Would it hurt anything if I took the thermostat out of my 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix long enough to get it home from work which is about 1 hr 15 min all highway. I believe the thermostat has failed close

Asked by John Oct 28, 2015 at 07:31 AM about the 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

The service engine light came on. P0128
code came up I checked coolant level it was
good in radiate but very low in reservoir so I
filled it up to the hot mark since I had just
drove from.work and it was up to
temperature. Temps stayed fine all the way
to work this morning and as I was pulling in
it began to go up like the thermostat has
shut. When I started it up after letting it cool
I don't have a continuous flow through the
top radiator hose so I don't think it's stuck
open. I just need to get it home so.i can
change it this evening

4 Answers

30,385

No it should not hurt anything but This could be a bad time of year to do that if you live in a cold climate. It may seriously delay warm-up time

30,385

BTW~ I also have the same car--bought it new and i know i will never find one as good (150k) One odd thing regarding the over-heat ..if the radiator cap is just a tiny bit off that car will get very hot ////quick

30,385

also you must remove the small screws on the engine when replacing coolant or the system will get air-bound and over heat

157,115

Removing the thermostat will not harm anything short term, but get it home, repair it and put the proper thermostat back in the car.

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