On a coleman electric furnace if the red and white themostat wires are wired together will it work or does it have to have a themostat

A thermostat is used to regulate temperature in the home. You can jump the red and white wires together that go to the thermostat and the furnace should work but it is not recommended for long term usage since a thermostat is automatic and direct connections of the wires is not.

Jumping (or tying together) r and w will make a call for heat, you are just bypassing the thermostat. Yes this should make the electric furnace work. ( only do this as a troubleshooting method). Im assuming you are trying to eliminate the thermostat as the problem in your heating system. I would rather see you jump r and w at the furnace itself( if you are on a 24v control) Careful, electric furnaces can be very dangerous to work on if you don't have the knowledge and experience, I would hate to see someone get electricuted trying to save some money by doing it themselves. Please let me know your comfort level and capability with electricity. Good luck and be safe.