I was in a truck stop a few hours ago buying diesel for my 2500HD duramax.
Another pickup pulled up next to me with smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. It was an F350 dually diesel. The driver told me he had developed a radiator leak a few weeks ago and began to over heat. His solution was to remove the thermostat. My response was for him to visit the nearest repair shop immediately. Apparently today, his engine began to over heat so badly that smoke billowed from the engine. Apparently, the engine oil was smoking.
Hopefully he will get it fixed before the engine blows.
In any case, my question is concerning the thermostat. Personally, I would never operate my truck without one. But, the other driver's one comment made me wonder. What does the thermostat do? I am sure it closes off coolant flow to the radiator to allow the engine to warm up faster and to prevent the engine from running too cool.
But what about the other end? It seems that a missing thermostat (removed) is identical to one stuck open which would allow constant coolant flow through the radiator. In this case, it would seem that maximum cooling capacity is provided. If my idea is correct, why would an engine overheat without a thermostat?