Ok so I've made about 100 posts on this and still cannot figure it out.

Car does not lose coolant, car is about 60 distilled, 40 coolant. No kinks in hoses no nothing. So I take it to the shop to get it tested and they way the water pump is out. So I replace the water pump (which was ALOT easier than I thought, took about 2 hours total most of that time was spent looking for a jack and dicking around trying to unbolt the pulley.) So anyway, new waterpump and the car still gets back up to about 104c and sits around there.

The only things I can think of are, I don't have an undertray, my clutch is slipping and maybe that is making excess heat, or a bad thermostat.

Does anyone agree or disagree with me theories?

BTW 104c was seen driving the car at night under low load.

 

If you have the radiator in the stock location and no undertray, the air will take the path of least resistance (i.e. down under the car insteal of through the radiator).

 

hmm, when i only had a PFC w/o undertray i was running at mid 90s max, what is your ambient temp?

 

He's in Dallas, so they are in the low 100's.

 

I'm not sure why you are posting this again.

Our water pumps rarely go out but you went thru the time to troubleshoot that?

But yet in your 100 other post and many EXCELLENT suggestions from other forums members, you still haven't replaced your thermostat and placed an undertray on the car?

FIX THOSE FIRST!

and someone offered you $50 SHIPPED for an used undertray! Why didn't you just get it then?!?!

 

WHO? I'll take it ASAP.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=537198

maybe you should re-read your own old thread and take it to Gotham

 

Don't have the money to take it to Gotham.

When I say I am broke.. I mean.. I am broke.

I won't go into the details of my finacial life but let's just say I can't even afford a $50 undertray right now.

I can start the car, not drive it and let it warm up and it will warm up to over 100c... that has nothing to do with an undertray.

Ohh and my water pump went out because I had a shop drive my car without coolant and they denied it.

I guess I'll try yet one more thermostat. I should be thankful that my engine, turbos and tranny (minus the clutch) all work flawlessly. That being said the car is for sale because I am in a real bad finacial situation and cannot afford to keep it. It is being sold to a guy who has owned 2 FDs in the past though.

 

BUY AN OEM THERMOSTAT

BUY AN UNDERTRAY

if you can't afford them then do not drive the car, simple as that.

the thermostat is likely the main cause of the warm temps but there is other possibilities like dirty radiator core or faulty fans. have you tested to see if both fans are running and at the correct speeds? pressure wash the radiator core at a car wash booth, i'm sure you have one nearby or borrow a pressure washer from a friend.

to recap we have:

1) install an OEM thermostat, DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THIS!, they are only $18.. and yes it does make a difference!
2) possible plugged radiator core externally or even internally but visually inspect it externally first and clean if needed
3) install the undertray, this makes a big difference when running on the highway
4) have you done the "bubble test" to see if the coolant seals are holding up?

 

then sell the car because you can't afford it.

Get a more reliable and economical car for about $6000 used, and you'll probably have $6-8k leftover to pull yourself out of the financial mess you got into!!!!


....that would probably be too logical though.

 

You wont be needing the undertray for street driving. If it gets 104C on the streets something is very wrong. I have a SARD thermostat and my temps are around 79-80 on the street. And i dont have the undertray. With my stock thermostat the temp was around 87.

Its different when you push the car realy hard (tracking etc.), then you will be needing the undertray.

 

I have a daily driver but thanks for the advice.

I know the car needs an undertray but when I do drive the car its literally around the block, maybe all of hald a mile. I don't get going fast enough for it to make such a difference that my temps would be climbing to 100.

I will be ordering yet another thermostat and clean the radiator. I cleaned and straitened some of the fins when I got the car but I'll try it again.

I'm frustrated because I've tried everything you have suggested and nothing has seemed to fix it. I did fab up an undertray and that still didn't help.

 

In pretty close to stock form, the car will run about 210-220F or a little higher in warm weather. As long as the car is not getting to 240F (115C), then you are ok.

 

Then how in the world can you afford to fill the gas tank?

 

I drive the rx7 around the block so I hardly ever fill the tank and my buddy just put gas in my daily driver and I am reimbursed for gas through work.

A combination of things have happened lately to put me in this situation.

 

If this is the case then I have nothing to worry about. Under high load the car has never seen above 109c.

However if I turn the car off even after very light driving and check the temps about a minute or two later the car has heatsoaked to about 117c but if I start the car it cools down almost instantly to low 100s.

I'll order yet one more thermostat and see if I can't fix it but the guy buying the car from me swears up and down that my temps are normal so if he isn't bothered by it then I guess I won't be.

 

Just make sure that your fans do kick on at 221F. When my car was pretty much stock, it hovered around the 210-220F range during warm weather. When you have some money/time, I would recommend the Miata/FC thermoswitch mod. It will bring the fans on sooner than 221F.

 

Well I have a PFC and have checked that my fans do indeed come on, I'm not sure exactly as to what temperature though but I know they come on before 220.

 

Clean radiator...
New (stock) thermostat...
Miata/FC thermoswitch...


Fixed? :-O

 

What is high load? Sprited street driving? I have never seen more than 90c on the street, ever.

Sometime when i track the car i see temps as high as 105c, but thats way to hot. Mazda motorsport recommend 96c max. So im worried. Im going to build a V-mount this winter, that should fix it...

 

Are you talking water temps? During normal highway driving on warm days my temps hover around 93-94c, boosting up hills climbs to 104-105c. I don't have a larger intercooler (yet) but I do have the dual oil coolers. I believe these temps are normal for a mostly stock engine (open intake; open exhaust) with a PFC turning fans on, etc.

 

this is also typical.. ..although 117c might be a little high for "even ... light driving".