I have an old shitty civic with a blown headgasket which is pushing all coolant into the reservoir tank after a 40 mile drive on the interstate. I have no connection to that car and just want it to drive SOMEHOW more than 40 miles without having to stop at an rest area to "Pump" all the coolant back into the Radiator. My question is, can i remove the thermostat to make it drive atleast a few miles more than it does now? I know that removing the thermostat may cause more harm than good but i really don't care about the car nor the engine. So please don't tell me that it's bad because i know that already. I just want to know if that helps me to get some more miles out of my trips without having to stop on the side of the road. And i am definitely not putting any money into a head gasket repair for that piece of junk. A new car is in the coming.

 

simply, no... get it fixed properly or let it die, sir.

 

like always not the answer to my question but thank you for trying SIR. A "NO" with no reason doesn't really help my case.

 

simple car mechanics... shall we go over again?

 

thank you, NEXT

 

Got a legit laugh out of this. You're going to get bad replies for a bad request for advice.

A thermostat helps control an optimal engine temperature range. You're not helping the car by removing a device that only helps cool AFTER it reaches the optimal temperature.

Blown headgaskets not only add to engine heat (with super hot exhaust caused by super hot burned gas/air), they also displace engine coolant with exhaust gases that pressurize the cooling system. You can't just bypass a thermostat because "zomg it restricts coolant i must kewl all of teh fluid at all times". Your cooling system literally loses the ability to cool because the coolant is pushed into the expansion tank and out of the system.

Hey, maybe run your cabin heat on max while you're driving? No, that response sucks... thank you, NEXT

If every single ******* car manufacturer includes a device on their car you're trying to defeat, you need to ask why you're trying to defeat it. Work your new car faster.

Scotty Kilmer might have a HG fix in a bottle for you somewhere

 

Now there is an legit answer. Thank you very much. I was thinking about puoring that blue devil gunk in there but even that will cost me 40 bucks.

 

I'm sorry for the total ******* response dude. Sometimes people don't have the time or will to elaborate on things that have been well established for the model year.

Overcooling can at times be as bad as overheating. These 01-05 Hondas are good at blowing headgaskets (I've done one myself), so the answers tend to be fairly short: You can basically limp the car around a little until it dies, then swap the engine.

That info kind of applies to all cars, too. They'll run but they keep pushing coolant out. Eventually your engine coolant temp sensor (which controls fuel trim), can't see the right mixture after warmed up due to air pockets, so the car doesn't run right. I had this happen on an 06 Civic EX that had the cracked block recall. It only ran when it was started cold or had time to cool off.

 

It really is annoying tho, just a 40 mile drive today and my whole engine bay was soaked in antifreeze... i really don't like those head gasket sealants but i think thats the last thing i could try. I'm sick of that car.

 

I'm typically the last that would be an ******* on this forum, however, this is where basic mechanical understanding of how coolant thermostat works will assist in not only a diagnosis for any issues related to it, but also why not using a thermostat on an aluminum block is never a good idea. So, I'll take the ******* comment and actually say, "thank you", as I want people start researching better before asking.

When the engine is too cool, the thermostat needs to close and stop the coolant from flowing through the radiator, so the engine heats back up. Back in the day, especially on iron-block engines, shade-tree mechanics used to remove thermostats as a remedy of last resort for overheating cars. But that just covered up the problem rather than fixing it. Yes, coolant would flow through the system more often, to use the radiator's heat-exchange potential more, but the aluminum engine block would actually start running too cool, too quickly, and cause other issues.

sumdewd summed it up rather well, but it's best also give background information so that you'll know the why and keep in your head; not just say "thanks, " and forget the answer down the road. To me it's the difference in teaching to fish, rather than just "giving" the fish away. (old christian proverb).

How coolant systems work

Start at 1:44

 

Im not a complete idiot!!! I just thought taking the thermostat out might give me a few more miles with a blown headgasket!! READ WHAT I WROTE ABOVE DAMNIT! I sure damn know how a cooling system works! If u believe it or not me the "Idiot" even flushed a cooling system before| Mindblow| . My way of thought was the Following, i thought that removing the thermostat will give me a faster flow rate of the coolant (which it will) and as a result of that might take longer to pressurize the cooling system with exhaust gases that will result in coolant pouring out of my overflow reservoir i know that it will push the coolant out eventually but it might let me drive a 60 mile trip instead of 40 miles.

 

I'm well aware of you're full road of thought from your previous post. Again, it would not have mattered... 40 miles, 30 miles, etc.

You sure are cranky young man.. you think you might feel better after maybe having a juice box with some string cheese?

I think no response from me would have been satisfactory for you after my first comment in making you THINK a bit with some basics before asking, so...Nope..

 

... let's leave string cheese out of this.

