Lately I'm discovering that my coolant needle is going above the half way mark when on the highway. Also, after turning off the engine, the fans fan(s) kick on regulary which didn't happen often before this problem. The fan(s) kick-in after I remove the key from the ignition.

I just flushed the system 5 months ago(40% water/60% antifreeze) Will this mixture cause probelms in the summer?

The coolant system is full with no leaks. Resevior is ok(half full with cold engine)

There doesn't seem to be any air pockets because I checked the throttle body coolant line and found very little air..about a fluid ounce...Filled it anyway.

When I turn on the heat, it's extremely hot. The coolant needle goes down somewhat when I turn the heat to high (thermostat ok?)

The one fan(not the one under the intercooler)moves freely. I didn't get a chance to take out the intercooler or airbox to make sure the other fan moves freely. I have yet to discover if both fans come on at the kick-on temp or at all.

I don' hear any bearing noises under the hood.

Right now I can use some advice. I'm not mechanical althougth I have done some minor repairs, with the turbo coolant line replacements being my toughest job.

Thanks so much. graz

 

Do your fans turn on when the A/C is on? Let your car idle and see if the fans kick on when the engine gets hot. First step is to see what the fans are actually doing

 

Might want to replace your thermostat with a new MAZDA one and see if that fixes it. Don't forget that the stock gauge isn't very accurate so a small movement could possibly be hotter than you think. Get this fixed quick! Go check the Northeast section of this forum for local rotary mechanics if you aren't comfortable troubleshooting this.

 

Thanks RX7Wishing, I'll do this tomorrow morning. Is it safe to idle the car to operating temp without the airbox? Otherwise I can't see/touch the fan under the IC.

 

Thanks alberto_mg, But I have intense heat from the heater. I thought that meant the thermostat is ok? Where is the thermostat located? Is it a harder job than replacing the two turbo coolant lines?

 

You are using WAY TOO HIGH a ratio of coolant to water. You shouldn't be using more than 25% coolant. If your fans are working properly, then your two most likely culprits are the t-stat and air in the system.

 

Hey thanks rynberg. Do you think my coolant ratio is enough alone to cause overheating?

Yes, will check the fans tomorrow.. As I asked alberto_mg, if the t-stat was bad, wouldn't I be getting limited/no heat? My heat is freakin hot. Thank you.

 

ratio not the problem, but 50-50 is fine for NJ.

t-stat that does not open properly will give you very high heater (and gage) temps, esp on the highway. coolant must circulate through the block (and heater) only ... cant't fully get to rad.

change t-stat, 90% likely problem.

 

Thanks Kev

 

Today I discovered that both radiator fans are working ok. Both fans kick on when: 1. AC is used and 2. when the motor warms up. So it's got to be the
t-stat, correct? I looked at the manual and it doesn't seem like a huge job. Rob R's website said two hours so I figure it will take me 4! What is the max I should pay for an oem thermostat from a dealer? My local mazda dealer wants 21.90+tax Thanks so much.

 

Maybe $20 for the T-Stat and the o-ring. Call:

Malloy Mazda
1-888-533-3400
Talk to Ray Crowe

He'll hook ya up.

 

I'll will call Malloy. Thanks Mahjik.

Added: I just orded the t-stat with gasket(Ray called it gasket) from Malloy. $13.87 + 5.00 for S&H...can't beat it! I hope the t-stat solves the problem.

 

My vote goes to bad thermostat

 

Thanks, pos7. I hope your right! The t-stat should be here tuesday so I'll tackle it Wed Afternoon. I must be carefull in not snapping any of the 3 bolts on the t-stat housing. Maybe I'll let some Liquid Wrench soak-in for a few days. I heard of someone else on the forum who snapped two of the three bolts

I just checked again for air pockets in the AST, throttle body line, and filler area, but there was none.

 

Sweet!. The t-stat was the culprit just like you guys suspected. Thanks so much to all who helped me out.


I have another question regarding the ebrake sticking on the rear driver side. Whenever I pull the e-brake lever up and release it(which I don't do anymore to avoid the problem) , the the pads become stuck on are rotor which makes the car undrivable. To release it, I need to get under the car and pull the linkage/cable back. But when I use my normal brakes, the caliper works ok and does not stick on brake. Does this mean I still need to rebuild the whole caliper or or just ebrake linkage on the inside of the wheel?

thanks so much.

EDIT: When buying a rear caliper, does it include the linkage for the ebrake?

 

i'm not sure, but it might be the ebrake cable. that happened once on an old vw i had. hopefully someone else chimes in...

you might be able to jack the car up look at the calipers w/o the ebrake pull it up lookat it with the ebrake to see if anything changed then release and check it again.

 

alberto_mg, thanks for writing. The linkage on the inside rear wheel is sticking.... which connects the end of the e-brake cable. When I get under the car and pull the linkage after it is stuck, it snaps back in the released position. The problem is not in the brake lever or cable. Is this e-brake linkage included in the purchase of a caliper? Or would a caliper rebuild kit solve the problem? Thanks

 

Anyone?

 

There is a spring on each rear caliper that the cable hooks up to. Might want to check and make sure its grime free, and you can purchase just the spring from the dealer if needed.