Bob: ro284\'s - FD Temp guage and Thermoswitch mod.

[Glenn Butcher]

From   Bob: ro284  

Temp guage and Thermoswitch, my best mod.

 

My best mod.     for me anyway! I know some owners like to keep their cars standard, but I     think for the sake of the engine and reliability an aftermarket water temp     gauge is a must. I decided on a cheapie gauge from TIM, I got a triple speaker     pod, (beautifully made) I put the boost gauge on the right and the Temp gauge     in the middle, on the left I will put a clock, I promised a Non member (soon     to join!) who has limited access to a computer at the mo, how I would install     this with pic’s, I expect most members have access to Robinets site, so will     have seen pic’s like these before,
   They are self explanatory,
   Out with the old,

 
 

   

     

 

Remove I.C etc.     Disconnect the hose from the stat housing and move to the right to stop getting      swarf in it. cover it up with rags. I fitted new belts at this stage.

 
 

     

 

X marks the     spot! This is very thick housing, ideal for tapping,
   And I think the best position for the sensor,

 
 

   

     

 
 

 
   
 

 
 

The TIM gauge     needs a drill size of 14 ½ mill but best drill 5 then 8 then 11 mill pilot     first, slowly. The Tap size is  5/8 U.N.F.
   (for sale used once £7-50 inc p&p ,)
   Wind the tap in slowly with lubricant on, half in, quarter back, after every    
   4 turns take the tap out and clean it, stop cutting when you have about
   15 % of the tap threads  left outside the hole. ( makes for a good tight     fit, )

 
 

 

 
 

With a hose     blast out the swarf, especially off the belts, collect the swarf with rags     under the stat housing!

 
 

   

         

 

Use PTFE tape     on the sender unit and screw in to place
   

 
 

   

     

 

I used a dremmel     to cut a hole through the bulkhead 1 inch down from the lip just to the right     of the brake servo, to take sensor wire, Boost gauge pipe, and some other     wires I needed to the gauge pod, this hole comes into the cabin just above     the clutch mounting bracket, using a thick grommet.and with the hole here     the sensor capiliary is long enough!

 
 

   

         

 

If you use this     gauge the sensor earths to the engine and the instrument light will short     and blow a fuse, so the bulb holder has to be changed for a 2 wire plastic     one, I connected mine to the dimmer switch circuit at the ash tray light wires,
   Replace Air filter etc and top up water, I like this type of air filter as     it’s a cold air feed and does not rob the I.C of any of it’s air supply.

 

   
   

       
   I hope this helps someone, all at your own risk, if you feel confident enough     to do it. I have to say that I am very pleased I installed the gauge as it     probably saved my engine, I noticed that running round town it would settle     at about 85c rising to 90c in traffic, that was in winter! and I was surprised     how sensitive the guage is, but it’s warmer weather now and I thought I would     leave the car ticking over for a while to see when the fans came on, but they     didn’t! at all. So I checked the circuit from relay to the Thermoswitch, (     no continuity !) and at the same time fitted a lower temperature Thermoswitch,     the standard one that came out is 108 deg, which is flipping hot, I fitted     a 90 deg one, (stamped on the side, you could also use a 95 deg one ) it is     the one with the black single wire connector, the way I got at it was to remove     the alternator, it’s tricky but possible, this is what is under the alternator,     crossover pipe, and a small bore water pipe, (best replaced at the same time,)     from Mazda,

 
 

   

       
   Well I did that     bit, and started the car and after a drive let it idle, still the fans did     not come on, so I bypassed the original wire from the Thermoswitch straight     to where the old wire ( since found to be broken down somewhere!) connected     to relay no 3, that did the trick, and I am very pleased with the result.     On tick overin traffic the temp gauge rises to 100 deg, then the fans     come on and cool it to 95 deg, very quickly, and it will do that all day,     it seems to me that the Thermoswitch overrides the ECU, and controls the fans,     There is no heat soak problem cooking all the pipes and wires, ( rising     to only 105 deg, when switched off ) as the engine never gets too hot     in the first place, so I won’t bother with the fan switch mod, of course I     realise Mazda designed it to get very hot, I guess for emissions reasons,     but I would add that I am paranoid about overheating my rotary. Because the     standard gauge won’t tell you! And this mod suits me fine, hope it may help     someone in some way,
   I don’t have to keep switching the air con on now. If I thought it necessary     my next mod to eliminate heat soak if it was a problem,  would be to     wire a relay controlling an electric water pump (with ignition and engine     off ) from my turbo timer.
   If nothing else from this thread, it may be worth checking your fans do in     fact come on!
   Any advice/comments please add.
   Bob 

 

[Bobfish]

Good write up, to be fair though you could just remove the t-stat/coolant filler neck. Thats what i did - much easier than removing IC etc. Its only 3 bolts!

[ro284]

you could just remove the t-stat/coolant filler neck. Thats what i did - much easier than removing IC etc. Its only 3 bolts!

Very true Bob, but then you have to clamp it, drill it, and tap it, without slipping or distorting it! or snapping a bolt. then fit a new gasket, but also i replaced my belts at the same time,and took alternator off to get at the Thermoswitch. and it\'s easy to remove IC. & clear the leaves out,
Having done this a few weeks ago, i\'m well pleased with the result, i no longer have to worry about the engine getting too hot, as the fans are automatic. when they come on you can watch the guage go down very quickly, about 1 min down to 95c from 100c by which time hopefully the traffic jam has cleared!
cheers Bob

[tinker-27]

hi do you know what make the air intake is or where might have one simalar cheers craig

[ro284]

Hi Craig, i was lucky to find that one, from another member on here, i wanted that one as it is a cold air feed, Quiet, and does not share/rob the cooling air supply duct to the IC, which a standard air can do. (Apparently Mazda spent millions on developing the shared air supply to find that hot air can be sucked back through the IC and damage the engine! as mentioned on Rob Robinetts site) i believe Mazda increased the size of the intake duct on the later models because of this, i tried Apexi twins which were ok, but got fed up with mooing noise from the air pump, I much prefer this setup, i think i have only seen a very similar kit of this type advertised once before i think from Gary at Rotaryart, but it was far superior quality, and i think Carbon fibre, it might be called Gruppe type M! but not really sure about that, mines GRP, best give Gary a shout, i\'m sure he could help or advise,
cheers Bob
(i will try and find a pic of the filter (one big one)

[ro284]

As i understand it fitting aftermarket filters is a good thing as they don\'t rob the IC but they do need a cold air supply as they suck hot air from the engine bay, but the air pump moos! hope this helps,
Single filter pic,
Bob

[tinker-27]

im not bothered about the MOOING noise as its a V8 6.3 litre so the noise is not a problem i would like more cold air for the motor  will try rotaryart  unless anyone has a second hand one ,i might be able to copy it in carbon fibre (or could borrow one) ?

[ro284]

Any help Jim?
Bob

[ro284]

Resurrected for James.:3gears-lh

[gear1275]

thankyou matey, if anybody needs help with fans, thermoswitches, relays, anything really, speak to him. he knows all!! cheers bob