Factory Strut tower brace. Looks like the air filter to the right of the overflow reservoir, and a resonator chamber right behind it. Maybe battery box on the right fender, fusebox on the left. Don't see the hood prop-rod clip. RH drive model of course(see brake booster)

Can we say "heat-soak"?

 

Does Mazda include a “Letter of Authenticity” guaranteeing that a rotary engine really does reside under all that plastic junk???

In my best Dana Carvy voice…“Why in my day, the engine was left exposed & oil squirted all over the place & you’d scrap your knuckles on all the sharp edges & that’s the way we liked it!!!”

 

ya, seriously, what's with all that plastic crap?? engine bay air management?? sound deadening?? i just don't get it... why is it more esthetically appealing to cover up the engine anyways?? hmmm... removing that garbage violates warranty, right???? jeez...

on a non-engine related note, i like that side reflector!!

but god, HAVE to junk that POS plate holder...

 

what is the roughly rotor shaped silverish thingy with the mazda logo? i dont see a place for hood prop to go unless it goes along the left fender or maybe it clips to that black thing on the overflow bucket? why are we saying "heat-soak"?

 

Rotaries put out tremendous heat. The 3rd Gen suffered heat-soak or actual underhood temperature increases upon shutdown. Even though the Renesis is NA, all that plastic is going to trap alot of underhood heat and harden rubber and vacuum hoses prematurely. Hope they got the cooling problems under control this time around. Some of us actually WANT to see our rotary engines. On the 3rd gen it was buried under turbo hoses, solenoids and intercooling pipes. Now they shroud it in plastic. Go figure.



"Hey Ethel, where's the durn dipstick on this thang?"

 

It’s location & composition suggests that it’s part of the intake runner / expansion chamber assembly however the smooth rather than scalloped shape isn’t consistent with a conventional casting. My best guess is that it’s nothing more than a styling feature meant to convey the “Rotor Inside” message.

 

thanks T. this is why i am opposed to obstructing the airflow with that @#%@& front plate holder. i am with you on hoping the cooling is under control!
edit: and thanks rx7guy

 

HEY, where are the hood hinges?

 

I would like to have the option of taking that plastic crap off... I don't like that "clean engine look" trend.. Let me see it! :D

 

I don't mind it covered up, and I can near guarantee Mazda learned their lesson from the last RX-7 and their heat problems.

I've got full faith in Mazda for this car, because THEY know better than I do, that they have to have their act up above par, or they are going to die a very fast and painful death in the very competitive world of sport SEDANS

 

By the way, from the looks of that plastic, it seems to be just a cover.

I think that with the front air intakes, there's probably a channel for the air to follow and hit on the right stuff and keep it cool... that plastic may just be a way to channel the air coming into the car.

 

Hey, it's not like we need access to do a valve job or timing belt change!

Question, I know this will expose me as a helpless newbie but what does "NA" reference?

 

NA = Naturally Aspirated

 

NA = Naturally Aspirated

aka... no turbos on this engine, thus no turbo lag, and no suffering in hot weather

 

Dammit ZoomZoom beat me to it!

 

:D

 

Nowadays lots of companies are using those plastic engine covers.

I guess its to keep the engine and hoses cleaner.

I personally like to see everything. Imagine if you get stuck on the side of the road you have to spend 30 mins taking off plastic before you can even see whats wrong :p

 

actually according to the time, you tied!

 

Looks like there are hinges on the front of the plastic dealy. It flips foward or do you gotta remove it completl by other means.
If it flips fowards easlly its probably not to much of a problem.
but if its a hassle it gotta go!

 

I35/G35/350Z motor has a shroud. Easy way to kick up the service flat rate at dealers. Better keep a socket/driver set in the trunk if you are a do-it-yourself guy.

 

well lookin under the hood of a friends celica, they have the same plastic crap too. Its kept in place by some cheap *** plastic pin things. I hope mazda puts on hinges or real hardware cause those plastic pos break really easily. But then again its Toyota.

 

doe sanyone see the hinges for the hood?

 

Far upper left looks like a slot for the hood hinge/safety hook to to drop down into the cowling. Looks pretty standard and no heavy failure-prone hydraulic struts. Wonder if the hood is as light as the FD?

 

good i can do without the struts. how light are we talking on the fd hood?

 

Perhaps the hood prop hangs from the hood itself....hmmm

And yes where is that dipstick thingy!