Project Free Mazda: Now registered & I took it for a good spin.

"Luc - The Acadian Oppo" (luc5)
09/05/2014 at 00:05 • Filed to: PROJECT FREE MAZDA

I finally have the new Mazda registered and on the road. Today is the very first time I drove it once I picked it up from my dad's house(it even had a half tank of gas). Took it for a 80 mile drive before heading home and it performed flawlessly. It was running a little warm tho, the heat gauge was at about 3/4 of the way to hot, isn't it supposed to be right in the middle of the gauge when it's running perfect. I'll have to look into that. Any ideas where to start? maybe an air lock in the cooling system? or a thermostat?.

On the not so great news only 1 of the 4 speakers is running and that speaker is busted. I'll have to visit the scrapyard and get some speakers.

Now that I have the car at home you can expect a proper photo dump of this beast in the coming days.

DISCUSSION (7)

StoneCold > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
09/05/2014 at 00:10

Thermostat is the first place I'd check, and since you'd be doing the thermostat, a coolant flush wouldn't be a terrible idea. If the coolant level is okay and not leaking, the only other thing I can think of is maybe a blocked/partially blocked water jacket or passage, but that's not really likely. Are the radiator fins in okay shape, and does the fan look like it's turning at a decent speed?

EL_ULY > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
09/05/2014 at 00:12

yeah keep it simple on the over heating issue. Start with the basics like T stat, leaks (check all hoses), fan. Then after that easy stuff then go to the radiator, water pump, etc.

Awesome deal though. Keep us updated, this is rad

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > StoneCold
09/05/2014 at 00:14

I did not check any thing yet but. a thermostat and bleeding the cooling system is the easiest thing to try first.

The radiator is new but I did not check the fan.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > EL_ULY
09/05/2014 at 00:18

I'll do a T-stat and bleed the system over the weekend and see how it goes.

I've checked for leaks and everything is fine.

It was running warmer on the highway and it would cool off a bit more in the city.Normally when you are having overheating issues would it be the opposite?

Matthew Phillips > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
09/05/2014 at 05:52

my Taurus would do that if you went over 65 mph

erikgrad > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
09/06/2014 at 13:21

My friend's brother bought one of these new in 1992, I think? He bought it with zero options...and there were either no rear speakers, or they were not fully wired, I cannot remember which.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > erikgrad
09/06/2014 at 13:25

this one is an absolute base model the only option is the automatic transmission. heck now that you say that maybe I don't have rear speakers? the grill and stuff for the speakers is there but it's entirely possible that there is nothing behind the grill.