Got my GSL-SE running the other day. It had sat for several months before I got a hold of it.

A friend of mine with rotary knowledge came over today to check out the car since he hadn't yet seen it running.

Firstly, It warms up REALLY fast and gets HOT. I'm still trying to get the temp gauge working (haha...) but the amount of heat I get in the cabin coming from the engine bay is edging on the side of uncomfortable.
It seems to occasionally miss ever so slightly at idle.

It runs smooth but sounds weird (probably has an exhaust leak). It has power that is sort of intermittent. Sometimes you put your foot down and its full of rotary awesomeness, sometimes you put your foot down and its not.

My friend seemed to think it could possibly be a timing issue.

My main concern is the heat. I know rotaries run hot, but in my case it just doesn't seem right. I realize it could be caused by a whole host of things, I'm mainly just curious.

Its kind of fun to be a noob again...

 

You really need to get a working temperature gauge. Overheating is one of the fastest ways to kill a rotary engine. The stock sending unit is on the left rear of the engine under the oil filter. It looks like a small spark plug. I believe the wire that should connect to it is yellow with a white stripe.

Sounds like your thermostat could be stuck closed. Leave the radiator cap off when you start the car. After it warms up (180) you should see the water in the radiator flowing past the opening. If it is just standing there, the thermostat is probably bad. Mazda thermostat is highly recommended. They have an air bleed hole that most aftermarket ones don't have.

If its been setting awhile I would replace the fuel filter. Might be why power is there one time and not the next. Be sure to get the high pressure one for the FI 13B GSLSE not one for a 12A. Fresh gas with a can of Sea Foam added couldn't hurt.

 

+1 on the temp thing. My s model had been sitting when I got it. When I got it running I had no gauge, and it scared me. Cheap and easy fix, rockauto.com

 

Thanks guys! Yep the gauge will be the next thing I do!

Thats A nice tip on the radiator opening and visible flow. One thing I noticed when we got back from taking the car out for a quick jaunt around the hood was that the radiator was definitely hot. My buddy checked the coolant before we went and splashed some on the radiator. It was burning off when I opened the hood. The hose that goes to the top corner of the radiator was also VERY hot. I'm not sure if that would get hot with the T-stat stuck closed, but would be no surprise if it did.

Seafoam in the gas tank happened yesterday. Once I get the gauge and t-stat figured out, I have some premix I'll run through it as well.

Its definitely interesting going from pistons to rotors. This will definitely be a fun project!!

 

Hate to bring this thread back from the dead, but I have a few more questions:

Went out today and fired it up, radiator cap off to see if it would flow after a while. How long does it usually take for a 13b to heat up to the 180º?

Here are a number of things I noticed:
-First off, the radiator cap has a cracked seal (upon further manipulation part of it cracked off from being brittle)
-Once I fired it up, I noticed the coolant expanding somewhat steadily (to be expected...)
-There was never visible flow. Thats why I'm curious if it may not or may not have sat and idled for long enough.

I was going to make an effort to pull the temp gauge out but I couldn't figure out how. I want to pull the whole dash but I can't figure that out either... Whatever the case I'm not sure if its the sender, wiring or gauge itself. I've been too busy to spend lots of time on the car so this may take a while.

 

Go to rockauto.com.
Get a temperature sender/sensor
Get a thermostat.
Get the gasket for the thermostat neck.
Get a radiator cap
Total time < 5 minutes.
Total cost< $20.00

When they arrive, install all, refill coolant.
Total time < 100 minutes if you have no knack.
Scraping off the old gasket is the toughest part of the job.
When all is done, see what ya got.

Oh, and don't forget to clean your gas tank. The inside.