windows fogging up when washing car
08-28-2013 | 11:38 AM
#1
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From: Newtown, CT
windows fogging up when washing car
Work is kind of slow today so i thought i'd post a couple questions i've been sitting on. This is question one.
Whenever i wash my car the entire interior windows start fogging up. Usually i do this in the morning while i let the car warm up before i head off to work. The blowers on 1 but its not on heat and it looks like the cars had a teen lose your virginity party inside it's so fogged up. I'm sure it's partly due to humidity levels during the summer months which is where were at these days, but im mostly concerned about there maybe being a leak somewhere where waters getting into the inside of the car and i'm not realizing it?
Whenever i wash my car the entire interior windows start fogging up. Usually i do this in the morning while i let the car warm up before i head off to work. The blowers on 1 but its not on heat and it looks like the cars had a teen lose your virginity party inside it's so fogged up. I'm sure it's partly due to humidity levels during the summer months which is where were at these days, but im mostly concerned about there maybe being a leak somewhere where waters getting into the inside of the car and i'm not realizing it?
08-28-2013 | 11:54 AM
#2
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From: Newtown, CT
determining if my engine has ever been replaced
fart i just realized i posted a response to my first question instead of a new thread for my second..edited that out
Last edited by nogoer; 08-28-2013 at 12:10 PM.
08-28-2013 | 12:13 PM
#3
This question arose from another discussion thread about a reman engine factory and its level of production.
My 8 is a 2004 with approx 124k miles on it. The guy i bought it from had no idea if the engine was ever swapped out or rebuilt. The only thing he told me was that it had an engine "refresh" at around 80K whatever the **** that means. Dealer history obtained directly from mazda NA showed no warranty replacements or any other engine work outside of normal expected recalls. I spent a few minutes the other day poking around from above trying to find the remanufactured engine plate to no avail.
I consider myself a hobby mechanic and have a long history of cars where i almost always DIY myself so i'm confident i have a good idea of what i'm seeing and feeling when it comes to my cars. My 8 feels strong and doesn't seem to have any of the normal issues that come along with a low compression engine like hot starts. Granted i have never done a compression test, but consensus seemed to be that a car with the mileage mine has that still has the original engine should not be performing like i feel mine is.
this is where i get confused because rx8s have this bad history of engines dying under 50k miles yet as best as i can tell mine has never been replaced or rebuilt and is still going strong. I know i need to have a compression test done, but that still doesn't tell me if i have a reman or a rebuilt or an original. If i do have bad compression then i'm extremely curious to know what this cars like with good compression!
So after that long winded story i guess im asking is how do i figure out what the real deal is. A bad compression test would hint at an original engine, but could also mean a rebuild is once again starting to go bad. Good compression numbers would really throw things into a mystery though.
My 8 is a 2004 with approx 124k miles on it. The guy i bought it from had no idea if the engine was ever swapped out or rebuilt. The only thing he told me was that it had an engine "refresh" at around 80K whatever the **** that means. Dealer history obtained directly from mazda NA showed no warranty replacements or any other engine work outside of normal expected recalls. I spent a few minutes the other day poking around from above trying to find the remanufactured engine plate to no avail.
I consider myself a hobby mechanic and have a long history of cars where i almost always DIY myself so i'm confident i have a good idea of what i'm seeing and feeling when it comes to my cars. My 8 feels strong and doesn't seem to have any of the normal issues that come along with a low compression engine like hot starts. Granted i have never done a compression test, but consensus seemed to be that a car with the mileage mine has that still has the original engine should not be performing like i feel mine is.
this is where i get confused because rx8s have this bad history of engines dying under 50k miles yet as best as i can tell mine has never been replaced or rebuilt and is still going strong. I know i need to have a compression test done, but that still doesn't tell me if i have a reman or a rebuilt or an original. If i do have bad compression then i'm extremely curious to know what this cars like with good compression!
