Thermostat opertation

[KAL SPL]

Seems mine has crapped itself and isnt closing anymore , just rattles now.
What exactly is its purpose and operation , I have read it opens at certain temps but why and whats its purpose ?

Im assuming its primarily for the heater in the car itself and doesnt really affect the operating of the engine.
It never gets below zero degerees here and I have no heater so do I really need a thermostat there at all ?
Given it hasnt been functioning for awhile now I think its not needed but wanted to ask advice before i ditch it instead of replacing the thermostat.

[GTMaster]

It's there to alter the flow of air that cools the engine. When the engine is cold it's closed and helps the engine to warm up faster. When it reaches running temp it will fully open and let all the cooling air to pass through.

[Pete126]

As GT Said [-/
But Why:
All engines have an optimum operating temperature this is important once the engine is up to temperature there is less wear on all the engine components, The thermostat keeps the engine temperature stable thus giving you better performance and economy. you can run engines without a thermostat but depending where you are in the world the engine may never reach its running temp' Its not there just for heating the car, or to put it another way, Car manufacturers don't spend extra money on designing parts that are not necessary to the efficiency and longevity of there product

[KAL SPL]

I suspected it may play a part in the intial start up and heat/cooling of the enigne , I dod understand the concept of a thermostat however I guess Im more getting at if in my case it needs to be there , the temps here range from 5 to 45 degrees C and Im in the middle of the desert , not really like its a high performance engine thats going to notice that much difference.

I guess its mainly there for the guys living in climates where it freezes and gets bloody cold , majority of the year its over 20 degrees here so think I will be fine.

Anyone think I will have issues ?

[GTMaster]

Well, in that case the only issue you might have is the side of the engine block getting dirty frequently as the thermostat housing does help to cover the engine from dust and mud etc (along with the aid of the cover above the muffler in the engine bay which also keeps dirt off the distributor)....

[KAL SPL]

haha that cover hasnt been there since I got the car 10 years ago ...
Hasnt had a heater pipe connected in all that time either so all the air has probably been escaping out of there regardless of the thermostat operating correctly or not.
Also it rarely gets driven in rain let alone dirt roads out here.
Its gets me 5km to work and 5km home evryday on bitumen roads.

Dust however is everywhere , a few covers wont stop that.

Time to take the cover off and neaten it all up I think , time for a show motor for me little Niki !

[Amateb8]

There have been some debate about whether to retain or remove the thermostat. As Peter points out, it plays an important role in keeping the engine temperature stable by controlling the amount of coolant that circulates through the engine. It also lets the engine warm up as quickly as possible, thereby reducing engine wear, deposits and emissions. Without the thermostat, the coolant is able to reach the engine freely and the engine will never reach its perfect operating temperature. An engine that has too much coolant circulating through it will take much longer to warm up.

[KAL SPL]

Mine doesnt have coolant mate , we never got the water cooled version in AUs , least I havnt seen 1 anyway , mine is solely air cooled.