ok to run with no thermostat?

[ret]

Allright, to make a long story really short, I put in a new thermostat today, ran into some problems due to the usual lack of parts that are available 'right NOW'. I know it's generally ok to run your car with no thermostat, as long as the weather isn't cool so that your car will still get up to normal operating temps. Being what it is though, I wanted to verify with the experts that this would be fine with the SHO before I go and do it, most likely only for a week or so until my motorcraft thermostat can come in.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

What parts are you missing? If you replaced the t-stat, the only other thing you could be missing is the gasket.

Your engine will run VERY rich due to the cold engine, which will mean 10-12 MPG fuel economy. Plus you'll run the chance of cooking your cats with all the unburned gas hitting them, and the O2 sensors will probably fail much sooner.

 

[ret]

hrm... no thanks. i'll explain the long story for ya wink .

thermostat needed replaced, preferably NOW. So last monday I run to advanced auto, pick up the crappy stant thermostat... find out they don't sell and can't order the gasket. I call all over town... no one can get it... brilliant, sell the part but not the gasket. So I call ford, they tell me they can get the gasket, it'll be in tomorrow... great, I run down, pay for it, they tell me it'll be end of the week... fine. It finally came in today, I bring it home. Waddya know, stant not only doesn't sell the gasket for their thermostat, but it doesn't use the stock ford on either, wonderful. So I go buy me some red rtv. Get home, start taking the housing off... the thermostat was allready replaced once with the same stant one, yay, I can reuse the gasket from it. So I take the old gasket, put it on the new thermostat, put it all back together. Start the car up, idle for about 5 mins, and the gasket blows. So I cuss a little (actually, a whole lot) then take it back apart, take off the broken gasket, and rtv the **** out of the housing and edge of the thermostat. Start putting it back together, drop a nut, engine swallows the nut and sends it to some other dimension, just what I need. Will go get a new nut tomorrow, nut sure how the all rtv gasket is gonna hold with the thermostat, figured it might hold better without the thermostat to build up pressure. Will go to ford tomorrow and order the motorcraft thermostat and pray the rtv holds for a week until it comes in.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Yikes! You might also try calling around to as many local Ford dealers as you can to see if any have the t-stat in stock (personally I think you're better off with the motorcraft part anyway).

 

[smcallis]

Torrie at FPN will do overnight shipping if you ask.

 

[ret]

ah, that's a good idea smcallis, thanks for reminding me about fpn. I'll send an e-mail asap.

 

[naval-avi8or]

FWIW~ There is a area on top of the ATX that loves nuts. There are two external braces/fins that are part of the molded housing that nuts tend to hide between. Oh and there are others as well.

 

[ShoGuy93]

Sounds like you have had alot of trouble lately..Sorry to hear that. I was also wondering how often do u need to change your t stat???

 

[sdpatt]

You will be very lucky if you didn't send a bunch of RTV to the radiator to block some tubes. The thermostat ****** is metal to metal and the only sealing surface is the rubber seal around the t'stat. RTV on the metal will noly keep water from leaking out of the cooling system, but the thermostat will not seal in the passage.

There is a rule that you should have the parts in hand before taking anything apart. Learn this lesson.

 

[ret]

Motorcraft thermostat, which I have the proper gasket for, is supposed to be in tomorrow, so with any luck, I can do the job right tomorrow evening. Then flush my system to get out any rtv that may have ended up in there. I haven't driven the car yet to see how it works so far, I am letting it cure until I HAVE to drive it to work tomorrow morning.

 

[ret]

ShoGuy93:
Sounds like you have had alot of trouble lately..Sorry to hear that. I was also wondering how often do u need to change your t stat???

I haven't seen any actual numbers for when to do it, I would just do it when doing the 60k/100k, unless it goes bad and you need to before that.

 

[ret]

Well, made it to work ok. Not quite right, but better than it was... still hot at idle or at low speeds, but it ran at a decent temp on the interstate at least. Motorcraft thermostat is supposed to be in today, so hopefully the car will get me to the ford dealer and back home so I can swap thermostats and see if it's any better.

 

[DougLee25]

You dropped a nut huh? LOL Right on brotha thumbs_u