Removing thermostat - pro's and con's

so the car i've recently bought seemed a little odd because warm up took approx 10mins or even more to reach 40% on the temp gauge (which is jus touching the temp symbol on a dc2). wen i open the radiator cap the water seems to be constantly flowing.
after abit of aggressive driving at 4-6k rpm for about 10mins, i noticed the temp gauge rising from 40%-to 50% and dropping back to 40%, i continued driving at the same rpm for another 5 mins and it went up to 50%-65% and occasionally dropping back to 50%. however driving normally is fine and it doesnt give me any problems at all

my best guess is that the car has had its thermo stat removed. after some reading i found that a car can potentially over heat if the thermostat is removing because there is constant flow of water at a faster rate and during high revs the water does not spend enough time in the radiator to be cooled down thus overheating can occur. can anyone confirm this?

other stuff i have found is that removing thermo stat can somtimes cause the car to be in cold start mode because the car cannot reach operating temperatures. this causes more wear to the engine and perhaps drain the petrol abit more. the car can also apparently pass out more emissions then usual.

is there anything else people would like to add? and for track use would u guys recommend a low opening thermo stat or jus the oem one.

yep i can confirm, had the same probs in my previous car, cos i removed the thermostat based on a friend's good idea that it would give me better cooling.

1) I couldn't get the heater to work properly & the engine temp drop really low at night and long drives

2) yes i did loose coolant and it kep coming out from the overflow. I thing the thermostate acts like a pressure valve also so that it keep the pressure inside the cooling system and stops it from overflowing.

These are both what i personally experienced. I then put a new OEM one in and it fixed all these problems

for track i would just get a baffled sump & oil cooler.
Low opening thermostat, not sure how much benefit it would make for track as your therostat will be opened pretty quickly anyway

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Originally Posted by Limbo

yep i can confirm, had the same probs in my previous car, cos i removed the thermostat based on a friend's good idea that it would give me better cooling.

1) I couldn't get the heater to work properly & the engine temp drop really low at night and long drives

2) yes i did loose coolant and it kep coming out from the overflow. I thing the thermostate acts like a pressure valve also so that it keep the pressure inside the cooling system and stops it from overflowing.

These are both what i personally experienced. I then put a new OEM one in and it fixed all these problems

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im losing coolant as well, not alot but it does accumulate over a week. i had in mind maybe the waterpump is on its way out but i'll most likely try replacing the thermostat before jumping into anything else.

I used an OEM one in my car

disadantages of not running a thermo
1) engine doesn't get up to operating temp (increased wear & tear)
2) when it doesn't get into op temp, the ECU might stay in cold start mode - increased fuel consumption
3) When a thermo stat is open, it blocks off the coolant bypass - without a thermostat, and if you don't block off the coolant by pass, the coolant may not go into the radiator anyway, so you overheat.

just wondering issit easy to change the thermo? where issit located on b16a2 engine

Just Dont do it

What do U guys think of the 'coolant by-pass mod' on the Throttle body?

I did this and had it like this for 2 years,I can't say I noticed a difference.
I had problems with all of the sensors on the TB and eneded up replacing them all 1 by 1,each time I did the car improved.I way wondering if this mod may have caused heating problems in the TB?
My car has 100,000km on it now.It had 60,000 when I did the mod.

Don't remove your thermostat...simple

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Originally Posted by Chr1s

Don't remove your thermostat...simple

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Was just about to say that too. :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by beeza

What do U guys think of the 'coolant by-pass mod' on the Throttle body?

I did this and had it like this for 2 years,I can't say I noticed a difference.
I had problems with all of the sensors on the TB and eneded up replacing them all 1 by 1,each time I did the car improved.I way wondering if this mod may have caused heating problems in the TB?
My car has 100,000km on it now.It had 60,000 when I did the mod.

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Coolant passed through the TB is only there to stop the butterfly sticking/freezing in cold cold weather. Just imagine cruising on the Hwy and your TB sticks open when you take your foot off the pedel. Maybe its usefull in the southern states. But I have never had any problems in Qld.

I have disconnected mine to the TB and those water lines are now running to my turbo. Such a quick and easy job and killed to birds with one stone.

Thanks Deano!
Do U think the coolant would regulate the tempreture in the TB i.e. stop it from getting too hot?

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Originally Posted by beeza

Thanks Deano!
Do U think the coolant would regulate the tempreture in the TB i.e. stop it from getting too hot?

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Nah, its a constant flow, won't regulate. It will run the same temp as the rest of the coolant in the system.

Sorry I mean,do you think it will keep the TB cooler by having the coolant pass through there? I was just worried the TB got too hot too many times and over time that may buggered the sensors.

Thats the idea on removing the coolant through the TB, so it is cooler.

The TB is hotter when coolant is passed through it (80-90 degrees). So the air passing though it is heated.

If you disconnect the coolant from the TB. The TB is cooler and does not heat the air passing through it.

Is this what you mean?

Yes mate,forsure.That's great to know.I just feared that it might be hotter with the coolant disconnected.

so i brought my car without thermostat. should i install one ?

