ive got heat problems. or the lack of...

[14carrot]

heat is always luke warm. not hot but not cold. it wont defrost and your feet are usually still cold going down the road... help!!! lol

[Eaglefreek]

Where does your temperature gauge read when engine is at operating temp? Did you see this sticky thread? http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...arely-any-heat

[14carrot]

it never gets past a quarter of the way up. im going to check the thread now

[Ninjawimp]

I had the same prob after replacing my thermostat with an aftermarket. Nothing but luke warm heat no matter how long the car was running.

Found a festt in the yard & pulled the oem thermostat. Replaced it & got hot heat. I tgink the oems are 2 stant

Sent from my LGLK430 using Tapatalk

[Eaglefreek]

Until I get the motavation to change my thermostat, I cover about 3/4 of the radiator with a piece of cardboard. However, in cold temps my temp gauge barely moves and with the cardboard, it is at about 1/4 and I get HOT heat. I would check the recent thread from TominMO about the fresh air door being open.

[ryanprins13]

If your gauge only goes to 1/4 way up the first thing you need to do is change the thermostat. Mine stays above half even in -40c.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shadetree]

Take the two screws out of the plate on the passenger top firewall . Look back inside , you will see a vent with grill covering it . Use tape and plastic to cover that grate really good . Install plate and enjoy .

[Green Bean]

Wonderin if im the only one that doesnt have a heat problem mine will roast ya out of the inside lol.

[14carrot]

I'm thinking its the thermostat. During the rebuild I replaced every vent seal I could find and made sure the fresh air door sealed. I also did toms cabin air mod... Still lukewarm. My other festy always had good heat and I never changed the thermostat... That's the only thing I've done different to it.

Sent from my ALCATEL A845L using Tapatalk

[NaturalSelection]

My heat worked great until I replaced the stock thermostat. Now it is just neutral warm air.

[hotfordcat]

Mazda part #8AK1-15-171-9U problem solved!!

[TominMO]

I think another factor in the low-heat situation is that we now can only get the auto trans two-row radiators, which are more efficient at dissipating heat than the manual trans single-row ones were. I just installed a Motorad 192-degree "open when fail" thermostat, as a safety measure to prevent overheating if the thermostat fails in the closed position. All slots on the front of the car are blocked off except the driver side grill. On cold days, like below 50 F, the car gets up to full operating temp only when idling; as soon as I take off, temp goes back down to just above the lower normal-temp line. Heat is comfortable, considering I am dressed for cold weather anyway; but it would be nice to have great heat. Below freezing, maybe I wouldn't even make it to the lower line once moving.

And BTW this is with my fresh-air intake completely blocked off, so that is not a factor.

Tmw I'll mask off the rest of the grill; that should help. If not, on the coldest days I can put cardboard over half the rad. Fully covering it might be too much, but it would make a nice experiment I might try on a very cold day.

If none of this helps, then I will go to my last attempt, and actually stick in the Mazda thermostat listed above. What's frustrating is that my Aspire has a normal Stant 190-degree thermostat and the heat in it is roasting. The rad is one-row tho, and much wider. The small grill is open, bumper is masked.

If you look up on Rock Auto a thermostat for a 1993 Miata, for example, you will find this Gates TH30688G1 for $26.89. Looks like the Mazda branded one. 88 C = 190 F.

EDIT: also for 93 Miatas is the 192 F Motorad 414192 for $8.01, which looks even more like the Mazda one.

[14carrot]

I figured it out for mine. Apparently the radiator cap not holding pressure will do it lol. Mind blown.

Sent from my ALCATEL A845L using Tapatalk