My car had some bodywork done to it a few months ago. Now the water temperatures are increasing after 10-20 seconds of boost in 3rd and higher gears. I never had this problem before the bodywork; I could run hard for long periods of time with no movement on the stock needle. I took the underbelly out and reinstalled it and changed the fluid, but the problem persists. Any Ideas? Maybe I am not getting the underbelly that forces the air through the radiator in correctly?
Thanks

 

What kind of body work did you have done? Did you get a new front bumper that may have different size air ducts? Is there overspray on the radiator / oil cooler(s)? Were any relays / lines to the fans disconnected by the body shop?

Also, did you burp the cooling system when you flushed it? - there may be some trapped air pockets in your passages that do not transmit heat efficiently.

This problem might also be unrelated to the bodywork. Could be a faulty thermostat or thermoswitch, a blown fan relay, etc. Be a little more specific and we can probably help more.

Be very careful if you are running into high temps (I'm probably preaching to the choir).

M

 

Yes they did replace the front bumper, but it is the original 93 spec bumper. There is no over spray on the radiator. Some of the fins on the oil cooler are bent.

The fans seem to be working normally, when the light or A/C are on the fans kick up on higher levels, but I guess only one could be working. I'll check that.

Could the thermostat cause this type of problem, that was one thing I was thinking may cause this problem. I will look into the thermoswitch I am not familiar with it.

I need to put in a real water and oil temp gauge to see the real temps. Another thing is the fans stay on from the fuel recall fan modification more often then before so I know the car is running in general at higher temps.

I will be careful!

What will the thermoswitch cause the car to do?

Would a few bent fins on the oil cooler cause a major jump in temps?

The car was doing this before I changed the fluids; I think I burped it properly. After flushing I filled it ran it for 3 mins, removed the filler cap and toped it off while pulsing the radiator hoses I did this 3 times. Then ran it let it cool topped it off again then topped it off 2 more time until the coolant level did not change.

What about the A/C condenser, maybe I need to clean it, any advice on cleaning the radiator and A/C condenser?

Can someone tell me how the Underbelly attaches to the radiator, I think I got it right, but it was hard to get in. I made sure the tabs on the radiator held the underbelly in place sealing it properly. Does anyone have a picture of one in properly and a picture of the front air inlet?

Thanks for your help,
Mike

 

A few bent fins on the oil coolers won't have much effect on temperature. You can always straighen some out by careful application of a flathead or knife.

The thermoswitch, I beleive, turns the fans on and off (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Some people put in the Miata thermoswitch as it causes the fans to turn on at a lower temperature.

Let us know how your investigation unfolds.

M