Thermostat Necessary?
 

Some of you may know I've been working on my head for like 3 weeks. Haha :p Well it's actually in a rented-out stall that I'm paying for ($5 a day), and they're only open 5 days a week. So I don't actually have the liberty to work on it consistently till I'm done, but I'm almost there.

Anywayz, I just realized, now that I'm starting to slap everything back together, my car didn't have a thermostat. I know that a thermostat is not absolutely essential to have a car that runs well. Especially in a pretty warm climate such as San Diego. Should I install one anyway? I'm thinking she'll be just fine.

yes, get a thermostat... they're cheap anyhow ;)

The computer needs a coolant temp minimum of 160* to get into 'closed loop operation. Run a 180* and your temp will be stable, and your car will like you better.

yes i agree, but dont cheap out and buy a cheapo smucks thermostate, get a good one,
for shits and grind hold a cheapo and a toyota t-state in hand, the toyo stat is twice the weight.. well its alot heavier... better material. cheap stats tend to stick closed or open. IMO

Not trying to avoid my thermostat, but won't those temperatures be reached once the vehicle gets to normal operating temperature, in around 10-15 minutes?

imo, i doubt it would ever reach full opperating temp while moving on a cold day without a stat? :dunno:

just for shits and giggles, when I get my water temp gauge, whenever that may be, I'll do the experiment to let the world know conclusively what the effects are, with and without the thermostat. That is unless someone wants to beat me to this experiment. Mind you it rarely dips below 55 degrees F, here.

just keep a good eye on that temp ;)

make sure it don't redline hehehe

You don't have to do the experimenting...it's already been done by smarter and richer $$ people than any of us. If your are running out on the street, and not just the track, use a t-stat to 'keep' the temp stable. Over and out ....

go ahead and buy a thermostat, they are cheap and your car will thank you, and you will thank us.

If you want to you can gut the thermostat. The thermostat helps get the engine warmed up quicker and won't run rich as long. Removing the insides of the thermostat will slow down the water enough to keep it in the engine and radiator and keep it close to the right temp. You might be able to experiment with the different size washers too. It is a racers trick so you have the restriction but don't have to worry about a thermstat not opening and causing a major problem.The thermostat is almost constantly moving to keep the temp set at what the temp is supposed to, but as you will notice, there are several different heat ranges to choose from so it is not that critical. I have had other, older cars without a thermostat and they really ran cold, but I have heard the opposite from others with other types of cars.

Computer cars need to be in the range of offered temps of thermostats to run the engine effeciently so run something in there at least!

Let us know how it works.

Russ

I bought a Genuine Toyota thermostat yesterday, it will be installed. http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/...ons/icon14.gif

YES, you certainly need a Thermostat for even cylinder wear, stable oil tempratures, and stable control of your engine by your ECU. I added a link to better edumacate folks who think running no thermostat is ok. I too live in San Diego and right now when I leave for work it's darn chilly so I need heat asap for myself not just the engine.
Geezer
http://www.centuryperformance.com/coolingsys.asp

i was gonna also say to get a thermostat. my mk2 thanked me for getting it a new one when i still had it and my mk3 is gonna thank me tomorrow for putting in a new one.

and it is nice not having to store our babies for winter (im from sd too) :)

pretty much w/o thermostat your engine runs cold for longer, so it takes longer for all the metal parts to expand and take their places -> you increase the wear on the piston rings etc...

Scratch experiment 1. Good info. Thanks.

Re: Thermostat Necessary?
 

i realize this reply is very very late, but, thought id post anyways.
Get the Thermostat!!! if you dont that funnly little valve (at least on the 7MGTE(turbo)) that has two little hoses on it will not open costing much more in gas. the tempurature opens a valve to the Evap Canister. you can lose up to 5 miles per gallon maybe more if you dont use one. i learned that driving from san fransico to virginia beach, 3129 miles. with thermostat 10-11 gas tanks. without thermostat 13-14 gas tank fulls of supreme gas, mainly from exon or Love's Truck Stops. my supra has made that trip 8 times....so far