FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

I know it's hot...it's supposed to be up only 1/3 from the C mark I already had an E-fan on it, and I went back to stock b/c most e-fans don't pull enough CFMs, as compared to the stocker. Besides, that wouldn't really solve my problem, as the stock fan is doing exactly what you described. It's kickin into high mode until the needle drops to the middle (which is STILL too warm). I wanna find out what is making it run warm. Anyone run a colder t-stat?

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Maybe check the resistance at the sender (it is next to the oil pressure sender, drivers side, one wire). At 180*, the sender should have a resistance of about 53 ohms. So if you check it while warm and it is close to 53ohms, them maybe just the gauge is messed up. You could also use an aftermarket gauge to verify the temp. That way we'll know if it is really that hot or if it is just a bad gauge/sender.

Kentetsu

You might want to verify that your gauge is accurate before going much further. These things can get funny sometimes.

As far as the question on how to control an e-fan, I found an adjustable fan control at Autozone for 18 bucks. Works like a charm. Since it is adjustable, I can change the setting so that it comes on at the point I want it to. Just a thought...

One other thing. I'm not sure if the GSL model has the beehive oil cooler or not, but if any of the water lines running to it get kinked you will have overheating issues as a result.

Whichever type of oil cooler you have, are you getting good oil flow? How's your oil pressure?

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Hmm...will do. And about the gauge... after I gave up, I took it to the shop (a while back) and they use infra-red pyrometers to check the engine temp against the gauge. Initially, the gauge was working, then it wasn't. Pulled out the dash, the connection to the gauge was loose. After that, gauge was reading accurately. So as of the last time I was there, they did check actual temps vs. gauge temps, and the gauge was working. It takes a few seconds to do this, so I can have 'em do it real quick again.

Gotcha. See above.

What the? $18? I think I got the E-fan (that I took off) from Adanced Auto for like $30 - $40, AND it didn't flow enough CFMs! But again, I have a new fan clutch, fan's workin just fine, so I don't see a reason to mess w/ it if it ain't broke

Yep, it has the beehive oil cooler. That's the one w/ the fins and the oil filter sitting on top, right? Located up against the firewall, near the oil filler neck. I just resealed the oil cooler, and the lines were fine as I recall. I can def. check if any of them are kinked tho.

As for pressure, yea the stock gauge reads up to 80 when I change the oil, then is 60 and above @ 3K rpm IIRC a bit afterward (I have a slight oil leak from the rear main seal (or so I've been told by 3 diff shops). That's why the pressure drops slowly (I have to top her off once or twice in between oil changes) but rotaries burn oil normally, so that doesn't worry me.

Kentetsu

The 18 bucks was just for the fan control. The e-fans I used came out of an MR-2 in a junkyard. I don't know if a cheap fan from Advanced would pull enough air, you're probably better off getting one from the yard.

Eriks85Rx7

Well no wonder a 30 dollar fan isnt going to pull nearly enough air. If all else fails get a E-fan that free's up horsepower anyways, and make a good shroud for your e-fan usually the stock one doesnt fit right on so you may have to do some cuts.

RotorMotorDriver

iTrader: (1)

When I built my 83, my electric fan would be OFF and I could drive around and my temp gauge wouldnt move, even sitting in stop and go traffic. I could hear it kick on (thermostat controlled) every now and then, but I would say that a good 80% of the time, it wasnt even on. The car ran nice and cool for the most part. I had replaced all the same things you have, so Im having a hard time figuring out why yours is running so warm. This was before I put the FMOC in too.

The oil system does a great deal of cooling for the engine as well, so I wonder if maybe somewhere you have a "clog" (more of a resistance I guess) in that system preventing the oil to dissapate heat? You said you have 80 PSI after an oil change, normal oil pressure Ive seen has been a little over 60 PSI pretty much right after an oil change, and a little lower when needing another (thermal breakdown). Maybe youre getting high oil pressure after an oil change because you have a partially clogged system somewhere? Or maybe Im wrong. The other thing to think about is that the oil is "cooled" by the water, so the hotter the water, the hotter the oil, the hotter the engine. Its a viscious cycle, and a horrible idea by Mazda. Plan an upgrade the front mount oil cooler just for good measure and reliability. Those O rings go out quite often.

