Running no thermostat

[TuRbOS13]

I know there are alotta posts on here about thermostats. I'm not running a thermostat because when I tried running my car with the factory Thermostat my car overheated. Now i'm running no thermostat and my car doesnt overheat. I like the idea that it doesnt overheat, but I want a thermostat so it warms up quicker. Should I run no Thermostat or should I buy a Nismo Thermostat that is made for turboed setups????? The Nismo Thermo operates and opens up at diff temps so my engine doesnt overheat.

[coolbone28]

If you are over heating, then it is probably due to air in the system. Re-bleed your cooling system and you should be good. Not running a thermostat is not good on your engine.

[eazye2000]

If you are over heating, then it is probably due to air in the system. Re-bleed your cooling system and you should be good. Not running a thermostat is not good on your engine.

I agree. Probably stuck air from having the thermostat in there.

Trick I use, is drill an 1/8" hole in the outside part of the stat, and line it up at the 12'oclock position. I actually drill like 8 in mine, but one will do just fine.

It will help bleed the air along when you fill it up.

[TuRbOS13]

Ok, thanks. Will do.

[480sx]

Need some more information really. Air doesnt magically just get trapped into a Ka, or any motor for that mater.

Did you recently drain your coolant out? If not, then air trapped in your system is not whats causing this.

How did your car start overheating? Under what circumstances?

Nismo T-Stats are complete garbage, snake oil, whatever.

Trick I use, is drill an 1/8" hole in the outside part of the stat, and line it up at the 12'oclock position. I actually drill like 8 in mine, but one will do just fine.

There is something called a 'Jiggle valve' on the Ka's t-stat to do just that. As long as you install it with the valve at 12 then your set.

If your t-stat has 8 holes in it its not really doing its job. Your letting way to much coolant bypass the T-stat, altering the speed at which water flows through the head by a lot. Basically, your not giving the coolant enough time to do soak the heat away from the metal. This is one of the reasons that you run a t-stat, to regulate the flow of coolant through the motor.

Im going to start another thread about dealing with the Ka's coolant system.

[eazye2000]

Not all aftermarket thermostats have the 'jiggle-valve'. Hence why I recommended drilling the one hole, and placing at the 12'oclock position. There is also a choice with aftermarket thermostats in temperature range as well. I do believe that the Nissan OEM t'stat has the extra hole with metal obstruction (jiggle-valve).

I have other things done to my motor to necessitate the extra holes in the thermostat for my application.

[480sx]

I have other things done to my motor to necessitate the extra holes in the thermostat for my application.

Like what?

[lrb_2000]

I ran no thermostat all summer. No problems. Car actually ran very well... It does take a bit to warm up, but not too bad. I wouldn't recommend it for the winter time.

When I put my thermostat back in, I drilled 3 small holes at the top... Everytime I've put one in, my car has overheated. I just let it do it's thing, and turn off the car when the temp gets to about 210*. Go open the radiator, VERY VERY SLOWLY so that it doesn't spray me bad. But this seems to get all the air out. Fill it back up with water and it works fine.

[TuRbOS13]

Haha ok thanks for the info.

[ghx407]

Nismo T-Stats are complete garbage, snake oil, whatever.

Nismo thermostats are overpriced, but they can help a properly maintained and bled cooling system under certain circumstances. I live in a very hot climate and had overheating issues when driving uphill or tracking for prolonged periods.

I found a NIB Nismo t-stat for $40 and gave it a try, and I'm satisfied with it. There's been no overheating issues tracking or driving uphill since the t-stat change.

A Nismo t-stat will not work miracles in a shi++y or unbled cooling system. But under certain circumstances, any quality lower-temp t-stat can help a properly maintained cooling system.

BTW, coolant temps are monitored with a Techtom MDM-100.

[WDRacing]

I ran no T-Stat when I lived on Okinawa in my Skyline. No problems and no overheating.

Want a cheap cooling fix? Grab a set of electric fans from the JY off a Taurus, wire them dudes up and make sure the shroud is touching the rad with some foam. I did that on my Skyline, worked like a champ. I'm doing that to my S14 as well...would have been done already, but I tossed a rod before I got that far in my build...3 years ago

[480sx]

Nismo thermostats are overpriced, but they can help a properly maintained and bled cooling system under certain circumstances. I live in a very hot climate and had overheating issues when driving uphill or tracking for prolonged periods.

How the hell is opening 20-30 degrees sooner going to help your engine? The engine is designed to run at 190 degrees or so, just about all engines are. Its supposed to get to that temperature. Its exactly like any other thermostat with the difference of its opening temperature.

I found a NIB Nismo t-stat for $40 and gave it a try, and I'm satisfied with it. There's been no overheating issues tracking or driving uphill since the t-stat change.

So because your car hasnt overheated your happy and convinced that this product was a good buy.

No thermostat except a defect one will make your car overheat.

But under certain circumstances, any quality lower-temp t-stat can help a properly maintained cooling system.

Yea, how? Under what circumstances is this?

[lrb_2000]

oh crap. my car hasn't ran over 165* in the past few months... :|

[ghx407]

How the hell is opening 20-30 degrees sooner going to help your engine? The engine is designed to run at 190 degrees or so, just about all engines are. Its supposed to get to that temperature. Its exactly like any other thermostat with the difference of its opening temperature.

Cooler liquid will remove heat more efficiently than warmer liquid. If coolant is allowed to convect heat from an engine to a radiator and ambient air at a lower temperature, it will have a better capability to remove heat, which in essence is what we want in an engine that is prone to overheating due to aftermarket turbocharging. Roughly, it's the same concept as the human body: it is designed to operate at 98.6 deg., but it is less prone to heatstroke if surrounded by air at 60 deg. than if it is doing the same work in 98.6 deg. weather.

After normal driving for about five minutes my car will idle at ~175 deg. When pushed, it will reach 190, 200, and even 210 deg., but it takes a lot more work and time to reach those temps than it did before the t-stat change.

So because your car hasnt overheated your happy and convinced that this product was a good buy.

Yes. My experience has been positive and I am satisfied with the product. I would recommend a colder thermostat (not necessarily a Nismo due to its price) to anyone in circumstances similar to mine, but not to someone who lives in an area in which the climate hinders a car from reaching a decent operating temperature. Neither would I recommend it to someone whose driving habits or activities do not pose a risk of pushing the engine beyond its normal operating temperatures.

Yea, how? Under what circumstances is this?

I live in a Caribbean island that is hot year-round; temperatures hover between 85-100 deg., there are no "seasons" like you have in the U.S. Just hot all the time... It is extremely sunny and most roads are covered with black asphalt, making street temperatures even hotter.

In these conditions, and with a stock radiator, I take my car to the track, where it is constantly revving between 4-6k RPMs while boosting 15 psi for four to five minutes straight.

On top of that, I live in the coast while my family lives in the mountains. Everytime I visit them I face a non-stop 25 min. hillclimb at 60-70 mph., boosting the whole way up. Cars frequently overheat in this section of highway.

I apologize for the long post and hope to have answered all your questions.
Modified by ghx407 at 1:09 AM 1/5/2009