Thermostat - do I need one or not?

[justinfox]

Hi guys. A few of you have suggested to just take off my thermostat if I am running an oil cooler.

I have a massive oil cooler now so it's all good. Ever since owning the car (1 year now) I have noticed that the car takes absolutely forever to warm up. It's nearly impossible to sit there and wait for it to warm up. I can get quite far driving it easy and shifting before 3,000rpm before it actually does warm up!

Is this a buggered thermostat? Can you really just take it off? OR Should I be buying a replacement one, or even a Nismo race thermostat? (don;t know much about those but have seen them in the mags).

Any help appreciated (as always!).

[benl1981]

Probably yours is stuck open. My gfs corolla took a long time to warm up and on the highway temp would fluctuate a lot. Took the old one out and it was visibly open. The car now sits on 1/2 on temp gauge all the time.

Other things it could be is temp sending unit, but thermostat is $20 so good place to start. Take the old one out and compare its function with a new. Put it in a cup and add boiling water. If it is the same as the new one then take the new one back. They usually come in plastic that can be resealed. Also get a seal with it. Autopro I think has these. Tridon is the brand.

I dont see why oil cooler would effect whether you need a thermostat or not.

[Bl4cK32]

Go the genuine article from Nissan if you are replacing it (thermostat). The aftermarket one i took out of my rb20 looked like a pos compared to the factory item...

[RB30-POWER]

Yeah genuine Nissan 76.5degC thermostat is what you want.

About $35 from Nissan Spares.

Alot of aftermarket ones i've seen are a bad design, and can get stuck open due to their design.

You want your car up to temp as soon as possible, to avoid engine wear and excessive fuel consumption.

[justinfox]

What about the Nismo racing thermostat?

[Duncan]

umm I think you guys are talking about 2 different thermostats

1) is for water and is inthe block, that is where you can buy the uprated ones like 76o

2) is for oil cooler, it won't circulate oil to the cooler unless it needs to. this is what you need for the engine to warm up properly. We don't run one but its a race car so warm up and idle is not an issue.

[RB30-POWER]

Sorry, i thought we were talking about water side of things.

If its a road car, with a big oil cooler, then yes get a thermostat for that (for the oil cooler), as it will have the same side effects as the water thermostat will on motor operation.

Cheers