Re: OK to remove thermostat?

I can give you some information assuming that yours is the same as my 1992
Beretta was. The 195 degF thermostat opening temperature is comparatively
high and, considering the tendency to overheat, it might seem like a good
idea to make it run cooler. (I blamed the overheating when sitting in
traffic on the fact that the cooling fan covered only about 2/3 of the
radiator.) The lower temperature thermostats that I was able to find did
not have the disk on the bottom of the thermostat that blocks the bypass
passage when the thermostat is fully opened, so you would have more
overheating problems with the lower temperature thermostat. You could run
without a thermostat and block the bypass passage e.g. with an epoxy
cement plug. This would result in cooler running but could cause other
problems; warm-up time would be much longer and it might not get warm
enough for some emission controls e.g. charcoal canister purge to work.

J wrote:
> 
> Will it harm anything if I remove the therrmostat for the duration of
the
> summer?
> 
> My goal is to make the engine run cooler to extend the engine life. This
is
> in reference to a 1994 Chevrolet Corsica with a 6 cylinder engine with
> 168,000 miles. The gasket is an o-ring that is part of the thermostat,
so I
> will make my own gasket to fit around the thermostat housing to prevent
> leakage. Thank you.

-- 
                   Mike Walsh