Is it ok to run an pinto motor without an thermost

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vhpacer1971, Mar 6, 2:56pm
can you run an pinto motor without an thermostat or , could u just get away with drilling few holes in it
rovercitroen, Mar 6, 5:25pm
Why not a new thermostat? A thermostat provides a certain amount of restriction to ensure uniform coolant flow thus preventing localised overheating. Drilling a few holes would be better than running without one. Is it overheating? Maybe radiator needs attention.
ntalke, Mar 6, 5:31pm
Did not know thermostats have got that expensive

They are there for a good reason
martin11, Mar 6, 6:36pm
They are there for the efficient running of the motor , if you have a cooling problem fix it properly or you may destroy the motor .
What is the problem making you want to take the thermostat out ?
intrade, Mar 6, 6:45pm
i would like to know why you want to do this?
on older cars and i assume its a ford similar to a cortina . there nothing much will happen if you dont run a thermostat other then it cooling to much, if you just need to use it till you can buy a thermostat then there will be no problem.
its not like a newer car that will go in to limp home reduced power mode if no thermostat is fitted.
ianab, Mar 6, 6:55pm
Engine will run, but it will run cold all the time. Means worse fuel economy and more engine wear.

Now if it's until next week when you can fit a new thermostat? No big deal.
Long term, it's not a good thing.
daryl14, Mar 6, 7:07pm
Not quite. If you get in stop/start traffic or idle anywhere a long time the engine will overheat. The water will be going thru the radiator so fast that it won't have time to get the right heat exchange to the air. You WILL be very lucky if you don't cook it.
intrade, Mar 6, 7:12pm
yea well i think that one is a myth sorry but i cant see how this will overheat it , i think i seen this busted as a myth by a professional trainer.
and its not logical how it would do that.
put some facts.
At idle the engine is 800rpm so water pump dont moves water fast.
it moves water fast on the flat at 100kph and that would be where it cools to low with air going thru radiator and water circulated fast.

So i would like a detailed explenation why it would overheat
as what you just said is defenetly not true sorry i cant see how a waterpump is suposed to spin faster at idle?
The thermostat is opening up the flow when it gets hot .
i sortof undertand what you mean this would mean the cooling system must be brand new , the thing usually is why people remove a thermostat is because of restrictions on the cooling system by cloged radiator etc.
there the thig you think of wont ever happen if it was possible.
muzz67, Mar 6, 7:13pm
If your carb has a water temperature controlled choke, then it will chew through gas too,, as choke will stay on.
intrade, Mar 6, 7:22pm
we need to know the reason why he wants to do it.
My safari nissan diesel never had a thermostat it got warm on the brendyrvens not hot but warm heater was never really hot thats how i knew it had no thermostat and i am sure it would have overheated with a thermostat because it has had a huge clooged up coolant system to make it sortof run warm with no thermostat.
Now this can not be done without problems on any electronic injected engine diesel or petrol,
Old diesel and old carburretor engines with huge tollerance for error would run almost "almost!" normal. it was not good either but possible to run em without thermostat especially if the coolant system would overheat with a thermostat.
kazbanz, Mar 6, 7:31pm
You CAN do what you like. People remove thermostats all the time. SHOULD you do it? -That's an entirely different story.
first question I have is WHY do you feel you want/need to remove the thermostat?
kevymtnz, Mar 6, 7:37pm
really in summer time eg over 20C you dont need one no matter what experts tell you, infact in real hot conditions 30C its better to have to out than in , if getting hot install a bigger radiator eg when i had my 83 Cortina i made a HQ Holden one to fit
daryl14, Mar 6, 7:48pm
Intrade, have a search around for some thermodynamics and heat exchanger theory. He might get away with it with electric fans but I suspect the old cortina engine will have a viscous fan.

Why do your fans come on when idling? Engine getting hot. This can't happen with viscous fan so engine overheats.

