I was just reading some posts in the time-slip thread and some body was talking about it being 80F (28C) and freakin hot.

I drove my RX7 to work today and it's gotten up to 42C today, it will probably be about 36C or 37C when I leave to go home (ie: around 98F)

My car is stock, except for a downpipe, and the cooling system was flushed and checked over two and a half weeks ago when I had a major service done at a local rotary specialist. Now it does get hot in Perth quite a bit, I imagine the guys at the rotary shop would have recommended some attention to the cooling system if the car couldn't handle the hot weather. I did notice yesterday that the downpipe had lowered the underhood temperature quite significantly (even after a 45 minute drive in hot weather.)

Has anybody had any overheating type problems that were unrelated to some sort of failure (split hose etc) but just came about as a result of normal operating, normal driving, on a hot day? How does the stock cooling system handle the hotter weather?

Obviously when I drive in the heat I'm not going to be thrashing it, that would just be asking for trouble.

I'm gonna hit the beach after work that's for sure

 

I suggest you get yourself a good radiator (PWR is Australian I think and they make decent FD radiators), do the fan mod, AST, Water Wetter and get a temp gauge...maybe even a vented hood
I live in Athens where I have the same hot temps as you and I am always looking at my temp gauge and Power FC

 

There is no need to brag about your car over heating this time of year. But yeah like Riccardo said, a simple radiator upgrade could do the trick. But having something to moniter temps would probably to a great investment to see where your at now. Good luck

 

Grrrrrrrrrr
it is -1C today here.......

Super grrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

18*F here right now...QUITCHERBITCHEN!

 

There is when you live in the southern hemisphere

 

your car will handle it. 210f is normal driving temps for my fd in california summer.

 

Given your stock cooling system is in good working condition (no leaks, thermostat is opening/closing, waterpump is pumping, fans turn on, etc.), it will handle such heat levels. I mean, Mazda kinda went cheap on some things, but the cooling system is a pretty crucial part of the car. If the cooling system was not able to withstand ~100F days, Mazda would have had MANY MORE shot o-rings. People always think the stock cooling system is awful at heat dissipation, but it really isn't. The only thing that is wrong with the stock radiator are the plastic endtanks.

 

also if you think about it this way,
the hotter the air, the less dense it is, so in a way, your engine is going to run a bit richer in conditions like that. It'll run slower.. but cold wheather might actually be more dangerous for your engine(although it would make more power).

cooling system issues aside.

 

Yup! The stock radiator is actually quite efficient at keeping engine temps down.

 

Get a functional water temp gauge. You really don't know how hot your engine is without one. The stock gauge reads about the same from around 130 to 240 degrees. The stock gauge is a joke

 

I drove my bone-stock car in Southern California desert (100+ F) temperatures this summer, mostly highway commuting (average speed: 60-80mph), with the A/C on, and I didn't experience any problems.

I'd recommend you change your coolant if you haven't already, and be sure to remove as much air from the system as possible. More info here: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/radiator-cap-funnel-eliminate-air-bubbles-342309/

Also be sure that your hoses are in good condition, as well as your radiator cap. The radiator is only part of the cooling system, I feel that many people replace a bit too soon; there are plenty of other factors that should be considered also. If you're overheating at low speeds, the problem is related to airflow through the radiator. Clean the fins and ensure that your fans are working correctly. Look into performing the 'fan mod' or the 'thermosensor swap' so that you can turn your fans on earlier, to help maintain lower water temps.

How are the beaches in OZ? I've been meaning to go there someday, maybe even try living there for a year or two. Is the surfing good, or does the reef make it too dangerous?

-s-

 

wait, im not understanding, you're asking if your car can handle 42 degree weather? where as some people track race when outside temp is 100 sometimes? LOL

man, it was about 40 degrees 2 days ago over here and i loved it, it nearly took 25 minutes with the fans off to reach 175f on my gauge, i had to boost a bit to hit 180, after that, i did a couple of WOT for my weekly carbon clear up routine..

i wish it was 55 degrees all the time, good weather for the car and me..

 

No mate I was talking 42 degrees celcius - or 107 degrees fahrenheit. And wouldnt most people racing be running upgraded radiators anyway? My car is still stock, I've only had it a few weeks.

After reading so many posts about people with cooling problems and the like, I was interested to know what the capability of the stock radiator is in hot conditions. Obviously as the ambient air gets hot, the efficiency of the radiator will decline. I'd be interested to know at what ambient temperature the stock radiator becomes so inefficient that the coolant temp rises to dangerous levels.

 

^^call me nuts but 42 degrees C is COLD, just so you know

and there are plenty of people that race with the stock radiator, the stock radiator is not horrible and the stock position is quite fine for it..

so yes you car will handle 42 degrees C cool weather no problem, given the coolant mixture is correct and you have no leaks etc etc..

to answer your question about hot conditions, i driven my fd with my stock radiator this past summer with outside temps at like 90 degrees C and my temp gauge never went past 210f..

 

Outside temps at 90C?? Where do you live, Venus?

I have driven my FD in temps as high as 109F (43C) and had no problems.

 

I think you got it backwards bro. 42C is bloody hot! You'll likely never see those temps in Jersey.

 

nevermind, i got it mixed up

LOL

 

Yeah I had a service shortly after I bought the car at a local rotary shop. Had them change all the oils, all the filters, the drive belts, all the cooling system hoses that looked slightly dodgy and they flushed the radiator.

I'll look into the fan mod and an aftermarket temp gauge, just to be a little cautious.

The beaches in OZ are wicked. I can't really compare them to anywhere else in the world because I haven't travelled much, but I do know that they are wicked. Surfing is good, but most good breaks are around reefs. How dangerous they are depends on how shallow the reef is and how careless the surfer is. I dont surf, but go to the beach heaps in Perth where I live. Not many reefs around in Perth. Just lots of sand. Some people surf the breaks around Perth but the best surfing is down south around Margaret River. I'm sure theres good surfing on the other side of the country as well

 

You guys should ditch fahrenheit! Reading this forum, a celcius to fahrenheit converter on the web has become my new best friend.

And while your at it, you could talk speeds in km/hr rather than miles/hr. It makes it sound like you go faster

 

FWIW, If your not into spending the $$ right now for a vented hood, you might want to look into wrapping your downpipe or having it heat coated (or both). Helps alot with the underhood temps.

 

This is the reason I dont spend my money at Home Depot. They don't sell metric anything. BASTARDS.

BTW, I dont use anything from Home Depot on my car.

 

42 degree Celsius = 107.6 degree Fahrenheit

90 degree Celsius = 194 degree Fahrenheit

210 degree Fahrenheit = 98.9 degree Celsius

IM calling you nuts....................



Here is a cople more.......

42 degree Celsius = 315.15 kelvin
90 degree Celsius = 363.15 kelvin
210 degree Fahrenheit = 372.04 kelvin

 

this past weekend it was -7C here, and last winter i saw temps of -40C, so all you QUITCHERBITCHEN! (sorry, had to steal the cool word)

 

-40 degree Celsius = -40 degree Fahrenheit

The only temp that both are the same