crazycarl

iTrader: (1)

Today and tomorrow I am putting new heater hoses, thermostat, radiator in. Pretty straight forward. I have been through plenty of threads about it, however I still have a question:

I do not have my thermostat or my "new" radiator flushed yet, will not be here till the 10th, will my engine be okay sitting with empty coolant for a few days? Not being driven of course.

RotorMotorDriver

iTrader: (1)

A few days wont be a problem at all.

Too long and things can oxidize in there (the passages in the rotor housings), but not THAT quick by any means. I have engines I've torn down on the shelf which sat without coolant for quite a while and things still look fine.

~T.J.

crazycarl

iTrader: (1)

alright sweet. thanks a lot!

Sgt Fox

iTrader: (3)

Hopefully you chose a Mazda thermostat. Motors have been lost with aftermarket replacements. Also be sure to check the FSM for the correct jiggle pin orientation.

crazycarl

iTrader: (1)

hmmm I did not... I went to Autozone for it, Duralast I believe because they were out of everything else... I suppose I'll make a trip to the Mazda dealer then

rotornoob

iTrader: (2)

You might also be able to carefully drill a hole in the new thermostat. Use the stock mazda part as a guide. I've done it, but its not fun. Works if you do it right though

crazycarl

iTrader: (1)

just to make sure, you mean drill a hole in the Duralast thermostat, not the Mazda one right?

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Correct, drill a hole in the aftermarket thermostat. Its very small, just allows some coolant to always flow through the system.

Sgt Fox

iTrader: (3)

The purpose of the jiggle pin is to prevent air from becoming trapped at the thermostat. The trapped air prevents proper operation of the thermostat valve. I suppose a hole could achieve the same purpose.

crazycarl

iTrader: (1)

the aftermarket one has a jiggle pin, is it just not sufficient enough? could the failures have come from wrong installation?

RotorMotorDriver

iTrader: (1)

If it has the pin, then it should be good. What failures are you referring to? I highly doubt any failures would be caused by a lack of the pin or improper installation of the thermostat.

~T.J.

Sgt Fox

iTrader: (3)

Lack of pin can cause air buildup under thermostat. This causes the thermostat to not open, raising engine temps. A few years ago there were also suspicions of aftermarket thermostats not opening correctly.