The termostat is there for a good reason, to get the engine up to operating temp quickly & evenly. It's function is to regulate the engine temp to allow proper expansion of all parts. Running without one is not a good idea in my opinion. In a properly funtioning system the thermostat will regulate the temp by opening and closing on design. Too much flow, it closes and brings the temp back up. I have always believed this and after trying George's suggestion, proved it again. Now I'm worried about it running too cool! That's a hell of a change! As I said, I am running a HIGH FLOW Stant, same design as the Stewart components thermostats talked about on this forum. Folks, be sure not to use the one's you get at the local auto parts "deaf and dumb village" places we all have now. Most of what you can buy there would not be sufficient for a four wheeler engine.
Rugratman, if you are running 20 degrees cooler without it, your machine is trying to tell you something. You are marginal in the cooling department. Fix it before you are telling a tale of woe about overheating for a long time, LIKE ME!
George made me go back to thinking and I cannot thank him enough!
I bought this GTO brand new, and should have been able to sense that something was not right after replacing that water pump 12 to 15 years ago. It wasn't that bad at first, because the rest of the system was at peak. Instead of getting down to ANALYZING it, I tried to fix it with everything else I could think of.
Of course, I can use the excuse that it wasn't the main transportation tool anymore, but that's a weak excuse. She has never let me down, why did I let her down?
Anyway, all I'm trying to say is "learn from my mistakes".
Have fun and keep Wide Tracking,
Charles
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