It's not "overheat" or "underheat" ... it's "uneven heat" that (I was told)
may cause a problem ... it's ... one part of the engine is hot and one part
of the engine is cold(er) than it should be because of the lack of
temperature regulation provided by the thermostat. I myself will run my
engines with the thermostat installed ... you guys can do (obviously) as you
like :-)

OT: My mercruiser thermostat is 140 F ... I myself find that unususual
compared to an auto thermostat. My understanding ... an auto engine is most
efficient around 235 F (achievable because the sytem is pressurized). So ...
why the low temp for the marine (version) engine?

"tony thomas" wrote in message
newsz5qe.31276$x96.130@attbi_s72...
Only problem w/ running an engine w/out a thermostat is you may never warm
the engine to proper temp and you may find the engine running rich all the
time. This will cost you in fuel but won't hurt the engine (except for
possibly carbon buildup over a long time).

Won't hurt in terms of overheat as the max coolant is flowing all the
time.
If the engine overheats and warps something in this condition it would
really overheat w/ a thermostat installed as a fully open thermostat adds
a
certain amount of restriction just due to the metal parts being there.

--
Tony
my boats and cars at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

-
"Bowgus" wrote in message
...
A suggestion ... don't run the engine very long without a thermostat ...
even better, don't run without a thermostat at all. One of the
thermostat's
function I've been told is to ensure a relatively consistent engine
temperature preventing parts warp etc.. Having said that, I had a
thermostat
fail closed on a Toyota. I removed it and drove home from ...
interestingly
enough Johnstown near where you're at ... to Ottawa without any apparent
problems.

I am going to try it this weekend with no thermostat and see what
happens. Stay tuned ...