ok i have a 87 N/A full 2.5 exhaust , and a atermarket cone filer that about all my upgrades. the motor is a new/ rebuilt about 20, 000 miles ago. a lot of new parts. ok for the longest time now i could add coolent to the radiatro and at the filler neck right before the thermostat. drive it for a few days sometimes week and then the buzzer would come on when the engine was cold. then when the temperature was up and normal the buzzer turned off. the temperature of the car running normal was usually at about half way.

ok here is my question.
i replaced the thermostat ( got the thermostat from NAPA ) and later on in the day turned the car on and let it run for a few min and looked if i was leaking to make sure that i was not leaking coolent. i observed and then decided to take it around the block. while i was doing so i gunned it a few times to make it was getting warm. i pulled in my parking spot and checked for any leaks, none! so that was good. i got in the car ready to turn it off and noticed the temperature on the temp gauge was very low. so i can it around a few more minutes and it did go a little bu not much. same thing this morning on my way to work which is about a 25 min drive going 65/70, the temperature of the car showed less than a quarter way of the temp gauge . so my reading is just above cold bar. not even a quarter of the way up.

Is this normal? Should it have been that way at all times sence i have owned the car. seems to run a bit better i guess. i only replaced the thermostat cause iwas told it was probly stuck open and the fluid just ran ino the overflow bottle and then out thats why i keeped running out and the buzzer was turning on.

any input ? should i unhook the battery so the computer can acknolege the change?

just want to make sure that the car is reading the temp right so that it doesnt overheat. thanks again.

 

yeah, the thermo gauge should never go above a quarter, I had a small leak in my radiator and after a few days of driving without filling it up my temp would rise a little bit more than half way if I was just sitting in traffic. Fix'd my radiator and that fixed the overheating prob.

 

so having the temperature that low is normal? hmmmmmmm seems werird im use to it being at half way at all times.
well im glad thats normal now i guess this way i will deff know if there is a problem.thanks

 

depends on whether you have s5 or s4. If you have s4 it should sit right at a quarter. I replaced my thermostat a month ago and ity dos the same thing. Make sure to bleed your system tho.

 

The stock water temperature sender is crap..... its also 17 years old now in your car!!!!

On my car.. when the haltech and the autometer gauge read 180 degrees, (where the stock thermostat opens) the stock gauge reads right at the cold mark.

when the haltech reads 189 and the autometer reads about 185, the stock gague is at about 1/8 or right about where yours is.

when the stock gauge reads 1/4, the autometer is right around 200 degrees and the haltech is reading about 205..

when the temperature sender for the e-fan quit once... the stock gauge got to 2/5 and the autometer read 215 and the haltech read 220...

Moral... the stock gauge is NOT LINEAR.... if you see above 1/2 on the stock gauge... you are in serious trouble..

I have two pieces of advice for you....

1) get an autometer gauge...
2) order a thermostat from the dealer or mazdatrix... the general consensus on this forum is that radiator caps and thermostats that are not a Mazda part, are a recipie for disaster.

 

well i have 87 N/A auto base model so im guessing S4.
bleed the system? hmmmmmmmm

well after i put the sucker in there , i filled up the radiator with water and the hose before the thermostat too.



as far as
the last post goess does eveyone agree?
your saying get one from mazda now? i dont mind the temp sitting that low i just wanted to make sure that i wasnt the only one with that reading. i guess if it gets above a quarter way i need to pull over and let it cool off.

after letting the car sit yesterday at idle and driving around i could touch the filler neck the metal part where hose connects to and that cover the thermostat, it was very hot. hot enough to make you move your hands so i know it s getting hot.

any more input please let me know
thanks again.