The other thing I was thinking, is the coolant ratio could be wrong. Too much coolant and not enough water will cause the temps to rise too. Coolant actually does a bad job of cooling, hence needing to mix it with water. Maybe check the ratio of coolant to water in the radiator.

Also, water pump belt tension, is it good? The water pump belt could be slipping (mine did before the dual pully after taking off the air pump and I never even heard it), thus not pumping the water through the engine properly. Problems were solved after replacing the stocl alternator pully with the dual pulley. Do you run the air pump?

I guess the last thing I can think of is you said you just "resealed" the oil cooler. How did you do that? Did you replace the O Rings, or use a sealant? Maybe the O Rings arent seated right, or sealant leaked in somewhere and is clogging something, which would explain the overheating idea that I first typed. You could always double check that work just to be on the safe side.

Theres my two cents about it. Good luck with it.

~T.J.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Thanks guys for all the info and suggesstions, but really, I'm not trying to address the situation by using a fan. I wanna stop the CAUSE of her running hot.

TJ...that's some real good stuff there. I want my FB to run that good as well. I don't have a FMOC. I have the beehive oil cooler that's sitting up against the firewall.

Hmm... a clog in the system is very possible. I found there was a clog in the coolant system initially, since the car had been sitting for almost a decade before I bought it. Once that was cleared, the car ran PERFECT - in cool weather. The hot weather precipitates this overheating. Like last night...it was cool out. Driving home, the temps were low. During the day when it's hot out, the engine's running hot... So yea, I'll def. check for a clog/check the flow of the oil system.

No guessing here. It's DEFINITELY off. I use straight coolant LOL. I guess I should run a 50/50 mix w/ water? I think the coolant I'm using is already a 50/50 mix tho..that's why I didn't add (more) water.

I'll check the tension of the belt. I know my alternator belt was loose...chances are the water pump belt is loose too. And yea I still have the airpump. I have emissions until 2009

Re: resealing the oil coolers...na I got new O-rings and lines from Ray @ Malloy. Did it the right way.

Thanks a lot man! You gave me a couple of good solid leads. I'll check 'em and post what I find.

Thanks guys
~Ramy

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

K...there's good news and there's bad news.

The good news is...I won't need to go through and check everything mentioned above cuz...

The bad news is...I think I blew a rotor LOL. Came to a light, car stuttered and stalled in neutral. Had trouble starting, and when it does, idles real rough. It can idle (on and off) roughly, but usually will drop down low enough that the engine sputters then dies. There's major power loss throughout, most pronounced coming off the line, and a gargling sound throughout (unburnt fuel?) Engine sounds different.

I was experiencing ignition problems, and while it is *possible* that I have a major ignition prob (or major probs w/ generating spark), most likely the engine's blown. I'm gonna run a compression test and make sure If it's blown, I'm gonna be looking for a streetported engine, if anyone knows of one... and to hell w/ emissions lol.

Kentetsu

Ah, that's one other thing that can cause your engine to run hot. An early spark. Like if your timing was too far advanced. Should have thought of that sooner..

I would take a minute to see if you have spark on both leading and trailing ignition. Good chance you lost your leading.....

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Yea I initially thought I had an ignition prob. Car was shaking intermittently at idle, blowing lots of blue smoke on startup (a LOT) when cold... but it eventually cleared. Also, for like a week, out of the blue, the car wouldn't idle. I just never got a chance to check out the ignition prob. I pray that's the only thing wrong... We'll see...

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Mister FDNewbie, get a Hanyes manual and run these things down. Sounds like there's nothing wrong with your car.

Ray

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Ray, I have a Hayes manual. I think there's something definitely wrong w/ my car tho. They shouldn't sputter like crazy, run hot, refuse to idle and sputter and stall out, and lose complete low-end. Heck, the whole car shakes badly if it tries to idle. Hopefully it's just the pre-existing ignition problem now just much worse.

Kentetsu, the first thought that came to my mind was hmm..could I have lost the leadings? But I'm not familiar enough w/ the ignition system to know whether you can lose only one, and not the other? (I'm assuming that you simply can't drive a car on trailings only)

~Ramy

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Yes, you can lose the leadings. The leading and trailing are two independent systems. Pull off the leading wire off the dizzy and place on the strut tower. Crank over the engine and see if you have spark. You can run on trailing only, but will run poor; exhaust will be hot, low on power. It is very possible that is what is going on.

