remove thermostat

[Guest lenmissy]

If i remove the thermostat in my 40 ford will the car run cooler len email lsharky@mts.net len

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

No. Only come to operating temp a LITTLE slower.

[Guest windjamer]

You may not believe this,but removeing the stat may cause it to OVERHEAT!! trust me.

[Jim Bollman]

The answer is Yes, No, Maybe.

If the thermostat is sticking Yes, If the whole cooling system is working properly No, and if your system is in great shape and it is a little cool outside maybe.

[Layden B]

Just my $.02 but this is the best advice on this subject I have seen!!!

Congratulations guys.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

If you are already overheating and suspect the stat,take it out and see if it makes a difference. If it doesn't, put it back.I've heard of people putting a thermostat in boiling water to see if it opens up.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

[Guest 1hooligan]

I agree, great responses! Only one thing to not forget a flow test. Remove radiator cap, If after it comes up to normal running temp, check to see that it has good flow. Some old flatheads if they have run water, can rust up and block some of the passages.

[Guest windjamer]

:)Lemmissy, with a good and clean system, the water is cooled by the passage of air through the radiator. The stat is designed to close when cold and open as the temp. rises.If the stat is stuck closed you WILL over heat. If you remove it then you allow an unrestricted flow and the water passing the radiator MAY not have time to cool. As mentioned in a previous post,you can test it by placeing it in boiling water. It will be closed when cold and open when the water boils.Early cars befor emmisions and computers, you could fiddle with,todays cars designed to run at a pre-determined temp. and a whole lot of outher b.s. and must have all controlls in place. Hope this helps.

[Rusty_OToole]

If the thermostat is working correctly removing it will not make the engine run cooler and may make it run hotter.

Old time hot rodders used to remove the thermostats but found it made the engine heat up worse. So the put a big washer in place of the thermostat to create a restriction and it then ran cooler. The theory was that they had to slow down the water as it went thru the rad so it had time to cool. I think the restriction raised back pressure on the pump and prevented cavitation.

Short answer, keep the thermostat, taking it out will do nothing for you unless it is broken, in that case you need a new one.

[ply33]

If the thermostat is working correctly removing it will not make the engine run cooler and may make it run hotter.

Old time hot rodders used to remove the thermostats but found it made the engine heat up worse. So the put a big washer in place of the thermostat to create a restriction and it then ran cooler. The theory was that they had to slow down the water as it went thru the rad so it had time to cool. I think the restriction raised back pressure on the pump and prevented cavitation.

Short answer, keep the thermostat, taking it out will do nothing for you unless it is broken, in that case you need a new one.

I think Rusty has nailed it with respect to back pressure preventing cavitation at the pump impeller. I have never bought into the "too fast through the radiator" hypothesis. Anyway the result is the same: A working thermostat should be in your car for the cooling system to function properly.

Assuming, of course, that your car came from the factory designed to have a thermostat in it. I'd recommend against putting a thermostat into a car that was not designed for one like a Model A or Model T Ford.

[Mssr. Bwatoe]

Thermostat is designed to restrict the flow for proper heat up...ok, your block is 65 years old, radiator is hopefully recored.. Folks will argue both ways..kinda like the vapor lock argument......remove them and try it..if your system is functioning well, engine will run cooler..we dont need to add any more restrictions to the system than is has...my flathead runs cooler with them out, I have a 4 row recore on oem tanks, skip haney's high flow impellor pumps and have found 160-180 without ....or 200 with, 70-80 mph on 90 degree day....yes, in winter my heater is not very hot..soooooooo, I dont drive much in snow...

[CarlLaFong]

I've heard different arguments regarding the idea of the coolant moving too fast through the system. I have no theory, I'm no scientist. I read one opinion a while back that seemed, to my uneducated mind, to have some validity. Assume that a single water molecule travels through the cooling system once a minute. If you remove the thermostat it then travels through the system every 30 seconds. However, it passes through the radiator twice as many times, so the net effect is the same. I dunno. Any thermodynamic guys out there?

I did replace the skimpy little Jabsco bilge pump that Boss Hoss uses on their bikes with a homebrewed, remotely mounted unit that uses a 440 Chrysler pump and the bike runs noticeably cooler with the increased flow. Just dumb luck? Again, I don't know

Edited May 25, 2010 by 58Mustang (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

On some vehicles the manufacturer puts a restriction in the heater core connection for the hoses to slow down the rate of flow of coolant through the heater core. I looks like a washer that is swedged in the pipe.