Would you run a carwithout a thermostat?

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: SuperFast
and something about the carb is making my car use a lot of gas!


In 1986, that car moved to fuel injection. I'm thinking if it were my car, I'd want to convert it over. I don't see how you're ever gonna pass California smog with your carburetor the way it is. Even brand new carburetors don't pass smog in California.

 

[mechtech2]

I would not leave the thermostat out even in a race car.

 

[Shannow]

Owned one car where the original owner admitted to removing the Thermostat in the early years of wonership...never would have bought the car if I'd known, huuuuge ridges at the top of the front cylinders.

That being said, the radiator flushes in the day recommended removing the stat during the idle flush to get rid of the restriction.

On the road, keep the stat.

Speciality maintenance use your own intuition.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: ahoier

And now, I took the car for an oil change yesterday, when they pulled it off the lift, they said I most likely have a blown head gasket....as they backed it off the lift, a black liquid substance came out of the tail pipe....

BUT, I haven't seen any coolant loss.....but I have noticed a loss in oil....no white smoke on start up....so I'm kind of baffled...


WHY do they claim you "most likely have a blown head gasket?" A black liquid running out the tailpipe is NORMAL- its just carbon (unburned fuel deposits) being washed down by water condensing out of the exhaust gasses. Don't let them scam you.

The way to test for a blown headgasket is a compression test or a cylinder leakdown test. NOT by observing condensation dribbling out the tailpipe!

 

[SuperFast]

440Magnum is right!! We DONT have Blown Head gaskets! Unless a compression or pressure test says so

As to the topic of this question, here is an UPDATE![/b] And it is a good one!

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/2179803/

 

[rslifkin]

^ Or unless the liquid coming out of the exhaust is obviously coolant.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Is your car so old that you are exempt from emissions testing?

 

[Tornado Red]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver
Clean up the cooling system.

Install a new 196 degree thermostat and a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze.

Running lower temp stat or no stat will cause vehicle to use more fuel and more stuff building up in the engine.


This is absolutely true. The engine is designed to run at a certain temperature for optimal performance. Without a thermostat the engine will run too cool, the engine computer will use data from the coolant temp sensor, and more fuel will be used than necessary. In fact it could increase fuel consumption by 20% or more, at a conservative guess.