I went to the parts store, they gave me a 90 degree thermostat for my t2 and said that it was the right one. So i took my old one out, and it says 82 degrees, WTF? I popped the 90 degree one in, and the car seems to run cooler. WTF!?!?

So seriously, what is it supposed to be, 90 or 82 degrees???? (celcius of course )

 

(i'm an idiot)

 

Don't use any thermostats other than Mazda! People have learnt this lesson the hard way. Take it back (if you can), and go buy the specified one from Mazda.

 

When it comes to Thermostats, Mazda OEM cannot be beat for our cars.

 

oops. i thought you were talking about something else (give me a break, it's the end of my overnight shift :-) )

 

FINE!!! went out and returned the jobber thermostat, and bought a mazda geniune thermostat. Car still seems to run a bit hot. one notch over half. Could it be the temp gauge sucks? I mean the boost gauge is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY off. I wouldnt be surprised if the temp gauge is crap too. My mechanic has a laser temperature gauge. If i measure the temp of the hoses, should that give me an accurate reading? What should the temperature be when FULLY warmed up?

 

I really don't know. I've bought two in the last year or so. The one in the TurboII reads b/t 160 and 170 degrees, fully warmed up and driving at 70mph. Using an after market mechanical gauge I bought last weekend. Just for a look see. Not permanant. Found the wifes 86 runs close to 200 under the same conditions. We're talking 16/17 year old radiator. Swapped thermostats b/t cars. Same results.