no, do`nt remove it unless you want water in your oil. heres what will work if you`re not using a thermoatat. all of my water leaves the motor via the thermostat housing. half of it goes out to the transom exiting the boat. the other half goes to the bassett valve and then splits to the headers. i feel better with the water heated before it enters the headers. you do need a valve between the pump and the motor. i do`nt run a thermostat and thats the way i control the motor temperature. hope that helps.