Does everyone have a thermostat bypass?

[Rwillia4]

Don't drill holes in the t-stat, instead install the by-pass hose. Drilling holes allows water to go through the t-stat which serves the same funtion as having the hose installed.

With the limited amount of information given I'm not sure why Barnsnake thinks you don't have a t-stat installed. Have you ever had a problem with the car overheating on a warm day?

[Gaz64]

Originally Posted by Rwillia4

Don't drill holes in the t-stat, instead install the by-pass hose. Drilling holes allows water to go through the t-stat which serves the same funtion as having the hose installed.

With the limited amount of information given I'm not sure why Barnsnake thinks you don't have a t-stat installed. Have you ever had a problem with the car overheating on a warm day?

Drilling holes in the thermostat and no bypass hose is not the same as a normal thermostat with a bypass hose.

A normal system with a bypass (internal or external) allows fast engine AND heater warm up
WITH circulation prior to the thermostat opening point allowing coolant flow to the radiator.

The is no point in allowing coolant flow through the radiator in the warm up phase,
we only want circulation within the engine.

[Ant]

Originally Posted by Gaz64

Drilling holes in the thermostat and no bypass hose is not the same as a normal thermostat with a bypass hose.

A normal system with a bypass (internal or external) allows fast engine AND heater warm up
WITH circulation prior to the thermostat opening point allowing coolant flow to the radiator.

The is no point in allowing coolant flow through the radiator in the warm up phase,
we only want circulation within the engine.

The small hole you drill at the top of thermostat base plate is an air bleed not really a bypass due to minimal water flow.

We run a remote t/stat with bypass from engine side of t/stat back in to the bottom hose, this can be -6an or -8an or equivalent sizing.

[bobcowan]

Originally Posted by Rwillia4

Don't drill holes in the t-stat, instead install the by-pass hose. Drilling holes allows water to go through the t-stat which serves the same funtion as having the hose installed.

With the limited amount of information given I'm not sure why Barnsnake thinks you don't have a t-stat installed. Have you ever had a problem with the car overheating on a warm day?

Drilling a hole in th thermostat is a common SBF trick. It makes the system open, and allows air and fluid to easily move through the entire system when cold. That almost eliminates all burping and filling problems. I'v been doing it for decades. A single 1/8" hole is all you really need.

It does not perform the same function as a the bypass hose. The bypass hose directs coolant back to the water pump, and back into the front of the block. The hole allows coolant and air to flow through the upper radiater hose, past the filler neck, and to the radiater.

It does extend the warm up time a tad. But only a tad. Not enough to notice or effect function. How much fluid can a 1/8" hole pass?

A symptoms of an open or missing thermostat is that it never warms up on a cool day. The thermostat controls minimum temp, not max. Excess engine wear occurs at temps <160* or so. And oil won't function properly at temps <180*'ish.

The other issue with a missing thermostat is the speed of the water flow. The coolant must be in contact with a hot surface long enough to transfer the heat. If there's no thermostat at all, the heads will get really hot, even though the coolant temp is low or normal. That's why racers will remove the thermostat, but install a restricter plate. Or just gut the thermostat.