apexi GT, that really really thick IC plus the temps out here are 98 plus humidity so heat index is at around 104 so maybe my temps arent all that abnormal? are they?

 

drive with park lamps on...then the ECU triggers fans sooner. (not sure about PFC) Turning the A/C on will turn the fans on high.

 

i actually drive with my headlights on all the time

 

if you have the PFC with datalogit you can set the fans to come on at whatever temp you want. No thermoswitch needed.

104 isn't bad....but if that is numbers just cruising on the highway, I would hate to see your temp numbers tracking the car on a hot day.

 

It sounds to me like you need to either improve your cooling system dramatically, or ditch the oversized FMIC. Personally, I wouldn't sacrifice engine longevity for intake temperatures.



Here are some things to look into:

1. Burp air bubbles out of your cooling system
2. Run a 75/25 mix of water/coolant. This should be a good ratio to prevent boilover yet cool efficiently. (OR use Evans, which just won't ever boil)
3. Pressure-test the system, and replace any worn hoses. If you don't know how old a hose is, it's probably a good idea to replace it.
4. Replace your pressure cap with a 1.1 or 1.3 -bar cap. Higher pressure will prevent overheating due to boiling coolant.
5. Buy a front bumper with a larger opening, this will especially help things with your FMIC.
6. Upgraded oil cooler(s), oil temps and coolant temps will follow each other closely.
7. Buy a vented hood.
8. Remove A/C and Power steering, which will leave more room for hot air to exit.
9. Lightweight battery / battery relocation, again giving more space for airflow above/behind the radiator.
10. Electric water pump, eliminate cavitation.



Good luck,
-s-

 

thanks for all the advice, i bought the car with the FMIC, i guess due to the T61 turbo that was installed, not sure if it's overkill or not, battery is behing the drivers seat, i do need a front bumper, and i guess i'll start with the 1.1 or 1.3 bar cap, can i get those anywhere? no AC in texas umm sorry cant sacrafice that one car wouldnt be enjoyable half the year, all hoses are replaced so i guess not much more i can do but thanks for those extra couple tips, i'll have to look into that this weekend. thanks everyone for your input

 

It seems no one here has answered the post question.

THE LOWEST THERMOSTAT AVAILABLE FOR THE FD IS 65C. I have it in my FD and my car never sees over 80C in traffic. At night it will go as low as 68C-70C and at that low I will only cruise 1/4 throttle. This is my third RX7 and I can tell you that keeping the rotary running cool means longitivity. I bought the 65C Thermostat at Super AutoBacs in Stanton, CA. I forgot how much I paid for it.

 

And we can all tell you that your car is running way too cold......keeping an engine at it's OPTIMUM temp range = reliability, not running it far too cold.

I also find it extremely hard to believe you can keep temps at 80C "in traffic". Maybe in moderate temps with the fans running on high continuously, in light traffic.

 

and we all (well most of us) told him this will not solve his over heating problem.

 

When selecting your front bumper, I really like the PFS / Knightsport one:




And the Mazdaspeed GT-C:





Both should be great for cooling, thanks to their their deep air dams. The Mazdaspeed should work the best.

-s-

 

god, I hate Damian's track CYM

 

WOW..thats great to hear ..i should be getting one as the weather here at my country is extremly HOT and im sure this is will helpa lot more than the Pettit Thermostat (180)

 

Jed, I think you should listen to Rynberg on this one (in fact on many things...he's been here a long time and really knows what he's talking about). In short (and as others have said):

1) You don't want the car taking forever to warm up. You shouldn't push the car at all until it's up to optimal temps, and using a t-stat that's below the correct range will prolong how long the engine takes to reach that optimum temp (fully warmed up).

2) The AutoBacs 65C t-stat is a BAD idea in any and every way, shape, and form. 65 C = 149 F. 80 C (what he sees in traffic, ie the HOTTEST it gets) is only 176 F. What's the optimal engine operating temp for the FD? 180 F - 220 F. So you can see, WarspeedFD's actually running his engine consistantly out of the optiumum temperature range, even when he's in traffic! That's very bad. Not a good idea. Point being, no matter HOW hot it is outside, there's still an optimum temperature range your engine was designed to run at. Lowering that temp will always be a bad idea, irrespective of the outside temp. The point is to have the engine operating within it's optimum temperature range, under ALL external weather conditions. Make sense?

The problem arises when people see a trend, and take it to the extreme. They think oh cooler is better, but then go extreme, and want to cool the block to the point that it's running below optiumum temps. Not smart, and it shows a lack of overall understanding.

Jed, for your specific situation, given Saudi Arabia's incredible heat, I'd suggest:

1) You already have the 0.9 bar cap, stock t-stat, and FC thermoswitch. That's a great start.
2) Run a mix of water and coolant, not just straight coolant. Some guys run 75/25 water, I personally do a 50/50 mix.
3) Consider getting a front bumper with a larger air dam/opening to allow greater airflow to the radiator. Some people who really really like the stock front end use metal props to squeeze and hold open the stock front airdam, but it's really inadequate when compared to say, the increased airflow you'll get with a Mazdaspeed or C-West front end, that have HUGE front air dams.
4) To fully utilize the increased airflow to the front, get an upgraded radiator.
5) NEVER GET A FMIC (front mount intercooler). FMICs are surefire ways to cause heat soak, since they sit in front of your radiator. In Saudi, heat soak is inevitable. So you definitely don't want that. Always stick w/ a SMIC (stock mount intercooler, ie where the stock location is), or go with the V-mount setup, which is more expensive, but probably the best setup out there.
6) Consider getting a vented hood. Vented hoods will help dissipate underhood temps, helping cool everything overall.
7) Consider upgrading to dual oil coolers. Oil temps and coolant temps are in fact directly correlated in the FD. So if you bring the oil temps down, your coolant temps will drop as well. I forget, but you don't have an R model, do you? R models come with dual oil coolers, in which case I'd leave this to the end, because you may be fine with two (no need for upgraded larger oil coolers... possibly). If you have a touring/PEP/base (basically any model other than an R), you only have one oil cooler, and I'd buy a second one and install it.

I know Scott already mentioned a lot of these, but I thought I'd mention a few of them again, as pertaining to your specific case.

The #1 point on the list, however, is MAKE SURE your car is running correctly, no overheating, no temp problems, etc, BEFORE making any cooling modifications. Ie, fix before upgrading.

~Ramy

 

do the dale clark FC fan switch mod.

 

 

Thanks Ramy, those were really great tips.

Actually i have just got rid of my stock DP and i installed an ATR Downpipe and temp were improved a bit. I was also about to install a FMIC as i have already got it and i was just waiting for the pipes !! Good thing you told me.

May be what i will do next is the Koyo radiator.

And by the way my car is an R1.

Cheers,
Talal

 

Talal, it's good you changed out the DP, as the precat getting clogged is a very common way to lead to engine failure. Did you check your cat as well to make sure it was in good condition?

The Koyo radiator's a good idea, and I'd definitely sell that FMIC to someone else. To be 100% honest w/ you, too many people go w/ FMICs simply because they like the look - they know nothing about the pros and cons, and what is the best IC setup for their use.

You have a 93 R1? Nice! Ma sha'a Allah...you did good hehe I'm PMing ya about a few things btw.

~Ramy