RE: No Thermostat

["Brian Hollands" <bholland@hayes.ds.adp.com>]

It does depend on the car.  The one example I know for sure is the BMC
A-series in the Austin Healey Sprite.  If you run that car without a
thermostat your temp gauge will read lower but you wind up with flow
problems at the back of the head.  Basically the coolant flows in one side
of the head and right out the water neck.  Nothing circulates at the back of
the head and the result is that although the coolant temp at the front of
the engine and in the radiator is fine, the #4 cylinder is overheating.  In
the extreme, it can fry the #4 cyl.  The t-stat provides enough restriction
to create more circulation of coolant in the head.

Brian