It rarely gets cold here and am considering removing one when i change upper radiator hose. I realize it might be a little while to warm up in winter tme here in Florida. not really a concern.

 

I would not operate without a thermostat.

 

I let my truck idle for about an hour without a thermostat one day after I changed the water pump and had to flush out the old coolant. I used 40 gallons of distilled water because my house is on well water and you do not want to run those minerals through the engine. I let the truck pump the water in through the degas bottle as I filled it, then would drain the old water/coolant into empty jugs from the degas bottle fill tube on the drivers side.

It worked well, but I would not run without a thermostat. I don't really know if there can be any short or long term damage because of it though.

 

The thermostat actually serves two purposes...ask me how I know. In addition to the function that we all know is serves it also slows water flow down and without that restriction it will fly through the radiator too fast to cool.

 

what temp is the thermostat set at anyway, just curious

 

OEM is 192, some run a 203-205, some run a 185.

 

As stated above, the Thermostat serves many purposes. Primarily to attain Operating Temperature. Thereafter, restrictive flow of Coolant allowing adequate cooling via the radiator.

Operating without a Thermostat can cause damage should the Coolant on both sides of the Thermostat reach the same temperature. Especially under a load should it raise 230*F.

Its actually both important and necessary your Engine reach Operating Temperature. The PCM sees the temperature on a Standard Trans and Oil Temperature on an Automatic and adjust fuel trims of the injectors (FPW).

Too cool and engine, more fuel is introduced and visa-versa. Additionally, Oil performs it's best in the operating range to suspend debris and filter it via the Oil Filter.

Lastly, having a functioning Thermostat actually prevents the Coolant from Boiling causing cavitation in the water jackets. Most liquids have a specific "boiling point", which is the temperature at which the liquid boils at atmospheric conditions. i.e. Water Boils at 212*F. Pressure increases the Boiling Point of the Coolant preventing Cavitation and Boil Over. At 16 PSIG, you raise the boiling temperature of water to approximately 250*F. So, it serves several critical functions.

By nature, the 7.3 is a Cooling Masterpiece and very forgiving with intermittent spikes and falls in Temperature.

I do not see any gain in not having a thermostat. But, several disadvantages are evident.

As for the 195*F and 203*F Thermostat, those are Ford 7.3L and International T444E Specific. An argument for either can easily be made. And, if you search Google you'll see many. I have run both over the years and can not truly say one is, or is not, better than the other. But, certainly the difference is negligible from my point. Its an Engineering and Research decision above all.

There is a wide variation of temperatures for Diesel Engines. Cummins 903's never run over 170*F or they're considered to be overheating. Detroit 8V71 Diesels should never run over 190. Yet, many Caterpillars run at 200*F. Newer systems run even hotter to meet the NOx requirements. Those with Catalytic Converters run Hotter to assist in the degrading of air pollutants.

 

^^^THIS^^^

A link to a thread with a post from WhiteBuffalo:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...rmostat-6.html

My take and I ran a truck w/o a T-stat is: Don't do it. Period!

 

Curiosity makes me want to hear the OP's reasons for wanting to run without a thermostat. I, like others, just don't see any benefits from not having it in place, and agree that it's absence creates an unacceptable potential for risk.

After all, in the nearly 11 years I've had my truck and participated in this forum, thermostat failures just have not been a frequently reported problem. If it's the leak potential that is the issue, well, the thermostat housing has to be there regardless, so the leak potential is going to exist even if the stat is removed from the equation.

 

Or a 180*...like me


And OP, do not remove the thermostat.

 

180* stat here as well... Both of my 7.3's...

 

Your fuel mileage will suffer greatly without a thermostat.