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RE: Remove Thermostat?

Bart asked:
 
 > Since excess heat is the enemy of engine longevity and performance 
 > wouldnt removing the thermostat provide at least some minor relief 
 > and some increased performance for a car that never see temps 
 > below 70 for 6 months out of the year.
 
It is my understanding that there is an optimum temperature for most engines, 
so reducing the temp is not necessarily in your engine's best interests.
 
The only reason removing the thermostat would lower the water temp is if the 
full-open position of the thermostat causes excessive resistance to water flow 
in the cooling system, which would then reduce the flow rate of water to the 
radiator.  Somehow, I doubt that this is the case for a thermostat that was 
properly designed in the first place.
 
If your water temp is excessively _high_ for your local driving conditions, 
the only fundamentally sound ways to get it down are:
 
1. Increase flowrate of the cooling system with a bigger pump or by spinning 
the existing pump faster.  (Smaller pulley?)
2. Ensure there are no excessive water-flow-rate restrictions.  These could 
be design deficiencies or accumulated crud.
3. Increase the heat-transfer efficiency of the radiator.  I don't know how 
practical this is because I don't know how efficient stock radiators 
typically are.
4. Use a bigger radiator.
5. Increase the flow rate of air to the radiator (i.e. drive faster :-) or 
augment the auxiliary cooling fan).
6. Decrease the temperature of the air flowing through the radiator.  I've 
read about kits which allow you to pump a mist of water out nozzles in front 
of the radiator.  The water absorbs heat as it evaporates, and cools 
either/both the air or the radiator directly.  These devices are used 
primarily for heavy-duty towing applications.
 
 Regards,
 Jerry
 Arlington, TX (23-Jul-96, 07:12)
 '95 540i-6 spd