Overheating Problem #2

[Jiggerachi]

Awhile back I was pulling into the driveway & I noticed the temp gauge was a little past halfway, which I have previousely never seen(except of course when my old radiaror blew). Checked the coolant level & everything was fine, so I have been keeping an eye on it lately.

Today in stoplight traffic I noticed it climbing a little while at a complete stop, I was contemplating pulling over when traffic let up. As I approached ~50 the needle went back down, stopped at the next light & back up, light turns green, back down... this went on for the next mile or two untill I pulled in my driveway.

Popped the hood thinking the fan was not working but it was working fine. I didnt see any opstructions in the grille, no liscense plate on the front either.

My lower radiator hose probably needs replacing, but I dont know if it would cause this kind of problem.

Any ideas???

[Jiggerachi]

Forgot to mention...

The driver side fan was running, but the passenger side was not(or was it the other way around??), I was assuming this was normal as the AC was off, but realised I really had no idea.

[sammm]

Thermostat? They are famous for freezing up.

[Treibenschnell]

And a relatively cheap fix.

[Kags1969]

I had a fan that got weak, it still ran, just too slow... something to look at.

[blackzx3_13]

You just need to make a few little holes in the front bodywork in order to allow a little more cooling air in. Here is an example.

[jolberry]

Thermostat? They are famous for freezing up.

Maybe you should get a genuine Mazda thermostat, instead of those Vatozone cheapies. It has not even been a year since you changed it.(same day I changed mine)

[Titus]

Maybe you should get a genuine Mazda thermostat, instead of those Vatozone cheapies. It has not even been a year since you changed it.(same day I changed mine)

And you can even take advantage of the free shipping from Trussville. And free doesn't mean slow... I placed an order Monday and it arrived yesterday.

[Sharpie]

What's the ratio of coolant to water. Miatas don't like a 50/50 mix, needs to have a more water. I usually do 60% water 40% antifreeze or 70/30. I've known of 3 miatas that got hot due to this and it's fixed them everytime. Good luck.

[sammm]

I've run 50/50 in both of my Miata's ('92 & '99) and never had an overheating issue.

[Sharpie]

I still stand by what I say.........

[sammm]

I still stand by what I say.........

As do I.

[Titus]

As do I.

Why can't we all just get along!

[BAM!]

water pump could be slowing down. is it for a 1.6l? i have a brand spankin new spare....

[jolberry]

water pump could be slowing down. is it for a 1.6l? i have a brand spankin new spare....

He has a 1.8

[onething]

I've run 50/50 in both of my Miata's ('92 & '99) and never had an overheating issue.

But you drive fast. That increases the airflow to the radiator. The only time you drive slowly is when you are crossing a creek, and then the water on the outside cools the block and radiator.

[Jiggerachi]

Maybe you should get a genuine Mazda thermostat, instead of those Vatozone cheapies. It has not even been a year since you changed it.(same day I changed mine)

Yea I was thinking the same thing, also my radiator hoses need changing. I hope to have this fixed by this weekend while the weather is still relatively cool, so I guess ill eat the Trussville savings so I can get the parts tomorrow or Saturday.

Any idea how hard it is to change the lower & inlet hoses?

[Jiggerachi]

What's the ratio of coolant to water. Miatas don't like a 50/50 mix, needs to have a more water. I usually do 60% water 40% antifreeze or 70/30. I've known of 3 miatas that got hot due to this and it's fixed them everytime. Good luck.

Hmmm...I might consider this, but honestly I drove a 50/50 mix all through last summer in heavy traffic & never got hot at all.

[Jiggerachi]

water pump could be slowing down. is it for a 1.6l? i have a brand spankin new spare....

Dude dont scare me like that...

[Jiggerachi]

The saga continues...


Ok, I changed the thermostat & upper/lower hoses 2 weeks ago & the problem is still there...& untill today in the heat has been far less severe. Any more ideas??

One thing worth noting...untill this hot ass weather came the needle would never get over 3 quarters, it would get up there for a while then go back down. Now in this hot weather it started going up a little farther so I didnt want to chance it going any highe, I turned the heater on.

A friend at work said he had a similar problem that "turned out to be air in the coolant lines", any idea if this could be the problem? If so is there a trick to flushing the air bubbles out, other than flushing the system a few times?

Is there a way to check if my fan is not blowing hard enough? Should both fans be blowing at the same time, or is one just for the AC?

Id love for this to be just a sensor issue, any way of checking/replacing the sensor for cheap?

I need to get this fixed soon, preforably tonight or tomorrow, or I wont be able to drive the car to work. I had to sit through 121 traffic on the way home in this 100+ degree weather with the freaking heater on , so if anyone has any ideas id really appreciate them...