To give you an idea, when my SA blew an apex on the rear rotor, it ran a little rough but not too bad. Where it was noticeable was in the power (or lack thereof). The 0-50 time (wouldn't hit 60) was probably like 40 seconds or more. It should be pretty obvious if it is blown (could have a stuck seal (apex or side/corner), though).

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Definately FDNewbie, that car will run, you just got to get the wires hooked up right. And then, the fun begins....

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna check it out tomarrow. Oh, and she def. passes 60. This happened on my way into the city, so naturally, I had to keep on driving w/ it lol. On the way back, it's weird, cuz there's NO low end, but once the rpms go up, and if I really get on the gas, she pulls HARD lol. I was doin a good 70+ on the highway on my way back home. In fact, there's a sweet spot...where if you give it just a tiny bit less throttle, she'll sputter and run weak. Give it just a tiny bit more gas, and she'll take off.

I'll let you guys know what I find. Gonna check it tomarrow.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Yeah. Check the spark situtation. See if you are getting spark to all plugs. Hopefully, that is all it is.

mar3

iTrader: (8)

Is the tach dead? There's an easy clue...

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

No, the tach's working fine. And if it was dead...? I don't follow...

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

If the tach is dead, that means that the trailing ignition is not working. This would also mean that you wouldn't have fuel (if the car is an 84 or 85) as these cars use the signal from the tach to tell if the engine is running (which energizes the fuel pump relay). The purpose is so that in a wreck, where the engine may stop but the key still be on, the fuel pump won't run (keep from adding fuel to a possible fire hazzard).

The leading could be dead, though. The tach will still work but power will suffer. You can lose trailing and not really even notice.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Ahh...gotcha. Yea now that you mention it, I recall reading somewhere that the tach takes its lead from the trailing...

Yea...they're used moreso for a more complete combustion (reduced emissions).

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

OMG MY FB IS A FERRARI! I just got my FB back from Bret Pedro's Rotary Performance here in Manassas, VA, and WOW...she FLYS. I mean MUCH faster than when I first got her even almost a year ago (which means I've had the problem all along )

So...what was the problem? The shutter valve on the intake manifold was busted, and was remaining closed. The hi-flow bonez cat I installed only a few months ago was also clogged, possibly as a result of the shutter valve problem. Bret got a new valve, swapped in a different manifold, and gutted the cat haha. The car pulls HARD. Of course, that prob also has to do w/ the cat being gutted, but I dunno just how much of an effect that'll have.

I also had him put on new RB springs and tokico struts that I got from aws140 (the original springs and struts were pretty much shot, since when I bought the car, it had been sitting for almost a decade haha). The car's pulling HARD, and it backfires like crazy if I get on it hard then shift (at any rpm) lol. Prob cuz of the gutted cat. I'm real happy

The only thing I gotta keep my eye on now is the temps...the temp is still fluctuating between the normal (at about 1/3) operating temp to the midpoint of the temp gauge. I also wanna make sure the oil light that came on twice or three times right before I took the car in doesn't come back on (I had just changed the oil, there's def. enough oil in there).

Thanks guys! Time to hit some twisties and break traction
~Ramy

Kentetsu

Congrats man!!! One thing I forgot to ask about was your clutch fan (do you still have a clutch fan?). Is it working correctly? If not, then you would be ok driving on the freeway, but would overheat sitting in the drive through.......

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Thanks man

Yes, I'm still running the OEM fan and (new) fan clutch. I thought of that, and no there's NO consistancy w/ how I'm driving and the temp. I can be doing 80mph on the freeway, and the temps rise to the half mark. I can be sitting at a light and the temps are back down to a 1/3. It's really random. I think there may very well be a clog in the system somewhere... Again, I know the fan's working well because when the temps rise past the half mark, the fan kicks into high gear (not all of a sudden, but the next time I come to a stop...when I come off the line, the fan comes on and stays on) until the temps drop back down.

The first two things I'm gonna check re: TJ's suggestions are the water pump belt tension, and I'm gonna drain some coolant from the radiator, and add water. We'll see if that helps some. If not, I guess I'm gonna have to start looking for a restriction in the coolant or oil circulation systems...cuz I'm all out of ideas. And the last time the car was @ the shop, they tested the coolant for hydrocarbons, and it was negative, so I don't think I have a coolant seal problem.