You have seen the tiny hole in a thermostat that bypasses when engine cold. The open thermostat is really not a lot bigger is it?. There is still a restriction to slow the flow thru the radiator. The restriction is needed to allow time for temp to get from water to air.

Take that restriction away and the water will go round the circuit much faster and will not be in the radiator long enough to allow heat transfer to take place. You might get away with it on the open road because air flow will keep up with water flow, but never around town or idling.

Its clear he thinks he will get better cooling by taking it out but that is the real myth. It is dangerous and will result in a cooked engine sooner or later.
illusion_, Mar 6, 7:59pm
A quick search reveals they are almost $20

Crikey
daryl14, Mar 6, 8:03pm
Oh dear.
The best ways to help the engine keep cool is:
Chemicle flush the system, - for good heat transfer in the radiator.
New thermostat that opens at correct temp - ensure water going slow to give time for heat transfer to take place.
New electric fan that's temp controlled if still not enough cooling.
Bigger radiator if still problems. -surprise surprise bigger surface area in contact with water slows down water even more to allow more time for heat transfer.
daryl14, Mar 6, 8:06pm
Ask yourselves. In all the years of internal combustion engine technology advances, we still have thermostats. They must be pretty important.
intrade, Mar 6, 8:09pm
yes they are extreem inportant the newer the vehicle.
basically removing the thermostat is fixing a problem with making a further problem . works if the 2 problems balance each other out.
should it be done. = not if your a professional
can it cause problems = yes no maybe you will find out
is it possible = yes definetly
Should it be done? probably not unless you are in a tight spot and not removing it will cause more damage like when it is faulty.
daryl14, Mar 6, 8:22pm
Do some study on it intrade and I am sure that your maybe not will change to definitely NOT.
mrfxit, Mar 6, 8:25pm
A thermostat is there to REGULATE the water temps to an OPTIMUM temperature that is neither too hot or cold in direct relation to what is being done with that vehicle.
It's also called a "Tolerance level" that the factory has set to insure the engine is working at it's BEST temperature for the conditions imposed at that time.

Too cold = >
Oil too thick
Engine sluggish
Excessive fuel consumption
Potential for excessive wear on the cylinders & bearings

Too hot = >
Oil too thin
Excessive fuel consumption
Excessive engine wear (overall wear)
Potential for cracked head/ blown gaskets/ cracked block/ run bearings etc.

Remember that OIL is also part of the engines cooling system.
Water too hot = oil too thin
Water too cold = oil too thick
snoopy221, Mar 6, 8:29pm
mumble mumble thermal shock mumble mumble
Sheesh it is an archaic top hose outlet thermostat engine why oh why did engine makers change to an inlet bottom hose thermostat?
mrfxit, Mar 6, 8:31pm
That Cortina will probably have a small fixed plastic fan.
It might have been the last of the Mk5 that has a viscous fan but can't remember ANY of the earlier models having 1 of those fitted at factory.
mrfxit, Mar 6, 8:33pm
So that you wouldn't know it has overheated till it was too late.
Not called "IDIOT lights" for nothing
tintop, Mar 6, 9:13pm
There is a link between the rate of coolant flow through a radiator and the amount of heat transferred to the air - but it may not be what you think :)

Have a look at fig 3 here : http://www.ijeat.org/attachments/File/v2i3/C1204022313.pdf
scuba, Mar 6, 9:29pm
Over the years i have seen any number of cars running cold after thermostats have either failed and remained open or the owner took the thermostat out . none of them overheated because the thermostat was taken out . Based on your theory the car would overheat anytime the thermostat opened on a hot day as it would stay open once you hit operating temp because the water is traveling to fast to cool down.
daryl14, Mar 6, 9:38pm
No scuba. I have said that a thermostat throttles flow even when full open. If you take it out on an engine with a direct drive fan its going to cook. Flow too fast and insufficient air flow. Do it on an engine with electric fans and they will run hard at low vehicle speed and its still a gamble as to whether you'd cook it. Imagine towing or going up the kaimais like that. Eeek.