I have a 1976 Pinto Wagon. It runs well but there is a problem with the thermostat sticking. Should I get a new one and replace it or should I just take it out and leave it out? Also there is an oil leak where is the most likely place it would be leaking and how costly is it to fix it? ???
Well You Should replace the Thermostat. To find the leak you could wash the engine then next morning look to see where the oil is coming from.
A word about Tstats. DO NOT REMOVE IT. replace it with the correct type. A car without aTstat will most likly overheat becouse there is not enough restriction to SLOW the water down long enough to the the radiator to displace the heat. OIL leak, could be your oil pan, oil filter, valve cover, cam seal ( this one is hard to chase down), rear main seal, transmission. etc. clean it up and start ruling things out.
Actually, I think the opposite would happen. Your engine would never warm up! I have never tried this personally, however. What a lot of people don't realize is the water pump impeller is more efficient when operating with "head pressure". If you remove the thermostat, you will remove the major flow restriction in the cooling system, and the pump will operate without any significant head pressure. This becomes a problem when you rev up the motor, because the pump will start to "cavitate". Cavitating is when air bubbles form on the trailing edge of the impellers, reducing the efficiency of the pump.
In other words, don't remove the thermostat!
your both right. Hot climate, it will overheat. Cold climate, not enough heat. Use a thermostat!