I found alot of information on this question doing a search of the forum, however none of it pertained to my particular situation.
I removed the Thermostat from my engine because it was sticking (new one is coming in the mail). Right now the engine takes alittle longer to heat up (expected) but when it gets up to temp it sits at halfway up the gauge (87 FC) instead of 1/4. I feel a bit uneasy driving it at this high a temp so I was just wondering if any of you guys know what would cause this. Since the Therm is removed I would think the engine should be running cooler.

If I cant find a solution I'll just wait for the therm and take the bus for the next week.

 

The thermostat helps to moderate the temp so removing it during the winter is not a good thing.

Also, since you said it was sticking, then there might be something in the coolant system that is causing the higher temps. Might considering draining the radiator and filling it.

 

The stat has two functions. The second involves a spring loaded disc that covers a bypass port down in the pump housing. It's there to unload the pump at high revs.
Without the stat, the port is open full time and almost 1/3 of the coolant flow bypasses the radiator.
The result is symptoms like a partially blocked radiator.

You need to get a stat - preferably a reliable Mazda brand replacement.

 

Yeah, I agree with SureShot, you need the 'stat.

If your old one is sticking, just cut off the spring/stat part and use the plate as a temporary baffle. This will keep the cavitation down, and provide enough restriction to provide cooling. When you get your new Mazda brand 'stat, you can then replace your cut up bad one.

And your two threads on this have been merged, please only post a question once.