i just installed dual alt. belt pulley from banzai. It took care of the belt slippage and overheating to a point. But water temp still goes up half way on the stock gauge after 2-3miles of highway driving and stays there(better than before, it would go up 3/4) at lower speeds 40-50 and at idle, the temp slowly goes down to 1/3 (still a little higher than before all the overheating problems. it used to be more like 1/5-1/4 up) any temp change on the gauge is pretty slow. i've already changed the thermostat(mazda) and plan on changing to koyo rad and poss. fiero e-fan and rad. caps. w/in the week. hopefully it will take care of the overheating.

another problem i noticed with the pulley is that it sits slightly (1/16-1/8") out from the block than the other pulleys. is this gonna cause any problems besides premature belt wear? the pulley don't seem to have any play and spin perfectly, but it just sits out a little. but i didnt encounter any belt problems. i got 2 identical alt/ belts made by Dayco and they fit fine on the dual belt pulley.

i will update the condition of overheating when iget the new parts on. if anyone has any insight on the prob w/ pulley sitting out from the block compared to others, i'd appreciate it.

Eddie

 

1/2 on the coolant temp gauge sound about normal for highway driving.

 

before all the overheating problems started, water temp stayed at 1/4-1/5 rock solid no matter wat, unless a high speed run (120+). even then never up to 1/2. but if it's considered to be normal, i'll take that. i'm getting mech. water temp gauge and oil pressure gauge soon, so no more guesswork.

any insight on the pulley position problem?

thanks
eddie

 

when did the overheating start? as soon as you took off the airpump and required the dual belt? or before?

I doubt the cooling has anything to do with your belt anymore.

 

What temps are you running? When was the last date of your cooling system service? When was your last flush? Are the hoses collapsing? Is the radiator and oil cooler fins blocked with debris?

 

the over heating to 1/2-3/5 began to happen few wks after air pump was removed, but then one day in january, my thermostat stuck closed and overheated enough to blow the turbo.. another story....
i finally got her running this past weekend. like i said, thermostat was changed and the dual pulley went on today.
i'm using Mazda OEM thermostat (not sure what temp. that is), i've never really performed a flush (i know, i know), just drain n fill. but i'll definitely perform a flush when i change the rad. no, the hoses seem to be fine and the radiator n oil coolers are free of debris; although the oil cooler has slight damage (dents)to the bottom part.
since i'm replacing the radiator, what, if any, differences are there in flushing process.... i go to Licoln Tech. <automotive tech. school> at the moment, and i can use the flush machine at school which pumps coolant through the whole system with fresh coolant. is that going to be enough? or should i do that "controversial" flush? my current motor is a mazda rebuild with approx. 24k miles, but it did experience overheating for a trip of 20miles (made like 5 stops to cool down, i know, dumb mistake). but at the moment, there's no smoking at all, so i suspect no or very little damage to the water seals... thanx in advance.

eddie

 

i got my car when it was cold out . now its summer i still got probs but i had the same kind of probs u are having. i thought i needed a dual alt pulley cuase i dont have a air pump on the car so i got that and dirving around town was fine then when i did 120 on the high way . the temp went up half way which i dotn like so anyway i changed the water pump casue my did`t look to good wasnt leeking or anything but after that my temps are fine around town and high way .

 

so you think it could be the water pump? mine doesn't leak either, but is there a way to check the condition of the pump?

 

i dont know how to check the condition of the pump mine just looked rusted . so i called up mazdatrix they sell the mazda pump for 80 i think it is and it comes wit the gaskit .also and u need gaskit sealer when u put it on two . not hard at all i wish my idle was as fast and not hard to fix as the pump haha good luck wit your car .

 

ok, i'll be replacing all the cooling sys. components one by one, starting with radiator, caps, hoses, poss. e-fan, and see if that will take care of the problem, then i'll replace the waterpump.

no one has answered my question about the dual belt pulley being out of position. it's much more than i thought. more like 1/4" i think. 1/4" out and away from the block compared to the waterpump pulley. would that cause any damage to the alternator?

eddie

 

Eddie, Is that a stock Alt or a reman? I haven't had any problems wth fit or line-up yet and I have sold over 200 pullies.

