taking out the thermostat

[legacy98gt]

so i was driving home and the thermostat went out again, its not the genuine subaru one just the kragens brand and ive had 2 of them go out on me so i was wondering can i just run without a thermostat? i dont live where it snows and it only freezes like 3 times a year can i just remove it? i live in a desert its hot as hell, i just want to make sure before i do it

[tecnica technician]

yeah u can run with out one but i dont recommend it the car will not reach running temp which means some of your test wont run , like pcv and others also its bad for your gas mileage just go get a genuine subaru one its like a few bucks more and its built better then the kragen one, i just replaced mine a few months back

[green97gt]

i woudlnt recomend it on a car you plan on driving a long time. ive done it on old work trucks and cars with headgasket issues...it works.

but your car wont be at operating temp doing 50 MPH and your fuel economy will suck, you risk washing your cylinder walls with gas contaminating your oil, tests wont run, etc.

if youve really got your heart set on it, you can cut chunks out of the thermostast and fiddle around trying to find the right size opening that lets you maintain op temp.....ive done that on cars with compression to coolant leaks so air doesnt build up behing the thermostat...

but i wouldnt to it on good motor. go spend like 10 bucks or whatever from the dealer

[legacy98gt]

well the dealer is like an hour away and i dont feel like driving that far, can i run without just in the summer? it gets like 110 degres here so its almost operating temp anyways, dont they open at 170?

[legacy98gt]

and is there a way of taking out the thermostat without taking off the intake manifold?

[decke48]

thermostat is on the bottom radiator hose. buy a oem thermostat online and have it shipped if you dont want to drive. there only like $12 + couple for shipping

[jey]

Yeah you shouldn't have to touch the intake manifold, it's like two bolts at the bottom radiator hose.

[green97gt]

10mm i think....

[ouch1011]

Running without a thermostat is not recommended regardless of the ambient temp. 110* is still a little more than half the normal operating temp of a Subaru, so it will still run cold. It will cause reduced fuel economy and can increase engine wear. Also, a secondary purpose for the thermostat is to create a slight restriction in the cooling system, otherwise at higher engine speeds the coolant will flow so quickly through the engine and radiator that there won't be enough heat transfer and it can actually cause the engine to overheat. Especially if your cooling system isn't in tip-top shape.