00 NB Thermalwitch and heatsoak failure @ autox
 

So, I've tried searching the internet and can't seem to find someone else with my issue. But, I can't be alone here.

I have the M-Tuned Coolant Reroute and a Jacking Racing header with DEI Titanium Heat Wrap. On very hot autox days ambient temps of 93F+ I'm not seeing my fan kick in when my car hits 204 as seen on my ultraguage. I'm pretty sure, what's going on here is the EGR pipe or radiant heat off of my header is heating up the thermalswitch or Aluminum M-Tuned housing itself and causing a failure of some sort in the thermalswitch. What I don't understand is, why does the Temp Guage still work if it's a combine switch/guage in the NB.

When I drive the car home and let it cool down, the fans kick on again when the car hits 204F. This is why I think heatsoak is killing my thermalswitch. Has anyone else experienced this and found a working solution? I've contemplated wrapping the EGR in heat tape, wrapping the sensor (not as practical, covering the M-Tuned housing or creating a heat shield of some sort.

I'm getting tired of the heat issues with my miata. It's just mine that seems to be cursed. Granted, I too start failing in 92+F on blacktop after a few hours as well, but why doesn't the rest of the miatas at the autox suffer like my poor NB?

Thanks for the help.

Adam

I didn't know there was a separate thermoswitch for the fans in the NB I thought that was only a 1.6 thing. The NA8 certainly dont have it.

Isn't the NB a 3-in-one sensor (Gauge, Ecu, Fan)? A new one is $10.33 on RockAuto, pretty cheap to test out your theory.

No, the NB one has 3 pins, 2 of which are for the ECU (signal + ground) and the 3rd one is for the gauge (and grounds through the sensor body).

Only the 1.6L had the thermoswitch.

Rev, if my ECU is still getting a temp signal, what do you think it could be if it isn't a true thermal switch?

well, I went ahead and purchased a new Temp Sensor sender from RockAuto and I'll pull the EGR and wrap it as I have some left over heat tape. I probably won't know if it's FIXED till next year as I don't know how many 90+F autox I will have left this year.

As a back up plan, I'm going to wire the A/C fan back in and run that when at autox for added cooling. I removed my A/C last winter and didn't wire up the fan.