no thermostat

[patrick4266]

1991-70 hp rude

I had my boat out and felt the head to see if it was getting hot. It was cool, too cool, so I took off the Thermostat housing and no Thermostat. I just got this thing running and wanted to know what damage could be done to a motor which never reaches operating temperature. I have no ideal how long the previous owner ran it like that. I rebuilt the carbs and tinkered around with it untill I got it running great even though it never seemed to reach it's max rpm's although I didn't have a tach on it and the waves were choppy. I wanted to take it back out tomorrow but I guess I will have to wait for a thermostat. 1991-70 hp rude

 

[HighTrim]

Re: no thermostat

As you have already stated, you know to replace that stat ASAP, it is needed. Remember tstats control minimum temperature, not max.

The t stat is needed to keep the engine running at an optimal temperature, preventing severe damage to the piston and cylinder wall.

Some motors could overheat. The necessary cooling water from the water pump is never quite filling the block, hence the top cylinder overheats. Some cooling systems actually rely on that t stat for a restriction, since the water is exiting quicker than it is being replenished. Removing the stat is also horrible for a water cooled rectifier/regulator.

The rings will wear out quicker, and carbon will build up, so you may want to compression test and decarb as described by Tashasdaddy in the faq.

OMC wouldnt have thrown them in there for funsies now would they, bean counters would have been all over them!

Basically, as you know, get one in there.