1996 Johnson 88 spl thermostats In or Out..?

[Diago175]

Hi, New guy here as far as Aquasport ownership is concerened. Also new to Johnson Outboard ownership as well. I have heard and read that you can leave the thermostats out down here in south west Florida in the Gulf. 1.) Is that true..? 2.) How about those spring bypass plugs ( white nylon ), can you leave those out also..? The housing is apart and I can leave that stuff out now. Temp of the water here is 60s to high 90s ... appreciate any opinions but any help from long time wrenches of 88 spls would be nice...love My 1996 175 Osprey ...Diago...

[Georgie]

1) technically that is true.  The engine will run without them.   I ran without for 8 years (unintentionally) and recently reinstalled after losing my second powerhead to a blown cylinderr.  Idle is never right b/c the engine can't get up to proper temp, though being here in S. FL it gets close enough to be manageable. 

2) if you leave the 'stats out, you leave the whole assembly out and just allow it to free-flow.

Unless you are very disinclined to work on/maintain your engine, why would you leave them out?  They improve efficiency, result in cleaner combustion, and ensure the engine operates as the engineers designed.  Even in S. Florida, you will often be running cooler than intended at idle if you don't use them.  My opinion is that you leave them in and check them  every couple years or flush the system regularly with one of the salt/corrosion reducing additives to make sure they don't get clogged.

[Capt. Bob]

Won't speak for the piston heads but.......

Leaving the T-stats out is contradictory to the engine design. They serve a distinct purpose in that they control the temperature of the motor allowing it to perform at its highest level. 2 cycle motors by design have a smaller window of efficiency. They are very similar to Goldilocks in that they don't like their porridge too hot or too cold but rather "just right".

The thermostats control the water flow allowing the head temps to stay within that designed range, thus allowing the engine to produce the most power and be fuel efficient (to a degree) at the same time. Allowing the water to just flow unrestricted is not what you want unless you like a cooler running motor, which in turn runs richer, resulting in fouled spark plugs, carbon build up and lost fuel economy.

EDIT: Beat me to it G. ;)

Good luck.

[Diago175]

Thanks guys, thermostats it is. Now I hope I can find the parts I need...Daigo ...

[Georgie]

Parts are VERY available for these old OMC crossflows.  Try marineengine.com or boats. net if you don't know of any local sources, but if there is a local OMC guy, it might behoove you to research him and see if it's worth giving him your business...mine is phenomenal and I can bother him any time I need a second opinion or can't wait for mail ordering a part.

[wingtime]

As already mentioned don't take out the T-stats.  I've had great luck with the thermostats from http://www.maxrules.com/index.html

[fitz73222]

What he said!!!!