My mechanic wants to remove thermostat from my car, 2004 model Rav4, should I allow him?
Only if he replaces it with a new one. If there are cooling problems they need to be addressed. The thermostat plays a critical role in engine performance.
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What he said (above).
Don’t pull the thermostat without replacing it.
I would agree 100% with the comments above, but I’ll add that you need a new mechanic, right away.
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Why does your mechanic want to remove it? Just curious…
Removing the thermostat would result in the engine overheating due to coolant continually cycling through the open bypass circuit. I also suggest you find another mechanic.
Actually I had removed my thermostat before then My radiator keeps cracking when ever I go on long journeys.
However now am understanding that it’s not safe.
Before my posting from last December I checked and found that your engine has a by-pass thermostat which means it has 2 functions. Like all previous thermostats the Rav4’s opens and closes to control coolant passing through the radiator but it also has a tail piece on the plunger which opens and closes a by-pass in the block which keeps coolant circulating in the block whenever the passage to the radiator is closed. When a by-pass thermostat is removed the coolant will mostly circulate inside the block without passing through the radiator under most driving conditions. If your engine is not overheating without a proper thermostat you’re lucky so far. Repeatedly blowing the radiator would indicate that the head gasket is likely blown. Operating an engine without a thermostat was common but costly before 1980 but very costly and to be avoided for many reasons on computer controlled models that are on the roads today.
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