Matt Yearwood

Hey everyone,
I searched the forum and found nothing remotely close to this. I went to go look at an 04 rx-8 6mt i was just looking at it as a parts car. My main priority was the engine as I might need to swap my out soon and I always like to be prepared so I was really just looking for hot start issues. So I started the engine and let it idle to let the engine get up to temp. I spent about 10 minutes just talking to the guy about the history of the vehicle and then I checked on the temperature gauge when I noticed rising at all so I immediately shut the car off concerned that the thermostat was not opening to prevent overheating. But for whatever reason I stuck my hand in the engine bay after turning the motor off that it just ran for a good 10 minutes and it was like ice cold I could feel some heat down by the exhaust manifold but the block itself was cold not the normal searing Heat you get out of the engine bay from these guys. Does anybody have any insight on this as to what it might be if it's a bad sign for good sign I'm completely lost with this one any help would be appreciated.

NotAPreppie

What you're describing shouldn't be possible. 10 minutes should be more than enough time to heat soak the engine bay unless you were doing the test at McMurdo Station.

Matt Yearwood

I know im so damn confused its illogical im stumped, but i know it idled for more than long enough to warm up and heat soak the engine bay but i was able to touch the motor without any discomfort, half the time i cant even rest my forarms on the plastics in my engine bay.

sonicsdaman

iTrader: (3)

it's the all new milk powered wankel mazda is gonna release with the rx9

Matt Yearwood

Could it be that it is completely dead on one rotor so the fuel being injected is acting as a cooling agent to the block? I did notice a bit of white smoke coming out of the tailpipe would it also be possible that it could be leaking coolant internally again acting as a cooling agent.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Which part of the engine did you touch? If it was running with the hood open it might not be that hot. But as stated, what you describe shouldn't be possible. If the owner had done the throttle body coolant bypass mod, I can see the throttle body staying cool. Maybe that?

If it was dead in one rotor you would know it, trust me.

What did the temp gauge actually show? Its not clear from description.

Matt Yearwood

Ok that might make sense, the hood was open and it was in quite an open parking lot and there was decent head wind, i stuck my hand on a number of different location but the most indicative would be when i stuck my hand down under where the intake passes over the top of the motor and wedged it between the bottom of the intake and the exhaust manifold and even then there was only minimal heat, the only time i found any notable heat was towards the back of the engine bay by the exhaust.

Matt Yearwood

Well i guess more like behind the engine bay given how far our engine sits back

Matt Yearwood

I heard something about a 9 are they actually going to use a wankel or will it be a pissed in engine?

Matt Yearwood

What did the temp gauge actually show? Its not clear from description.[/QUOTE]

And temp Guage sat firmly where it would be with engine off, sorry missed that part. Migraine and bright screen dont work well together lol

Loki

iTrader: (1)

There is no 9. Perish the thought.

If the guage showed cold are you sure this engine had coolant in it at all? Can't meaure temperature or warm up the cold part of the engine if there is no coolant :S

Matt Yearwood

Honestly I didn't even think to check but even with the hood open if there'd been no coolant wouldn't it have had excessive amount of heat to it. Thinking back though you are absolutely correct there either wasn't any coolant or it never had the coolant light problem addressed which means that the white smoke coming out of the tailpipe was likely the Apex seal and rotor housings being chewed to **** correct

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Apex seals have nothing to do with coolant. Was it white smoke or just condensation?

Coolant moves heat around from the hot part of the engine (bottom) to the rest. If parts are cold, it means the heat hasnt gotten to them, so draw your own conclusions. It's also possible the water pump belt failed and the coolant was just sitting there warming up slowly.

Matt Yearwood

Im going to assume smoke since it started to happen after awhile rather than when the car started. I keep forgetting that the rules of piston engines dont apply to rotary engines.

UnknownJinX

Maybe a stuck open thermostat? That's about the only possibility I can think of.

Running 10 minutes without any coolant... I'd think the engine would be pretty quickly messed up before the 10 minute mark.

And sonic is just making a joke.

Matt Yearwood

There are actually rumors going around about a 9, but thats just like how there where rumors about honda reinventing the prelude, was so upset when they didnt was supposed to be rwd, it was my first car so some sentimental attachment there. But if the thermostat was stuck open wouldn't the temp still rise? I mean i suppose it could have been the hood open with the wind a stuck open thermostat and a faulty temp gauge or sensor what a series of events that would have been.

NotAPreppie

All rumors are vapor until final product rolls off the lot with a customer behind the wheel.

The radiator fans don't turn on until after the thermostat is open.
Idling long enough in a Chicago winter will cause the temps to reach the fan trigger points.
That means that the engine produces more heat at idle than the cooling system can manage without airflow.
That means that even with the thermostat stuck open, the engine should have heated up.

Regardless, the engine will feel warm before the thermostat opens, anyway. 180°F is really freaking hot. Hell, 150°F is really freaking hot. The aluminum rotor housings will conduct heat pretty well so you shouldn't be able to touch the rotor housings around the spark plug holes after just a few minutes of idling.

I think you're just an unwitting superhero that is impervious to heat. Quick, make a batch of cookies and see if you can eat one before they cool.

Matt Yearwood

Lmfao omg i wish do you know how many burns that would have save me from catalytic converters at work, im actually the complete opposite lol, idk what was up with that renesis but someone else bought it before I made a choice so its there problem now just hope they didnt buy it thinking it would be road worth anytime soon like some kid that just saw low price and sexy car and went i want.

Mazurfer

Sorry, it should have burned you at 10 minutes. I wouldn't stick my hand in there...well, I have and wished I didn't. I'm perplexed..................maybe you went through some time warp?

Matt Yearwood

Why the sorry? Normally i wouldnt stick my hand in an engine bay that had a previously running engine engine but i was so enamored by the fact there was no heat coming from the bay i had to check, but i do so in a cautious mannor not actually touching the engine.

Mazurfer

Sorry...because something is wrong and I have no idea what, I think it should've been hot enough that you didn't want to leave your hand on it....................strange.

Matt Yearwood

Yeah but not my monkey not my circus right somebody else bought it before I made up my mind but given the previous posts it's plausible it was just a unusual combination of circumstances that cause the engine to heat much lower than it normally would.