Re: running with no thermostat
It depends on the water temp where you will be using the motor. If the water is warm enough that the t-stat would be open all of the time anyway, it won't make a difference. If not, you should replace it.
I have a pair of 6 hp Johnsons that haven't had t-stats in them for about 10 years. That said, the water where I live doesn't get very cold at any time of the year and they have never been idled for any significant period of time.
I also have a pair of 1958 Evinrude Bigtwins and three Johnson 33 hp motors. Those motors, which are of essentially the same design, don't even have t-stats to begin with. They were manufactured without them.
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