Can i run without thermostat for 1 trip?

[Alex7772011]

So my 99 explorer v6 4wd thermostat stuck closed...top house is hot bottom is cold and when i was driving my engine almost overheated....
im planing on taking the thermostat out and drive to town to get new one.
will it hurt my engine its only 10 mile round trip...
and since i live in hawaii what temperature thermostat should i get? never gets colder then 70s lol

 

[2TimingTom]

Probably be ok. Better than what sounds like you have with your current situation.

 

[2TimingTom]

And as far as thermostat goes, get the OEM temp. It's not really weather related, but you need to get it warm enough to be in the efficient operating zone.

But you can play around with the coolant/water mix. You don't need to do 50:50. You could run pure water, but the water pump wouldn't get lubricated and the corrosion resistance. More water makes the cooling more efficient. I'd run about 70% water.

 

[Flash]

Short answer: yes.
But if you want to play it safe replace the seized thermostat with a disc of the same size with a 3/8ths - 1/2 inch hole in it.

 

[koda2000]

the difficult thing about replacing the thermostat on a SOHC is getting the trapped air out of the system. this is referred to as "burping" for obvious reasons. if you don't get the system to "burp" you run the risk of overheating and blowing a head gasket. your new thermostat should have a rattler valve on it to help the air escape. as suggested, you can also drill a small hole in it or prop the thermostat open with an aspirin.

running the engine w/out a thermostat will not harm it.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

The thermostat on my '78 F100 stuck closed when I made a pit stop at a rest area. Truck overheated, but restarted. My son and I spent the night in the back of the truck at a weigh station. (He, being 10, enjoyed that much more than I did.) By morning I had figured out the problem and removed the thermostat. This was early June. Ran it all summer and most of the fall that way. In November, I realized I was going to need the heater soon, so I put a new thermostat in.

The '78 engine wasn't as temperature sensitive as more modern engines, and wasn't designed to run as hot. No computers, either.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

the difficult thing about replacing the thermostat on a SOHC is getting the trapped air out of the system. this is referred to as "burping" for obvious reasons. if you don't get the system to "burp" you run the risk of overheating and blowing a head gasket. your new thermostat should have a rattler valve on it to help the air escape. as suggested, you can also drill a small hole in it or prop the thermostat open with an aspirin.

running the engine w/out a thermostat will not harm it.

I just did a flush and fill on my '01 Sport Trac and had no issues with trapped air. A LOT of air bubbled back through the coolant reservoir, and the upper radiator hose collapsed a couple of times. When the suction left the top hose the 1st time, it popped like a tire seating on a rim as it expanded back to normal. Just watch it close as you refill, and check it after the first few short trips. Not sure about your Explorer, but the Sport Trac refills through the reservoir on the inner fender (after the initial fill of the radiator), which made it easy to watch the air bubbling out.

 

[pbnj22]

yeah you will be fine. the trucks engine temp will just be way lower and rise slowly if it rises at all. you will get worse mpgs but no big deal for one trip

 

[koda2000]

I just did a flush and fill on my '01 Sport Trac and had no issues with trapped air. A LOT of air bubbled back through the coolant reservoir, and the upper radiator hose collapsed a couple of times. When the suction left the top hose the 1st time, it popped like a tire seating on a rim as it expanded back to normal. Just watch it close as you refill, and check it after the first few short trips. Not sure about your Explorer, but the Sport Trac refills through the reservoir on the inner fender (after the initial fill of the radiator), which made it easy to watch the air bubbling out.

i had to replace the lower rad hose on my '01 SOHC and had a tough time burping it afterwards. Ford should have put a air bleed valve on the intake. i finally tried driving around the block and it overheated w/in the first 1/4 mile, then it puked coolant out the overflow tank and i had to sit and wait for it to cool down. drove it back home and filled it again and it was fine. it might be easier if you're only changing the t-stat as ALL the coolant doesn't drain out. the 5.0's have never given me any trouble.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I didn't disconnect my lower hose - just drained via the petcock on the radiator and flushed out through the heater hose - so my system was never completely empty. That may have been a factor in my favor in terms of excess air.

 

[stickboy]

I had the thermostat on my Saturn fail open last year, and it took me about 3 months to realize it. So, I think you will be fine driving it 10 miles to town!

 

[Sedition]

!Warning!

I have had to do this in the past and I can tell you that if you just remove the thermostat then the housing will leak so bad you won't get 1/2 a mile down the road. You have to cut the guts out of your old thermostat and place only the top disc part back into the housing to create a proper seal.

After you have modified your old thermostat it will run fine. It just won't warm up, ever.

 

[shaggy101]

so if we tear the guts out of the thermostat and keep the disc and rubber seal then it will run properly worse mpg but wont do any harm i got a mud truck ranger with tthe 4.0 and its running pretty dam hot

 

[pbnj22]

so if we tear the guts out of the thermostat and keep the disc and rubber seal then it will run properly worse mpg but wont do any harm i got a mud truck ranger with tthe 4.0 and its running pretty dam hot

For your mud truck you are probably just putting extra strain on the engine with gearing and high revs and moving slow does not allow enough airflow across the engine to cool it down so most off road rigs require aftermarket radiators and electric cooling fans and stuff...

 

[Sedition]

so if we tear the guts out of the thermostat and keep the disc and rubber seal then it will run properly worse mpg but wont do any harm i got a mud truck ranger with tthe 4.0 and its running pretty dam hot

Yes, you are correct.

 

[Sedition]

Just make sure you cooling fan is cutting in too.