Thermostat or no thermostat

[kwayzivietnamese]

Vehicle has an aluminium radiator - originally an NA motor now with a turbo slapped on.
Radiator currently has 2 x 12" thermo fans...one is a davies craig one the other is some chinese cheapo one that sucks less then half the amount of hot air as the davies craig one...both are hooked up and kick on when the needle nearly reaches half way...
Car runs no thermostat...
After about 20-25 minutes of idling, the needle will see just past half way...move the car at about 50km/h and the needle will drop just below half way...

Question: will the car temp keep cooler/more stable with a thermostat or not?
I hear different stories from different people...so i want to hear your input..

Cheers

[CrUZida]

Thermostat.

Never run a car without a thermostat.

[Rallystanza]

Inertia from on here has a GZE which we did and it had dodgey readings for the temp. Installed a new thermostat and it now reaches temp quickly, keeps the same temp, all the time, and this is with the LEVIN GTZ radiator and the factory thermo.

Jez

[kwayzivietnamese]

yeah as i said...diff ppl say diff things..
1 group says they have run without thermostats b4 and the temp is actually cooler...
Another group is all theoretical and say thermostat allows more efficient cooling of coolant to cool engine....
Then first group will say it only allows the engine to warm up more quicker...and that constant flow is better...
And then the other group will say its better to allow the coolant temp to fluctuate via the thermostat...

Ne1 got opinions, views, or explainations for which is better?

[roadsailing]

run a thermostat, do a search!

an engine should warm up in 5 minutes, not 25!

[tricky]

Run a thermostat. It takes absolutely ages to warm up an engine without a thermostat. Think of all the damage you are doing in that time. If you want to increase flow, rather than removing the thermostat (which wouldn't increase flow dramatically anyway), get a better water pump.

[CrUZida]

The only time an engine will run cooler without a thermostat is when you have a ridiculously oversized radiator.

But remember, motors are more powerful, more efficient, and last longer when they are at the proper operating temperature.

[Rallystanza]

If for some reason you want to run your engine below its normal/optimal operating temp, get your self a thermostat that opens at a lower temperature than the standard range of toyota ~82 deg C.

[mullett]

Yeah, basically what everyone else said. The thermostat regulates engine temp by not opening until the engine is at operating temp, then holding the flow at a point where the engine will stay at that temperature. They are ultra reliable, rarely go wrong, and are absolutely vital for a healthy engine. They don't restrict the flow (much as it looks like they do), because the cooling system is designed for the flow of the thermostat. If you take it out, the flow thru the engine is often too fast, meaning that the temperature is not properly transfered from the engine, and the water is not properly cooled by the radiator, or any combination of the two. So it might read colder (because the water is colder), but the engine temp is anyones guess.

Short answer: Use a thermostat. For a whole $10, it's a lot of healthy engine.

RM.

[kwayzivietnamese]

Oh...it doesnt take 25 minutes to warm up...only about 5minutes or so till it reaches middle...then another 20 minutes later, the needle would have moved up about 1-2mm past half way...

[scootaphill]

Use A thermostat. if you want a more resounding result turn this into a POLL

cheers

[mullett]

*slap* use a thermostat. Or my Pirate Penguin will take his vengence upon ye. Yarrrr.

[kwayzivietnamese]

Haha ok thermostat it is.
Priced at $15...see how we go

[takai]

Ok here we go again.
== Good
Just incase you are a visual learner.

[kwayzivietnamese]

Haha gold.
Cheers takai