Yes you should. :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Limbo

2) yes i did loose coolant and it kep coming out from the overflow. I thing the thermostate acts like a pressure valve also so that it keep the pressure inside the cooling system and stops it from overflowing.

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The pressure inside the cooling system is always equal everywhere (except maybe for a minute difference on one side of the pump vs the other), because the thermostat only closes the system at one point. For pressure to be significantly different in one part of the system relative to another the system would have to be closed off at two points. Having or not having a thermostat won't make any difference (to pressure in one part of the system vs another). All the thermostat does is allow or disallow flow depending on temp, it doesn't regulate pressure in any way.

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Originally Posted by Limbo

Low opening thermostat, not sure how much benefit it would make for track as your therostat will be opened pretty quickly anyway

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I think it's likely to be a bad idea on an EFI engine, unless you knew for sure that the engine was running at a high enough temp to be outside of the cold running open loop map.

If you run cold (relatively), and as a result run rich, then aprt from the loss of performance likely the excess fuel gets deposited as a liquid on the bores and washes off the lubricating oil film causing accelerated wear (bores, rings, pistons), as well as getting into the oil and degrading it much more quickly.

I believe my eg with B18CR has a spoon thermostat. Driving normally with flowing traffic engine temperature is around 66-69 degrees. If the traffic slows, it moves into the 70s or the 80s. I wonder if high 60s is too cold? My other cars run in the 80s all the time...

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Originally Posted by STiR

I believe my eg with B18CR has a spoon thermostat. Driving normally with flowing traffic engine temperature is around 66-69 degrees. If the traffic slows, it moves into the 70s or the 80s. I wonder if high 60s is too cold? My other cars run in the 80s all the time...

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Yes 69 is too cold. Your fuel consumption will be shit. Temps should be 80-90.

My fuel consumption is bad. I think I need to change my thermostat

Not exactly sure with Spoon, but thought they were like Mugen thermostats/switch. Like fatboy said 80-90 water temp after engine.

Where are you taking your temp from ie. sensor location?

generally only boosted applications i'd recommend one

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Originally Posted by JohnL

I think it's likely to be a bad idea on an EFI engine, unless you knew for sure that the engine was running at a high enough temp to be outside of the cold running open loop map.

If you run cold (relatively), and as a result run rich, then aprt from the loss of performance likely the excess fuel gets deposited as a liquid on the bores and washes off the lubricating oil film causing accelerated wear (bores, rings, pistons), as well as getting into the oil and degrading it much more quickly.

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Originally Posted by DLO01

Not exactly sure with Spoon, but thought they were like Mugen thermostats/switch. Like fatboy said 80-90 water temp after engine.

Where are you taking your temp from ie. sensor location?

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I'm taking it from the Power FC hand controller water temperature reading. Most of the time my gauge is only slightly above the cold line. I have EK9 radiator with B18CR. I'm guessing I need to put the standard thermostat back?

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Originally Posted by STiR

I'm taking it from the Power FC hand controller water temperature reading. Most of the time my gauge is only slightly above the cold line. I have EK9 radiator with B18CR. I'm guessing I need to put the standard thermostat back?

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Yes stock thermostat and stock fan switch :thumbsup:. Then get it retune.

^^^yep finally took mine off.. actually 'feels' better and my car warms up quicker.

FYI supercheap sell the Triton oem replacement ones for around $20 and come in 87*,90* and 92* just look at the part number it'll end with one of those 2 digits for their entire range of thermos

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Originally Posted by dsp26

^^^yep finally took mine off.. actually 'feels' better and my car warms up quicker.

FYI supercheap sell the Triton oem replacement ones for around $20 and come in 87*,90* and 92* just look at the part number it'll end with one of those 2 digits for their entire range of thermos

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Best would to fit Honda OEM thermostat. There about $35-$45 new.

like most if not ALL parts - OEM honda is best. Even for worked applications :)

Dont scamp on something simple that will last for a few good years.

need help.... Had an accident a few months ago just got it back from panel beater who just fixed the panels and installed a new radiator... When I got it back I just realised that i need to replace the aircon hose, aircon fan and radiator fan...

I replaced it all but I have no idea why the radiator fan is still not working.... the temp on the dash is at 45% - 50 % which is what it was before the accident.

I am going to change the thermostat tommorow but i'm not sure if it will fix the problem... do you guys think it could be electrical....?

radiator is working, aircon not attempted to turn on yet as i may need to re gas it first... help!

I also checked all the wires which seems to be all connected ok as well as the fuse.

Honda integra LS, stock b18a

KLA80T bro u prob have the same problem as me. the radiator fan isnt working yeh? and even at Operating temperature it doesnt kick in?, try turning on the aircon. if both fan works it means u have a wiring problem or the thermoswitch near the thermostat is broken. if the radiator fan doesnt go off then u have a broken fan

thanks tekung89... I'm hoping its not the fan as I just bought them yesterday. Anyway, as I said I'll be replacing the thermostat and check the thermoswitch (where abouts can I find it? what does it look like?) I Think I tried turning the aircon as well but both fans where still not working.... hmm... let you know if it works with the thermostat and switch... i have the feeling that it could be wiring.....thanks man!