 

it's a reman ig ot from pep boys.. i put it on last fall. the pulley i pulled off the alt was actually 2 dishes to form the pulley. from what i see, i may be able to push the alt back about 1/2" by moving the spacer(on pass. side of alt.) "behind the alt" and using a longer adjuster bolt and a nut or spacer behind the bracket (on the driver side of alt.) but this may be too much, in fact. it will be too much.
was there anything else that needed to come off the alt beside the orig. pulley? i don't remember seeing anything else

eddie

 

Do you still have that plastic cover that goes under the car (right below the radiator)? I forget what its called but you need it to get as much air into the radiator/oil cooler.

 

banzai,
don't get me wrong. i'm happy with the pulley, although i think i did pay a lil too much on ebay.. lol. ..it's coo.. we'll see how it goes, it's only been on the car for 100miles

eddie

 

i think that panel's been missing since i've bought the car. never had a overheating prob. back then

 

How new is your water pump? Did you bleed the air out of the cooling system?

 

Banzai's Coolant SYSTEM rant:

What brand therosatat and waterpump. It is recommended; based on hard earned experience; NOT TO USE AFTERMARKET THERMOSTATS and WATERPUMPS.

now,
A. Have you had a cooling system pressure test done. You need to to see if you have another leak or a blown coolant seal .
B. Is the stock cooling fan functiong properly? Sureshot interjects:
"For step B: The fan should pull really hard up to about 4k when the motor is hot. It should maintain about 4k as the motor revs higher. Sometimes you can get more life from it by bending outward the bi-metal strip on the front of the fan clutch. The cut-in for the series 4 fan clutch is gradual – it pulls some even when cold. If yours slips at 2.5k, that won't cool it.
The fan clutch will sneak up on you after 100,000 miles. It wears out very gradually."
C. Are all the cooling shrouds and underbelly trays intact and installed properly?
D. Are your Radiator and oil cooler fins clean and unobstructed? You don'e have a dead cat stuck in there do you?
E. How old are your hoses, your suction hose could be collapsing.

F. When you replaced the waterpump did you inspect the housing surfaces?
Over time with bad coolant the housing can erode causing a reduction in coolant flow.
G.Belt tension proper?

Also beg/borrow/steal/buy an infrared temp gun and check the temps of the hoses going in and out of the rad.

 

Could be a clogged up Rad also or any of those listed above.

 

Before you replace the radiator, I would check the radiator fins and check for leaves/grass/small animals. things like to get stuck between the radiator and the A/C Condensor. Remove the radiator and blow it out. Also blow out all stones/dirt/bugs from the A/C condensor and ESPECIALLY the oil cooler.

Make sure that the plastic "Belly Pan" is installed and also ensure that the foam that surrounds the radiator is intact.

 

thermostat is Mazda OEM
I don't know how old the water pump, fan, rad., and hoses are. but the motor is 24k old mazda reman. so crossin my fingers that my pump is good.
another reason i'm replacing all the cooling sys. components is i plan on upgrading to fmic sometime in near future.
the hoses aren' collapsing, i've checked.
but about 3 weeks before the thermostat got stuck, the heater stopped working(no warm air).. heater hose clogged? there arent any leaks... although some coolant did overflow outta the overflow tank yesterday. the heater works now.
funny thing today though, my commute route is about 25mi long with 50 mph cruise mostly with short hop on the highway. this morning(65-70F), the temp gauge stayed below 1/3 the whole time. but on my way back this afternoon(90F), it got up to 1/2 on the highway. would 20F of difference affect ECT that much? whatever clogged the heater up move into the rad.? reducing its effectiveness? i'm reaching, arent i?
i didn't actually measure the belt tensions, but they seemed to be ok with the finger test...lol
i will check the hose temps tom. at school(automotive tech school). what temps should the hoses be?

eddie

 

if a water seal is leaking, wouldn't it leak into the motor and smoke? there's no smoking now, plus the oil looked normal. although there was some condensation under the oil cap, but the car's been sitting for months.

eddie

 

Take a look at some info on troubleshooting the cooling system: http://www.aaroncakenet.net/rx-7/cooling.htm

1. That underbelly pan is very important for proper cooling. Removing it means taking abot 20% away from the capacity of the cooling system.

2. It is possible to have internal coolant leaks yet no (or very little) smoke. Do a pressure test, leave it pressurized for a few days.

 

My Turbo II never had 1. is there a place i can order one from? or can i just fabricate 1 out of aluminum or something. ne 1 have a good picture of it?

eddie

 

Junkyards are a good place to find these. If you dont have time or dont have a yard close to you, put up a want ad on the forsale section.

 

Yeah, check junk yards...My dual alt pully lines up fine...no issues there...Good luck/skill