The 1985 GS beast that i acquired from my neighbour has the engine coolant light on and the warning beeper. It comes on about 15 seconds after i start the car regardless. I assumed it would be the thermostat. I got a new one, flushed the coolant system and installed the thermostat. However, the problem still persists. It is hard to tell if the coolant is circulating visually so i dont know what it is. What should i be checking besides the water pump? Does anyone know of any possible electrical mishaps before i go tearing the front of this engine off and possibly more?(You know, "ohh we'll just replace this, and while we have this off we will replace this... and this... and this...) before you know it my pockets would be empty and i would have replaced many parts

 

the light stay's on all the time?
is the coolant level sender on top of the radiator hooked up?
do you have to add coolant? (car is leaking/eating)

 

The coolant sender is hooked up, Ill fiddle with it later this afternoon and get back to you. its not leaking any coolant nor is it cumbusting any. Im going to borrow an Ohm sensor from my Physics Prof. and check the resistance of the coolant sensor, and if it is not within the mazda recommendations, then i will probably replace it. Does anyone know a good place to find little OEM parts like this?

 

Mazdatrix has stock for Factory Mazda parts like this - I think the coolant level sensor is about $12, IIRC. Just had one delivered recently as a spare.

You can check function of the Coolant Level sensor by taking it's bullet connector and grounding it out against the chassis - this should give a 'good coolant level' signal, turn off the buzzer along with the light on the dash. This is a workaround for some guys until they get their sensor replaced - BUT; you should check your coolant leve DAILY until you get the new sensor in.

The rotary engine will not survive long without adequate cooling.

Also the buzzer that you hear is behind the dash panel and controlled by the 'Oscillator' relay located behind your driver's side headlight binnacle. This Oscillator relay usually gets corroded quickly from battery runoff and splash, and then it stops working. Keep your contacts clean if you like this thing working as a reminder of your coolant level and lights on. Dealers want about $45 for it, and there aren't many still around in dealer stock - I know because I searched for my replacement.

Mazdatrix ships fast - usually within the week, so you should be able to get it back up and working quickly.

 

I had that problem too, and I spliced the wire where it hooks up to the rad. and left plenty of wire exposed and wrapped it around the screw/bolt and it stopped buzzing, man I hate that crap!

 

Hey, thanks for the advice. I checked the coolant level sensor with an ommeter and it was way out of mazda's ohm range. The beeping and dummy light are off now that i have replaced the sensor. But i have other engine problems sadly. Ill post a new thread about them. Thanks for the help!