Have you ever been a victim of these roadside mechanics telling you that your car overheated because you’ve not removed the thermostat? Well, most car owners have faced this misinformation at one time or another, which may have cost them engine inefficiencies in the long run. Your home for exotic and luxury cars — Carflynow is here to give you the proper information if you’re already considering removing your thermostat.

Once the thermostat is removed, it means there is nothing to control the engine’s internal temperature.

What does a thermostat do?

A car engine was developed to function properly at a specific temperature; operating it at temperatures either higher or lower than that temperature could cause the engine’s performance to be less than optimal. Given that the weather is never stable and the temperature does not remain the same throughout the course of a day, this is not an easy request to fulfill most of the time. As a result, automobile manufacturers have incorporated a component known as the thermostat into the car to serve as a temperature regulator. This component is designed to sit between the engine and the radiator. As a consequence of this, when the engine is cold, the thermostat will close, which will prevent coolant from flowing to the engine. This will allow the engine to reach the temperature that has been determined to provide the highest level of efficiency.

In a similar fashion, when the engine’s temperature rises above the set point, the thermostat triggers the discharge of coolant into the engine in order to bring the temperature down. As there are negative implications associated with removing the thermostat from your car, it is clear that this is not the greatest course of action to take.

What are the effects of removing the thermostat?

Let’s take a look at the effect that removing a thermostat can have on your car.

High fuel consumption

The fuel that is fed into the engine participates in combustion at a temperature that has been carefully calculated. The Coolant Temperature Sensor (CTS) in the vehicle is the component that is responsible for determining the temperature in order to achieve optimal fuel usage.

Your car may experience increased fuel consumption once your thermostat is gone!

When the coolant is released into the engine, it brings the temperature of the engine down to well below what is considered normal. This causes the CTS to release a greater quantity of fuel than the quantity that is typically necessary for combustion.

The wear and tear

When the thermostat is removed from the engine, it signifies that there is nothing left to control the temperature inside the engine. This causes the engine parts to heat and cool unevenly since they are not built from the same material across the entire engine. For example, rubber seals, aluminum pistons, iron blocks, fiber gaskets, and so on are all created from different materials. This inconsistent heating and cooling can eventually lead to the wearing and tearing of these parts, which can, in rare cases, cause serious engine leaks.

In addition to this, increasing the amount of fuel that is injected into the engine results in the oil being washed away from the cylinder bores, which results in a bore-wash and accelerates the premature wearing of the engine.

Your car cooling system is not complete without the thermostat 

High emission

The rate and quantity of emissions by the vehicle are increased as more fuel is injected into the engine than is typically required.

Your car is at risk of having increased emissions without a thermostat!

In a similar vein, the consistent expansion and contraction of engine parts can cause some seals to wear out, which can lead to leakages in the engine, which in turn can lead to an increase in deposits, a dirty engine, and an increase in emissions.

Increased car maintenance cost

I guess this goes without saying, as engine parts begin to wear faster than necessary since a vital component that ensures the oil necessary to preserve moving parts is kept intact has been removed. Hence, you spend more to maintain and replace leaking seals and worn parts while buying oil sooner than you ought to, not to mention the cost of refueling.

Final take

The engine is designed to operate at an optimum temperature generated internally, not from external surroundings, as this usually depends on the traffic, speed, and external temperature. XeroDrive strongly advises that you don’t leave your engine state at the mercy of irregular external temperature by removing your thermostat. This can only mean grievous consequences for your engine and the life of your car.