Shamblerock

It was about 0 degrees celcius (32 farenheit) last night and my car was parked outside for a few hours. The car on the inside was naturally cold when I got in. Put the heat on, got on to the 404 then 401 then 403 (about 1/2 hour) and the inside was certainly comfortable with the heated seats on and the heater going but the centre console remained very cold all over despite the room temperature in the car at probably like 27 degrees celcius. Noitice the same thing this morning. The console doesn't get warm??? As if its somehow exposed to the outside all the time and there is no/very little insulation.

Does anybody encounter the same thing?

RXE16T

Glad to see you guys have an "icebox" in the centre console to keep your drinks chilled.
Unfortunately down under, we only get a "microwave" instead.

WarpFactor

My centre console is extremely warm. I read in another thread that this was normal due to the exhaust system running underneath the console.

Mind you, the coldest it's gotten in Vancouver so far is around 10C.

Shamblerock

In the summer I can good eggs on the console. So I thought it would also be warm in the winter too, but that is not the case! Its bloody cold all over from front to back.

Mic, I tried to heat up the cabin as much as possible to see if I could get the centre console to warm up, but no dice.

Kart Racer

how long did you drive the car to see if it would warm up??? Ive noticed its cold as well, but that usually only lasts for a while. Its not really going to warm up that well though, because there is really no direct heat on the console. The vents dont blow down there....and nothing else can really heat it up.. Except Mic's T-Ho's coffee i guess.....hahaha.

Shamblerock

I drove it for about 1/2 hour and it was still pretty cold to the touch. I wonder if removing it and putting some quality insulation underneather would help much. Best case scenario by adding insulation properly:

- its quiter (far less rattles and squeeks)
- Cooler in the summer
- Warmer in the winter.
- And you can tighten it much firmer putting in back (I think this is the loosest feeling piece of the car1)

Hey, it might even be worthwhile painting it the colour of the car while you have it out, dort of like that of the Porsche 911!

Kart Racer

yeah, i find the top of the console to be a little loose at times....but nothing too major.

jgibbons

Ask your dealer. They have a replacement insulation pad for the centre console.

Mine has been installed for over 2 months -- no more cooking my RIM and cell.

Shamblerock

j gibbons, thanks. I'll do that. I knew there must be something up that.

bean438

Spoken like a true Canadian!

Amur_

Shamblerock, for what it's worth there's a similar problem that happens with 2nd Generation RX-7s...


In the M/T, there is an upper and a lower shifter boot. The lower boots tend to be overlooked, and since it's been up to 18 years since these cars left the factory the boots are usually completely rotted out, being exposed to both hot air from the engine/exhaust as well as transmission fluid.

As the lower boot crumbles, hot air starts entering the car around the shifter, heating everything above and behind the transmission tunnel (and the driver.) It's particularly unpleasant in August. )





But I don't think that this is your problem - you're not getting hot air any more. And you're not getting it through the shifter area. Whatever is heating/cooling the console is getting to it from behind. For us FC guys, the hot air entering at the shifter boot heats everything above and behind the transmission tunnel - it doesn't affect the console.


The one time I had a cold air flow into my car was when I had forgotten to put a grommet back in the firewall on the passenger side of the car. The hole was just above and to the outside of the engine and exhaust header, and yet despite being so close it still drafted cold air into the car (this was in winter.)

Maybe this will help you narrow your search...

Shamblerock

Thanks Amur for the usual comprehensive explanation. But for now, I'm just going to go to the Mazda dealership and make them give me the upgraded insulation like jgibbons suggested.