 

Hey Nic, your not totally off thinking about removing the thermostat. Old school hot rod guys used to drill some small holes in their thermostat to let some coolant flow before it opened up. Also some thermostats are designed to be in the open only position if they fail and never in the closed position if they fail. I've had older carbed and fuel injected cars that had a bad thermostat and they didn't warm up, they had barely any heat in the winter, idled high, and got bad fuel mileage but they did at least run before I fixed the thermostat. Maybe the lack of thermostat would buy you a few minutes, but maybe it wouldn't since the coolant isn't really moving around like it should due to the head gasket. I never tried that blue devil stuff myself, but I know other people that had good luck with it. I say try that and make sure you do exactly what it says on the bottle. Ideally I would say stop driving the car and fix it correctly instead of looking for a miracle cure in a bottle that could cause more problems down the road. But it sounds like you just need to get to work etc and plan to replace the engine soon anyway. Try to find an engine from a lower mileage car at the pull a part yard. It may take awhile but sometimes you can find a car that was hit in the rear without crazy miles on it. Pull the cluster and power it up in your car, or hook up 12 volts to the battery terminals using a jump box or cheap cordless drill battery. You may be able to guess the mileage by looking at receipts left in the car, the oil change due sticker etc. Check if the mechanic wrote on the engine timing belt replaced at 105k etc. Good luck.

 

You seem like a fun person to fight with... big mouth but absolutely nothing behind that. I hate people that tell me I'm stupid! I'm really sorry that my question (which in your eyes is full of stupidity) aggravates you so much. All i wanted is an answer that satisfies me and others that tumble across that thread. But apparently that forum exists MOSTLY of Smartmouths that think they are better than everyone else. And AGAIN to make that clear once and for all i sure as hell know how a f***ing cooling System works.

 

Thank you very much but i am not going to invest any more money than the blue devil stuff into that car because its a beater and i will replace it soon with a new car anyways.

 

Never said you were stupid. you implied that yourself, sir.
I stated that you didn't look at the basic principles of the cooling system again to see that your solution, really isn't one. Even with the old hot rod guys with iron blocks..

You're filling in your own gaps with assumptions and conclusions that weren't founded on anything concrete, and that's what's a little troubling. Everyone wants an answer that's satisfying, but few accept the idea that their information might be wrong. )I know it sucks when it happens to me occasionally), but it's a big pill to swallow, and it was simply your turn.

Now that you have your answer, (although I stared the same answer more abradively) though can continue tip drive with confidence.

 

And again were you telling me that i don't know how a cooling system works. ONCE AND FOR ALL! I know how a cooling system works and i knew it before asking my question! I've been fixing my car myself for a while now! All i was asking is if removing the thermostat would help reduce the problem (a question that was directed to you guys)! I never said that it will solve my problem i was simply asking if it would help reduce the symptoms of my problem as a temporarily fix! All i got were rude smartmouth answers (exceptions excluded) from people that think they are something better! This forum is intended for helping people and not telling them how stupid their questions were! EVERY QUESTION IS A GOOD QUESTION!!

 

This is not some student counsel session. unfortunately, there are questions that NOT. Either they were poorly stated, or not previously investigated before asking. Whether you believe you thought this was a solution (be it a temp one or permanent) the answer was still a resounding NO.

One can never assume in writing that other people know your mechanical inclination or experience, so we can't assume anything.. If you knew what you were doing, and knew the basics, you wouldn't have asked. It's ok to not know things, and I certainly would not have labeled you an idiot, but (YOU used that label, not I), that doesn't mean that it's aimed that you understood the basics. (Funny enough, you're still not making that clear add you argue with me... just sayin').

So, relax... if you're convinced it's ok. that's all we can go on, and agree to disagree. okay? did you have something to eat yet?

 

Remove it, it’s not like it’s going to hurt anything at this point.

 

You are doing it again...

 

OP, I have a thought. Instead of continuing to battle with TheShodan and other members on here, how about going ahead and removing the thermostat... make your 40 mile-each-way drive a few times and "see" if you get a few more minutes of travel before the coolant temps climb to dangerous levels. THEN, report your findings back here to help others that find this thread in the future.

... or you can wait until someone agrees with your analysis and supports your solution... and then you can remove the thermostat anyway. Remember that you have stated multiple times that you FULLY UNDERSTAND how a cooling system works.

 

Sounds like a good plan to me... As long as he's had nap before trying it out.

 

Engine is almost seized which means car is a goner...hadn't removed the thermostat yet. It's not hydrolocked (coolant), didn't overheat, timing belt is not broken. Accessories are not seized (alternator, A/C Compressor and power steering pump) which means the serpentine belt was also intact. I gotta say, i heard clanging noises from the engine for a while now (lower end) but i didn't really care. I've done regular oil changes. Turning it over is almost impossible.

 

You spun a bearing or few.

Good job, now this thread can be closed.