]

ok i'll give up lol, i know if the coolant is moving to fast through the motor it will not 'absorb' as much heat/not dissapate heat through radiator, but still i wouldnt think its enough to overheat it. anyway, i think the point of this thread has been covered, dont run without one unless you have too.

[garth]

can u run a car without a thermostat?.
what are the sideeffects of running without one on.

ah, the old thermostat issue

my vn is old now, as in i have had it for a few years, 7 to be exact. now back in 2000 i removed the thermostat housing to re-do t he gasket as it was leaking. thermostat fell off the radiator and onto the ground, and bent it. it's been 7 yrs and to this day, i still dont have a thermostat. my fuel consumption is crap, lucky to get 300km to a tank, but that isnt realy a worry for me, when i hardly use the car. i will let it sit there at idle for a few minutes anyway before i drive it. other than the fuel increase, i hanvt noticed any side affects, and it still runs strong to this day

[VHSLX3300]

thermostats are theyre for a reason. you will get away with it but things are put in cars for a reason. Its not going to overheat with a new one in the car and it will run at the corect temperature allowing the engine to run properly. When I first got my Vn mine was seized closed but I would refuse to not use one. Engineers and mechanics dont just sit there and put random things in the engine there all there for a reason. lol So in my words use one. Dont do a dodge and not run it with one

[defa]

i think we all know that you should have one in your car.. i don't think anyone on here is saying it is better to run a car without one. i don't think anyone is that silly.
my car never ever overheated with no thermostat. like i said the needle never moved..

[immortality]

silly debate really, for $10 and a little work is all it takes to change it. better fuel economy too then without one

[defa]

yeah it is pretty silly. and most placesw sell them lol...

[vt1538]

A few years ago a mate of mine melted a hunk out of his cylinder head while using no thermostat. While it was an alloy head ford it still shows what can happen if hot spots are allowed to be produced in the cylinder head.
With the known issue of steam pockets forming in the head of buick V6's I would never run without one.
Then you have the issue where your engine must reach a certain temperature for it to go into closed loop fuelling mode. This would be why your fuel consumption would be different. If your engine is running rich it will not be trimmed back & there will be no fuel added for a lean condition.

[AklHoon]

Physicly the car will run but not realy good for them. The reson for the thermostat is to open and close as water temp regulates.
Such while the engine is running it will close keeping water inside the engine until engine reaches operating temperture and open and agin allowing cooler water frm radiator into engine and vise versa keeping the water circulating in stages of temp. Anothing thing Tho the engine loves cold air, you cant make decent power on cold engine,go figure lol Dunno if the helps or not?

[immortality]

Physicly the car will run but not realy good for them. The reson for the thermostat is to open and close as water temp regulates.
Such while the engine is running it will close keeping water inside the engine until engine reaches operating temperture and open and agin allowing cooler water frm radiator into engine and vise versa keeping the water circulating in stages of temp. Anothing thing Tho the engine loves cold air, you cant make decent power on cold engine,go figure lol Dunno if the helps or not?

then run a cooler thermostat, doen't run without one. standard thermostat is 196 degrees F, you can get a 180 degrees F thermostat also