[stfudvs]

so i finally got around to changing the thermostat today and when i got the housing off i found out ... there was no thermostat in there, i have been driving around for like three months with no thermostat at all!

i assume cant be good


question,

i noticed my upper radiator hose gets very stiff with pressure, how stiff should that thing get? should it be stiff at all, i know the cooling system needs pressure to keep my coolant from boiling away but should the hose hold a lot of pressure when im driving arround ? just wondering

[87FloridaGT]

No thermostat isnt that bad...I did that on my 92' for about 2 years. It will just get hot if its sits for a while
As for the hose getting stiff...not sure what to tell you about that. It will do that due to the pressure and the fluid running through it. Maybe you need a new hose if the one you have does not feel like it has any structure left to it

[93mustank]

I would at least run a restricter in there...

[87FloridaGT]

Originally Posted by 93mustank I would at least run a restricter in there...

I didnt say not to put a thermastat in there...they are definitely there for a reason. I just dont think it will hurt anything

[78mach1]

the only thing a thermostat does is regulate you engines temp, if you dont run one it just means your over all engine temp is going to take longer to achieve.

[BlessedHellride]

It is possible to overheat a car with out a thermostat in it, but if you keep an eye on things, it should be just fine. I ran several cars around with out one installed.

As far as your upper hose being stiff, that should be usual also. If it was getting to much pressure built up in the coolant system, it is designed to relieve itself by puking over to the puke tank. If you notice you are loosing coolant and can not find where it is going, then you might have a problem. But it is normal for them to build pressure.

[e3sean]

the upper hose does get stiff when the pressure builds. are you sure you put the thermastat in the right way?

[stfudvs]

lol yea its in the right way, i was building pressure before the stat change i just never noticed and was unsure if its normal like i said i know the cooling system has to build pressure just wasn't sure if it was too much

i did notice the fluctuation difference between no stat and stat, before i rarely got around 200 or 210 now i seem to sit there when driving around the street

with no stat wouldn't the car run too rich?

glad to hear its no issue

what do you guys think about those braided steel engine dress up kits for the radiator hoses and such

good or bad i was thinking about getting a kit, i have the ford racing silicon now but i imagine its pretty old and could use being replaced

[stfudvs]

Originally Posted by BlessedHellride It is possible to overheat a car with out a thermostat in it, but if you keep an eye on things, it should be just fine. I ran several cars around with out one installed. As far as your upper hose being stiff, that should be usual also. If it was getting to much pressure built up in the coolant system, it is designed to relieve itself by puking over to the puke tank. If you notice you are loosing coolant and can not find where it is going, then you might have a problem. But it is normal for them to build pressure.

i overheated once in 3 months, running hard, thats what first triggered the new stat, now with the new stat my temp fluctuates a LOT were before it was always around 180


shouldn't my radiator cap also allow pressure to escape?

[nolife]

Originally Posted by BlessedHellride It is possible to overheat a car with out a thermostat in it, but if you keep an eye on things, it should be just fine. I ran several cars around with out one installed.

If your car overheats without a thermostat, it would have overheated with a working thermostat. Your car overheats because the amount of heat (BTU/hr) being put in by the engine is more than the radiator can remove. A thermostat will not cause the engine to generate less heat and will not cause the radiator to remove more heat. The theory that you need a to "slow down" the flow of water through the radiator so it will remove more heat from your engine is not true. Sure, the water entering back into the engine will be at a lower temperature but temperature alone is not a measure of heat removal. It is only cooler because the flow is less and there is much less heat to take out of that smaller amount of water.

Originally Posted by stfudvs now with the new stat my temp fluctuates a LOT were before it was always around 180

If your temp is fluctuating and you know the system is full and no air is in it, the thermostat is cycling open and closed a little too much at a time around its set point. Some thermostats (the non super cheap ones) are usually a little better at staying partially open and maintaining a consistent temperature then others.

[flyin ryan]

sure you can run without a thermostat but there under $10 in most cases so why even bother not running one.. put one in there and be done with it is how I would look at it why start rigging shit

[BlessedHellride]

Originally Posted by nolife If your car overheats without a thermostat, it would have overheated with a working thermostat. Your car overheats because the amount of heat (BTU/hr) being put in by the engine is more than the radiator can remove. A thermostat will not cause the engine to generate less heat and will not cause the radiator to remove more heat. The theory that you need a to "slow down" the flow of water through the radiator so it will remove more heat from your engine is not true. Sure, the water entering back into the engine will be at a lower temperature but temperature alone is not a measure of heat removal. It is only cooler because the flow is less and there is much less heat to take out of that smaller amount of water. If your temp is fluctuating and you know the system is full and no air is in it, the thermostat is cycling open and closed a little too much at a time around its set point. Some thermostats (the non super cheap ones) are usually a little better at staying partially open and maintaining a consistent temperature then others.

Not necessarily, alot of the times when a car overheats due to no T-stat, it's just that the water is moving through the radiator to fast for it to cool it off. Thus the reasoning behind using restrictor plates.

[nolife]

There is no such thing as the water moving "too fast to cool it off". If you put more mass through the radiator (more flow), you will have a greater cooling capacity. Same as the air going through your radiator, the more air, the better, its not like there is some point where the air blowing by your radiator is moving too fast to cool it down. It is the same thing.

You are confusing heat removal capability with temperature differential, they are NOT the same. Slower moving water will have a larger temperature difference through the radiator but only because there was much less water to remove the heat from.

[stfudvs]

Originally Posted by nolife If your car overheats without a thermostat, it would have overheated with a working thermostat. Your car overheats because the amount of heat (BTU/hr) being put in by the engine is more than the radiator can remove. A thermostat will not cause the engine to generate less heat and will not cause the radiator to remove more heat. The theory that you need a to "slow down" the flow of water through the radiator so it will remove more heat from your engine is not true. Sure, the water entering back into the engine will be at a lower temperature but temperature alone is not a measure of heat removal. It is only cooler because the flow is less and there is much less heat to take out of that smaller amount of water. If your temp is fluctuating and you know the system is full and no air is in it, the thermostat is cycling open and closed a little too much at a time around its set point. Some thermostats (the non super cheap ones) are usually a little better at staying partially open and maintaining a consistent temperature then others.

when my car overheated my worry was that the stat may had been stuck closed, so thats what i thought was the original issue


and as far as the temp fluctuation's the car used to just sit around 130-180 all the time, and wouldn't reach 200 or 210 unless i was city driving for over an hour, were after i put in the stat, it i hit 200 in about 15 minutes of city driving, then i got on the freeway and after about 5 minutes on the freeway it when down to 180 then on the way home city driving back up to 190ish so im assuming that is how my temp should act



thanks for all the help glad to hear my stiff hose is a non issue

[TN.Frank]

The problem with not running a thermostat is that water isn't held in the radiator long enough to cool properly so you never get a cool charge of water to the engine. The entire water heats to a certain point, normally too hot and that's where you overheat.

[JBIGBOOTSY]

if its EFI, put it in for sure.

[stfudvs]

it is in, i never had intention to not run one

i was saying when i went to install a new one i found the guy befor me was driving without one



how about those aftermarket dress up braided steel lines, yea or no

[93mustank]

no

[87FloridaGT]

NO for the steel braided crap...spend your money on something more useful

[5.0 street stanger]

A word of acdive that I have heard from engine builders is to "never run your car without a t-stat!) especially an EFI engine. its not good for the rings and other internals to bounce back and fourth in temp. They put t-stats there to try to keep the engine at a regular temperature that internal parts are designed to work at that temp. Thats just what ive heard but i wouldnt drive my fox around without a t-stat.