So after that long winded story i guess im asking is how do i figure out what the real deal is. A bad compression test would hint at an original engine, but could also mean a rebuild is once again starting to go bad. Good compression numbers would really throw things into a mystery though.
Also I had my roof smashed in and when they replaced it they had to remove the windshield, after that under very certain weather conditions I would get condensation/fogging on the inside of my windows. I would say it only happens 5-10 days out of the year. So maybe your car had the windshield replaced at some point in it's life and like mine wasn't sealed back up completely. I would imagine you could also look around all the doors and make sure you insulation was intact and in good shape.
08-28-2013 | 12:14 PM
#4
Also does the fogging only come when you turn the a/c blower on? Have you tried putting it on re-cirulate and see if it still happens. Do you clean the engine bay when you wash the car?
Last edited by bladeiai; 08-28-2013 at 12:17 PM.
08-28-2013 | 12:28 PM
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for the fogging thing, there might be water getting into the car. i don't know how crazy you want to get, but at minimum open the doors and trunk and just feel around for wet spots. once you have a general idea if and where its leaking, then you can dig deeper.
re the engine; it is possible its original, however since you asked lets assume its not. since its not on the Mazda warranty info, they didn't do it. so we get to play sherlock holmes/concours judge. keep in mind that sometimes its obvious the engine has been changed, and sometimes there is just circumstantial evidence.
simplest is the engine number, not sure where it is on the Renesis, but the older engines are on the front housing kind of below the alternator, it'll be something like 377352, if you have the Mazda warranty printout, the engine number will be on there, and it'll match.
if its different, then you have a used/reman, if there is no number, that housing was replaced with new.
another thing to look for is paint, an OE engine is just the nitrided finish irons (dark grey), and raw aluminum rotor housings, with gold cad plated fasteners. if you see paint on either the housings, or fasteners, someone has been in there.
3 on the Rx8's the wiring harness that goes around the airbox tray has 2-3 zipties that hold it to the tray, if they are cut or missing, someone has been in there. the ties actually have a little tab, and are reusable, but most techs seem to just cut them.
hose clamps, Mazda uses a spring type clamp on all the hoses, and most people change these to screw clamps.
so you have to look over the car and see what's been apart and what hasn't been apart, with the complication being that a lot of the stuff that comes out when you do an engine also has to come out to do a bunch of other jobs
re the engine; it is possible its original, however since you asked lets assume its not. since its not on the Mazda warranty info, they didn't do it. so we get to play sherlock holmes/concours judge. keep in mind that sometimes its obvious the engine has been changed, and sometimes there is just circumstantial evidence.
simplest is the engine number, not sure where it is on the Renesis, but the older engines are on the front housing kind of below the alternator, it'll be something like 377352, if you have the Mazda warranty printout, the engine number will be on there, and it'll match.
if its different, then you have a used/reman, if there is no number, that housing was replaced with new.
another thing to look for is paint, an OE engine is just the nitrided finish irons (dark grey), and raw aluminum rotor housings, with gold cad plated fasteners. if you see paint on either the housings, or fasteners, someone has been in there.
3 on the Rx8's the wiring harness that goes around the airbox tray has 2-3 zipties that hold it to the tray, if they are cut or missing, someone has been in there. the ties actually have a little tab, and are reusable, but most techs seem to just cut them.
hose clamps, Mazda uses a spring type clamp on all the hoses, and most people change these to screw clamps.
so you have to look over the car and see what's been apart and what hasn't been apart, with the complication being that a lot of the stuff that comes out when you do an engine also has to come out to do a bunch of other jobs
08-28-2013 | 12:39 PM
#6
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From: Newtown, CT
I have felt around the floors before and not felt anything wet and rainy days dont seem to fog up the windows. I usually do spary a lot of water on the lower wind shield thing below the wipers because crap always builds up in there and its hard to clean out otherwise. Maybe im forcing water into the air ducts or something.
09-09-2013 | 06:26 PM
#8
I HATE SPEEDBUMPS!
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Las Vegas, NV
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